Learning From Jesus' Human Family

Joseph took Mary as his wife and became involved in the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies.

WHAT do you know about Jesus' immediate family, those with whom he lived until his baptism, for the first 30 years of his life on earth?  What do the Gospel accounts tell us?  What can we learn from examining his family?  You can benefit from the answers.

Was Jesus born, as it were, with a silver spoon in his mouth?  Joseph, his adoptive father, was a carpenter by trade.  That called for strenuous physical work, which often involved cutting down tress for timber.  When Jesus' human parents went to Jerusalem some 40 days after his birth, they presented a sacrificial offering prescribed by the Law.   Did they offer a ram along with turtledove or a pigeon,as stipulated  by the Law?  No, it appears that they could not afford such offerings.  Yet, the Law had a provision for the poor.  In line with that, Joseph and Mary offered  "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."  The choice of the less expensive animals showed that they were a family of limited means. -Luke 2:22-24; Leviticus 12:6, 8.

You can see that Jesus Christ, the future Ruler of all mankind, was born among the humble, among those who had to work hard to make ends meet.  He grew up to be a carpenter, just like his adoptive father.  (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3)  "Though [Jesus]  was rich" as a powerful spirit creature in heaven, the Bible says that he "become poor" for out sakes.  He took a lower position as a human and grew up in a family of common people.  (2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-9; Hebrews 2:9)  Jesus was not born into a well-to-do family, and this may have helped some people to identify with him.  They were not distracted by his status or position.   They could appreciate him for his teachings for his appealing qualities, and for his wonderful works.  (Matthew 7:28, 29; 9:19-33; 11:28, 29)   We can see Jehovah God's wisdom in letting Jesus be born into an ordinary family.

Now let us consider members of Jesus' family and see what we can learn from them.

Next time: Learning From Jesus' Human Family-Joseph-A Righteous Man

The Watchtower, 2003