"When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth." (Luke 2:39, NIV)Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, just experienced some amazing things in Jerusalem. They are the parents of the Messiah! If any family was entitled to support and privilege it was theirs.
Yet, when the hoopla is over, what happens? They go back to their home town and settle back into their old lifestyle.
What strikes me about this is that too often in the church we put full time ministry personnel into a different spiritual category than the rest of the folks in the fellowship. Since the reformation, we have taught against this, but still we gravitate back to this attitude like moths to a porch light.
Yet, here we see the holy family going back to Nazareth and doing what they did before the birth of Jesus.
Certainly, there would be a different attitude in their work. Watching Jesus grow up would have brought a unique set of joys and challenges. Can you imagine the challenge of having a perfectly behaved child? Can you imagine being in a relationship when you are always the one that needs forgiving?
But the point is that they did not assume the pastorate of the local synagogue. They did not go on national TV, or start a web site (or a blog). They went back to their old work and old lifestyle. They did, however, accomplish the task that God set before them which was to rear the Messiah of the Jews and the Savior of the world.
May we all be willing to play the role that God has given us for His glory, trusting that the final result will be better than anything we could have planned.
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