“ ‘Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home’ ” (Mark 6:3-4).

Jesus had grown up with the people of Nazareth as His neighbors. They had known Him as the village carpenter and couldn’t get past that fact. It is amazing that the very Son of God was not only born in a manger but lived most of His life in obscurity as a common carpenter. His identification with us is that complete.

He can relate to every one of us who has faced the challenge of making a living. He knows what it’s like to face deadlines. When He said, “My yoke fits perfectly” He knew what He was talking about. He had made yokes professionally. He didn’t live in a world unknown to us; He came to our world and faced life as we know it.

The sad part of this story is that His neighbors recognized His wisdom and His power but couldn’t get past what they had known Him to be. The good news is that, while they didn’t honor Him, millions of us have.

His humble humanity they stumbled over is part of His glory. The writer of Hebrews spoke for all of us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The humble Carpenter became our Savior and died for us. The words of Andrae Crouch’s song express my heart: “How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me….” While His hometown didn’t honor Him, we say, “To God be the glory.”