And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in the synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. (Matthew 13: 55-57)
Nazareth was a dirt-poor town and the people there eked out a living from the ground that was sufficient to sustain themselves and to pay their tax to Caesar. The people had no time for fun, no time for relaxation, and they had no sporting events to distract their minds from suffering as slaves to Rome.
Out of this environment, who would have ever thought that a simple carpenter from Nazareth would come to be known throughout the whole world?
The people there would have been shocked had they known the future, which they should have known had they only read and believed the Scriptures.
After leaving Nazareth, he never held a job.
He never built a house that he could call his own.
The clothes he wore were the clothes he owned.
He never rode a horse, or commanded an army in war.
He never had a seat on a city council.
He never wrote a book, and, as far as we know, he never signed his name.
Barely twelve people knew him well, and, after that, perhaps no more than a hundred or so.
The Roman soldiers never noticed him, for he never stood out as a troublesome soul.
King Herod was watching over the affairs of the state, and Pontius Pilate was occupied in pleasing Rome, making sure that Caesar's interest in Israel was continuing without interruption.
The life of Jesus is truly an amazing story, the story of stories, the alpha and the omega of journalism, the bookends of human history, and the crowning glory of the universe.
John the Apostle wrote of Jesus this way:
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. (John 21: 25)
Nazareth was a dirt-poor town and the people there eked out a living from the ground that was sufficient to sustain themselves and to pay their tax to Caesar. The people had no time for fun, no time for relaxation, and they had no sporting events to distract their minds from suffering as slaves to Rome.
Out of this environment, who would have ever thought that a simple carpenter from Nazareth would come to be known throughout the whole world?
The people there would have been shocked had they known the future, which they should have known had they only read and believed the Scriptures.
After leaving Nazareth, he never held a job.
He never built a house that he could call his own.
The clothes he wore were the clothes he owned.
He never rode a horse, or commanded an army in war.
He never had a seat on a city council.
He never wrote a book, and, as far as we know, he never signed his name.
Barely twelve people knew him well, and, after that, perhaps no more than a hundred or so.
The Roman soldiers never noticed him, for he never stood out as a troublesome soul.
King Herod was watching over the affairs of the state, and Pontius Pilate was occupied in pleasing Rome, making sure that Caesar's interest in Israel was continuing without interruption.
The life of Jesus is truly an amazing story, the story of stories, the alpha and the omega of journalism, the bookends of human history, and the crowning glory of the universe.
John the Apostle wrote of Jesus this way:
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. (John 21: 25)
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