Jesus Seemed Ordinary! – January 31, 2025

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Jesus said to them, . . . “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Luke 4:16-30

Jesus Seemed Ordinary!

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A lot of people have made up stories about what Jesus was like as a child. In one, he makes little toy birds out of clay, then uses his power to make them alive. In another, when he sees a boy bullying someone, he strikes him dead on the spot—only to make him alive again when his parents get mad! Those stories aren’t true, but it’s not surprising that people wonder what the Son of God was like as he grew up as a young boy.

Truth is, Jesus grew up just like you. It seems that Jesus went to church with his family, learned to be a carpenter like his stepfather Joseph, showed respect for his parents and loved studying the Bible and talking with people about God’s promises. That’s a wonderful thing: God chose to live an ordinary life, much like yours. He knows what it’s like to be a son, a brother, a neighbor.

Being ordinary brought a challenge, though. When Jesus told the people in his hometown that he was the promised Savior, they refused to believe it. In fact, they got so angry they tried to kill him! They were convinced that someone they knew so well couldn’t possibly be the Savior.

There’s a similar challenge that we face. Many of us have known that Jesus is our Savior for as long as we remember—even from the time we were little children. In a sense, we’ve “grown up with Jesus.” It can be easy for us to forget how incredible and life-changing the Gospel message is. We’ll never try to throw Jesus off a cliff, but when we’re faced with doubt or trouble or sickness or fear, we might not think he has anything special to offer us.

There’s only one answer for that: Listen to his Word as if you’ve never heard it before. Understand again what God has done for you in Jesus. Do you feel like your faith is running on empty? Jesus is there to fill you back up. Do you feel imprisoned by guilt? Hear again about Jesus’ forgiveness, and he’ll set you free. Do you feel like no one loves you? Jesus will show you how much God loves you—so much, he’d die for you. It’s a message you know well, but it’s anything but ordinary!

Closing Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you have given us the privilege of knowing you so well. Forgive us for the times we take you for granted. Help us every day to see you with new eyes and hear your message with new ears! Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Jesus preached in his hometown. Why was that hard for him to do?
• What did the people there try to do to Jesus?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What’s one way Jesus showed he is true God in this reading?
• Jesus refers to both the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian. If you know either of those stories, describe what they’re about. If not, read the accounts of 1 Kings 17:7-16 and 2 Kings 5:1-19.

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Jesus said he came to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy: bringing freedom for the prisoner and setting the oppressed free. Was he speaking literally or figuratively? How do you know?
• Everyone thought they knew Jesus so well that they were convinced he had nothing special to offer them. Describe a time you felt the same way.