Jesus moved about within Galilee;
he did not wish to travel in Judea,
because the Jews were trying to kill him.
But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.
But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
“Is he not the one they are trying to kill?
And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.
Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?
But we know where he is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,
“You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
So they tried to arrest him,
but no one laid a hand upon him,
because his hour had not yet come.
The Jews, in this reading, say that “we know this man, and when the christ comes we will not know where he is from.” This statement betrays the clear point that the jews were not waiting for this Christ, Jesus, they were instead looking for a conqueing king, to ride on the clouds in a fiery chariot, and fulfill all of the prophecies of the messiah…, restore the temple, gather the tribes of Israel, conquer all of the enemies of God, and to reign as the king of a new great nation.
But instead they got Jesus, who came not as the conquering king but instead as the suffering servant. These people knew Him, and they knew His parents, and they committed the logical falicy of thinking that since they knew Him, and where He came from, that He could not be the Lord. This is the same error made when Jesus said to His kin that no prophet is accepted in their home town.
But why is that? if you know someone’s history and where they come from, does that give you some insight into who they are. Yes, if they are sinners, you may know all of the barnicles, and all of the failures that cling to them. But does it tell you who they really are? Probably not. But Jesus was not a sinner, and everyone that knew him knew how good He and His mother were.
I think that the real answer is that if you know who someone is and where they are from, then you logically can know that they are human, born and raised like any other person. This, I think, is where the dissonance comes from. I dont think that anyone, could even conceive of the idea that the Lord, God of the universe would come live a fully human life, be concieved in the womb, born, and raised from a little child, and then die for us, to save us from our sins.
I believe that most simply thought that the messiah, and savior would just show up one day, and that His kingdom would begin in a loud thunder clap of vengence and justice. This will indeed happen, but that will be the end of everything, and the judgement of justice will be fully recognized and rendered. But until that time, Jesus is content to work in our world, meekly, humbly, pushing us into full communion with Him. This is happening all the time, to all of us, you simply need just recognize it, and then thank God for it.
