What Career for Jesus?

Rich man, Poor man, Beggar man, Thief?

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief?

 

The text above is a children's fortune-telling game: that is,

"What will you be when you grow up?"

The old English version of it  was:

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor,

Rich Man, Poor man, Beggar Man, Thief.

But Jesus' version of it might be:
Carpenter, Farmer, Rabbi, Sheep?

Jesus' earthly father was a carpenter. But Joseph was already middle-aged when Jesus was born, and by the time Jesus reached 30, Joseph had passed away, to all appearances. At 30 years old, Jesus would be at least a journeyman carpenter, and perhaps a master carpenter. The Romans were busy building new Greek-style cities. One of them--Sepphoris--was only 4 miles from Nazareth. There would be plenty of work for a carpenter.

Or should he be a farmer? The family of Joseph owned 30 acres of farmland outside Nazareth, that had been handed down from generation to generation. But Jesus would have to share that with at least some of his step-brothers. And dry farming was a hard life, especially when the early rains or the latter rains were inadequate. History tells us that the grandsons of Jude--Jesus' youngest step-brother-- were still farming this piece of land at the end of the first century AD.

Or how about Rabbi, or Scribe? Jesus showed his intense interest in the scriptures as early as twelve years old. He enjoyed discussing scripture with other learned men. Maybe that's what he's been called to do? His oldest stepbrother, James, was already gaining a reputation as a man who knew how to apply the scriptures to real life situations.

And what about being a shepherd? As a child, surely Jesus spent some time helping the local shepherds watch their sheep. It was a simple life, with plenty of time alone and plenty of time outdoors.

Decisions, Decisions.

But Jesus couldn't just choose anything that appealed to him.

He had a history to deal with.

He was conceived under some very strange circumstances, that had to be answered to. And when he was born, an angel had appeared by night to shepherds in the fields, telling them that a Savior, "Christ the Lord," would be found in Bethlehem, lying in a manger. Then Simeon, a prophet in the Temple, said that the infant Jesus would be "A Light of Revelation to the Nations," and another prophet, Anna, spread the word about this infant.

Not only that, but a group of learned men who studied the stars travelled from far away to kneel at the foot of Jesus' bed, proclaiming Jesus as King of the Jews and giving him precious gifts. 

King of the Jews? He was going to be King of the Jews? So far he was only king of the desert. "Light of Revelation to the Nations?" Was he supposed to call down fire from the sky, like the prophet Elijah?

And then there was the word that he gave to his parents when he was twelve, that he had to be "In my Father" (Luke 2:49). (Note: Some translations will say, "In my Father's house," and others "About my Father's business." Both are good guesses, but wrong. The boy Jesus said, "In my Father.")

"In my Father?" His parents had not understood that. But later he told his  disciples what it meant. Jesus said of his heavenly parent, "I am in my Father and my Father is in Me. If you have seen me, then you have seen the Father."

So that was his new career. But how to get there?

Something else had to happen first.

Jesus' Crazy Cousin

Maybe the answer lay in what Jesus' crazy cousin was doing. "John the Baptist," they were calling him. Jesus likely hadn't seen him since they were kids. John's elderly parents had passed away and John had fled into the wilderness. Some said that he had joined the crazy Essenes at the village of Qumran.

But now it looks like the Essenes had kicked John out because he was just too crazy. He was preaching stuff in the wilderness such as "The Kingdom of Heaven is near! Repent, and believe in the Good News!" And what could he be eating out there all by himself? Bugs?

But John "the Baptist" also had a history to answer to. When he was born, his father Zacharias (Jesus' uncle) had prophesied that his son John would be called the Prophet of the Most High, and that he would clear the way for the Lord--that is, the Messiah--to appear before the people of Israel (Malachi 3:1).

So Jesus goes to look him up in the desert. He wasn't hard to find: people from across Judea and Galilee were streaming to him to be baptized in the Jordan river. But John was intimidated. "Jesus, you're the chosen one! I can't baptize you! You should be baptizing me!"

But Jesus saw that John was the gateway to the beginning of his ministry of hope for the people of Israel. He said, "No, John, let this happen, so that all that is right can be fulfilled." And John relents, leading him into the Jordan to be baptized. 

Jesus Gets Baptized

It turns out that John wasn't so lonely out there by the Jordan as we imagined. Among those that came to be baptized, a few men stayed around to help him baptize and  listen to his teachings, and become his disciples. And besides the bugs and wild honey, it is certain that some of those that were baptized also brought food to honor this new prophet.

As Jesus requested, and as he expected, John baptized Jesus in the waters of the River Jordan. That would seem to satisfy Jesus' change in vocation from carpenter to prophet, but God had more up his sleeve for Jesus, that would surprise everyone.

Splitting the Sky

When Jesus came up out of the waters and was praying, an amazing sight appeared: the heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the bodily form of a dove. And a voice came from heaven, saying to Jesus, "You are my beloved Son, in you I am well pleased."

The crowd might have thought they heard thunder, But both Jesus and John saw the Spirit resting on Jesus and heard the voice from the sky. John would later tell his disciples, "There he is! There's the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!"

But yet more must come to pass before Jesus will begin to take up his role as Prophet and Savior.

Check this space next week to find out just what that was.