Luke 2:47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

Once again returning to lessons to be learned from this season of scripture, we find Jesus in the temple. While these old men found Jesus to be a prodigy, they would not see Him as a threat and some would even take credit for discovering this boy wonder. If He had stayed in the temple and become a fixture in the temple, He would have enjoyed the life of a prodigy, out from under the care and protection of His earthly parents.

Luke 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

Jesus became subject to His earthly parents and returned home. What if He had not become subject to Mary and Joseph? What if He had remained a prodigy?

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

It is harder to see yourself in a prodigy than it is to see yourself in a common man. He had to be identified with the common man, so that all might see there was hope for themselves, being one of them.

What makes you so special? You are from common stock, you are one of us, what makes you so special?

Let me so show you.

Deuteronomy 6:7 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

It is God’s choice to make you special. This He does so that no man can boast that he did it by himself, not even His own Son who could have, but subjected Himself to the path that lay before Him.