The Personality of Christ (Christological Trilogy) by Vonier Dom Anscar

Author:Vonier, Dom Anscar [Vonier, Dom Anscar]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Assumption Press
Published: 2013-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXI

THE TRANSITION

Christ’s passing at the age of thirty from ordinary human life into one of power, claiming to be that of the Son of God, was abrupt and unexpected. Nothing in His daily existence had prepared His townsmen for this sudden exchange of roles. That He was the village carpenter is evident from the phrase on the lips of the people of Nazareth, quoted by St. Mark:

And when the Sabbath was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were in admiration at his doctrine, saying, How came this man by all these things? and what wisdom is this that is given to him, and such mighty works as are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? Are not also his sisters here with us? And they were scandalized in regard of him.[88]

St. Joseph was dead, and Jesus had succeeded to his foster-father’s modest business. St. Matt 13:55 makes the people of Nazareth say: “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” whilst St. Mark’s text points clearly to the fact that Jesus Himself had followed the parental avocation.

Adam Bede has become the classical instance, in English literature, of the noble son of the soil, grand in his simple manhood, for whom it was God’s will that he should be a good carpenter. There is no profaneness in thinking of Christ, at Nazareth, going about His work in the simple uprightness of a strong and straightforward man, to whom the great secrets of His spiritual life were never a temptation even to look mysterious and secretive.

The Gospel narratives are documents of supreme good taste. The element of useless mysteriousness, of irritating secretiveness is entirely banished from them. The apocrypha, on the contrary, exploit bravely this situation, so full of possible thrills for the vulgar mind, a human being that is a God, and yet of set purpose hiding his identity, with just enough hints and glimpses given to the entourage to make the situation interesting, till finally the veil falls.

No human being ever possessed the noble quality of reserve in the degree it was possessed by the divine carpenter, the son of David.

But when the hour of His manifestation came, it came with incontrovertible clearness and irresistible power. It came as an immense surprise to Christ’s friends and acquaintances. In their bewilderment they had the one explanation always at hand for nonplussed family circles, sudden insanity. “And when his friends had heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is become mad.”[89]

The Baptism at the hands of John and the great fast with its mysterious temptations were events still unknown to the world. John alone had seen the open heaven, had heard the voice from above. The calling of the first disciples, with such irresistible imperiousness of will, was Christ’s first assertion of His Divinity. A few days later there was the miracle at Cana, the first sign.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.