Do you ever wonder?

 

Do you ever wonder what Jesus was like as a kid?  I do.  Quite often, in fact.

I didn’t use to, but one day years ago I had the blessing to attend a Mass in Fresno at St. Anthony Claret church.

What I like about St. Anthony's is the crucifix behind the altar.  The Corpus is life-sized and painted realistically and brings home to me the suffering Christ went through for me (for all of us).

The first time I saw it, something in the way the Corpus is painted occupied my thoughts for days; the crucifix shows Christ with skinned knees, “obviously representing the falls He took while carrying the cross to Calvary”, I thought.

But is that the obvious conclusion?  For some reason, it also makes me think of His childhood.  All children skin their knees often when learning to walk, and although Jesus is God, He still experienced all of the frailties of His human nature, so skinned knees probably occurred.

Then I think, "What other injuries or feelings might He have experienced while 'advancing in age and wisdom and favor before God and man'"? (Luke 2:52)

While He was learning to walk, did He skin His knees?  Did He cry and ask for "Mommy" or "Daddy" (meaning St. Joseph)?  When learning the trade of a carpenter was there a time when the hammer slipped and smashed a finger?  And if these things did happen, were they, in effect, a part of the redemptive sufferings He suffered for our sakes?

What about the anxiety He must have felt as a teenager in anticipation of His "coming out" at the wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-12)?  He MUST have been anxious to spread His Father's Word, but in humility He waited until the appointed time.  Was this anxiety part of our redemption as well?

He must have had a hard time accepting who He was, and His mission.

The Gospel (Mark 6:1-6) has Jesus in His hometown, revealing Himself to the people who know Him best.  They’ve seen Him grow from that little guy learning to walk and making mistakes, and now He’s calling Himself a prophet and teaching in the synagogue with great wisdom and might!  The people in His city, His neighbors, know Him as the kid down the block… just an ordinary carpenter, and yet He teaches in the synagogue as one with learning and power.  He couldn’t possibly, in their eyes, be a prophet.  Their lack of faith, though, limits His ability to perform any “mighty deeds” that reveal the presence of God’s kingdom in their midst.

I’ll bet they, too, had a hard time accepting who He said He was, and His mission.

The people in this Gospel were a lot like me.  Here’s the Son of God Himself, standing right in front of them, talking to them.  God comes to heal the sick, bring sight to the blind, shower peace and love to all people, share the message of Eternal Life, and these folk were just too closed to see Him at work in their lives.  In fact they were so angry, they refused to let Him do any mighty deed there, tying the hands of God, refusing all the love and grace Jesus offers!

And yet, even fully knowing what would happen, God still pursued us.  He sent His Son as one of us to reach out, to call us home, even though He knew we would tie His hands and turn our backs on all the healing and love He has to offer.

Such love.  Such amazing love… to hold out a hand of care and forgiveness, even though those very people would slam a spike through it.

God waits for us.  Jesus is right here, in our midst.  The signs and messages are always there… if only we could be open enough to recognize Him.

There’s a refrain of a pop song, titled “Right Here Waiting,” that says it pretty well.

Wherever you go, whatever you do,

I will be right here waiting for you.

What a perfect description of God.  All we have to do look, listen, and be God’s beloved.