Matthew 2: 40 “And the Child grew and became strong [k]in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” Matthew 7: 1-5 “Judge[a] not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what [b]judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
An ordinary life in a small Galilean town with a father who was a tekton. When we visited Israel in 2016, we learned that that term could apply to stone masons as well as to carpenters and it was quite probable that Joseph might have worked in both wood and stone. Even in Jesus’ day, there weren’t very many trees in Israel apart from olive trees, while there was lots of stone. And meanwhile, the Romans were building Sepphoris, a new large and beautiful city about four miles from Nazareth. At that time, Nazareth was a very small village, so it’s likely that both Joseph and Jesus worked on construction in Sepphoris. And those experiences undoubtedly helped shape some of the stories that Jesus later told.
Jesus spoke a lot about rocks – about a wise man who built his house on a rock while a foolish man built his house on sand. (Did somebody build a house in a stream bed that only flooded once a year?) Jesus teased Peter about his original name, Simon, which refers to a small stone, and re – named him Peter, which refers to a large rock on which a building could be built. Jesus’ experiences in working in wood led him to compare someone who was very critical to a man trying to remove a tiny splinter from his friend’s eye while he himself was blinded by a beam that had struck his own eye. This story might have referred to a real incident with which Jesus’ audience would be familiar. You can practically see some guy in the back of the crowd elbowing his friend and saying, “Hah! I knew sooner or later that crazy incident would catch up with Joel! Bet he’ll watch where he’s going in the future!”
So many times we worry that what we are doing is not good enough or that our work is not significant. But if we are doing what God has called us to do, there is no such thing as an insignificant job. No matter what we are doing, we are surrounded by people who need encouragement, people who depend on our fulfilling our tasks gracefully and enthusiastically. One of the things I appreciate about my husband is that he goes out of his way to complement cleaners in public restrooms. And if Bob gets good service from a waiter or waitress, he complements them in front of their manager. And he’s right! If not for those who clean, our work places and public places would be filthy. And waiting tables well is really a gift. Today, think about someone who is doing a small job well and then thank that person. You will make their day!
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that Jesus left us an example of faithfulness in his work. Thank you that there is no legitimate work that you have not blessed. Today, help us to be faithful and to fulfill your perfect will for our lives. In Jesus’ mighty Name. Amen.
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