Jesus still walks with us

Jesus was a Jewish boy who grew up in the very small village of Nazareth. We forget that Jesus was just a country boy who spent most of his life in Galilee, walking the paths that connected so many tiny towns and, except for Jerusalem, seemed to avoid the larger cities. Nazareth may have only had about 200 or 400 living there at the time of Jesus and most farmed their own small plots of land. Their homes were usually only one room and often this was shared with the animals. Several families would group themselves around a common patio. Jesus may not have known how to read and write, but he was very observant of all and used so many ordinary details from his surroundings to make his point when telling stories or parables to teach his followers. The extended family was so important as they had to help and support one another. They were all poor and life was hard; few lived beyond the fiftieth year. Survival and honor were their main concerns. To leave the family was a serious matter. Pagola's book has made me think again about Jesus' years growing up in a tiny town, learning to work with others and then deciding to leave. It took much prayer and discernment for Jesus to move out. We do not know how much time he spent before making that decision. Did he hear about John who was baptizing and calling all to conversion? Was that when the Holy Spirit gave Jesus the final nudge to go off and then to begin to call others to help him? I think that Jesus has much to say to each of us today as he still calls, still walks with us, and waits for us as we respond to his call to come and see.