There is a human tendency to put other people in boxes. Germans are organized, Italians are romantic, Irish are sentimental. That tendency can also be used for individuals. If Johnny was lazy as a child he will surely be a lazy adult. The people of Nazareth tried to put Jesus in a box when he did not meet their expectations of what a home town boy should look like: “Where did this man get all this? Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary.” Because of God’s grace in his life Jesus had grown into the prophetic figure who defied others’ expectations. We need to overcome our tendency to judge others and leave room for what God’s grace can do in each of us.
