So it was thought

Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph.

Luke 3:23

Brilliant. Luke is simply brilliant. What else can you say for a person who is able to say in four words what many couldn’t say in 10,000? And in a genealogy no less. You know, that part of the gospels that you skip when you come to it.

Luke is just getting started with Jesus’ lineage and of course, he begins with Joseph. But apparently there had been a misunderstanding. People in his day had come to the conclusion that Jesus was Joseph’s son. So Luke slips in a phrase to indicate that people have this low mentality of Jesus: so it was thought.

He was just the son of Joseph. Just another carpenter from Nazareth. Just another link in the long chain of human history.

So it was thought.

But Jesus wasn’t what they thought He was. He was more than that.

He wasn’t just the son of Joseph. He was the Son of God.

That’s a huge miscalculation. But Luke just continues on with his gospel as if nothing has changed.

And it’s because nothing has changed.

History is full of people who have misinterpreted and underestimated Jesus. We do it to this day. And we will be doing it to the end of time.

He was just a good man. Just a myth. Just a magic worker. Just a revolutionary. Just a man who died in his early 30s. He was just the son of Joseph.

So it was thought.

The reality is that who Jesus really is can’t be changed or altered by human opinion. While the opinions of men have come and gone, Jesus still sits on His throne. Unscathed. Unchanged. Undiminished.

He’s still the Alpha and Omega.

He’s still the Author of life.

He’s still the Lord over all Creation.

He’s still the risen Savior of the world.

He’s still the image of the invisible God.

He’s still the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords.

He’s still the hope of glory.

He’s still the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

He’s still Jesus, the Son of God.

And not one low opinion of Jesus will ever change these truths. The most ferocious opponents of Jesus can’t change a single thing about Him. Those who casually dismiss Him haven’t tarnished His character or nature in the slightest degree.

Every person who has ever underestimated Jesus has gone into the grave. Meanwhile Jesus is still risen from the grave. Not one false opinion has moved Him one inch down from His throne. Not one accurate one has moved Him any higher because He is already the Highest.

People today think Jesus is weak.

People today think Jesus is just one way of many.

People today think Jesus is irrelevant.

People today think Jesus is…

In 2000 years the truth will be the exact same as it is today.

So it was thought.

This entry was originally published November 18, 2010.