I cringed as I sat listening to a long-term student plunk out keys on the piano, stumbling on note after note. Inwardly sighing, I considered the lengthy time she had taken lessons and thought with a little frustration, "Has she not learned anything? Has she not heard a word I've tried to teach her?" I quickly reminded myself to be more compassionate. After all, I struggle with plenty of my own undertakings. Besides, didn't Jesus say that however we treat others, we treat him?
That usually reminds me to be more patient and understanding. But my mind took an unfamiliar path, and I wondered:
Was Jesus ever bad at anything?
I had truthfully never questioned it before. When imagining God's son on earth, I had pictured an expert carpenter and articulate speaker, never wavering in skill or confidence.
Did his role as King of Kings entitle him to automatic proficiency at every endeavor?
After all, didn't he inherit God's wisdom?
Didn't he impress teachers in the temple at the youthful age of twelve?
Or, like the rest of us, did his humanity
subject him to areas of weakness, as well as strengths?
Did he go through the awkward process of learning new skills?
Did he ever hammer nails into uneven rows,
bore people to sleep with his first sermons,
hit a wrong note while singing with his disciples at the Last Supper?
In modern-day times, would Jesus muddle through Algebra or need to use Spell-Check?
Would his tired piano teacher sigh because, once again,
he had forgotten the correct fingers of the F scale?
Aware of my own areas of incompetence, I'm drawn to the thought that perhaps Jesus did not perform every task flawlessly. Along with thinking he was crazy, people might have belittled his efforts behind his back. Did his peers ever snicker and whisper, "That preacher should stick to carpentry"?
Could Jesus have sometimes blundered his way through attempts just as we do?
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