Luke 3:23 “Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph”
I love the little caveat Luke inserts into the genealogy of Jesus. Everyone thought Jesus to be the son of Joseph. Why wouldn’t they? As Mary’s husband, Joseph raised Jesus as if he were his own son. Perfectly natural thinking. But Joseph knew better. So did Mary. They readily accepted their part in God’s supernatural plan. A plan that extended far beyond their understanding and surpassed anything anyone could have imagined.
The gospel of Luke challenges each of us in how we think. Will we limit our thoughts to what is perfectly natural, or open up our minds to things that can only be explained through a supernatural God? The birth, life, and resurrection of Jesus provide ample evidence for us to rise above thinking like everyone else thinks.
Jesus’ birth was like any other man’s……….so it was thought. (Luke 3)
Peter had been fishing all night with no success; there were no fish to be caught…….so it was thought. (Luke 5:6)
The man covered from head to toe with leprosy would live a life of isolation……so it was thought. (Luke 5:13)
The paralytic would never walk again….so it was thought. (Luke 5:25)
The tax collector lived beyond redemption….so it was thought. (Luke 5:32)
Jesus died; it was over…….so it was thought. (Luke 24:6)
Old wineskins of thought have no room for miracles. Jesus offers us both new wine and new wineskins empowering us to soar beyond the limitations of our natural way of thinking. We can’t let our faith become comfortable with dismissing God’s supernatural working as something in the past. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
So are you entertaining any so it was thoughts today?
This marriage can’t be saved….so it was thought.
My teenager is a lost cause…so it was thought.
My life has no worth…..so it was thought.
Revival will never come to our nation....so it was thought.
Don’t buy into what everyone else thinks. If your thought-life conforms to “perfectly natural,” it’s time to rethink. As a child of God, take up a new wineskin. The same power that raised Christ from the dead, lives in you.
Think like it!