I know the Gospel writers don't seem that interested in showing us the Lord's adult life before he began ministering. But they had just been with Him. Their written testimony was enhanced by their personal memories of having had the experience. First John 1:1-4 reveals a much higher experience than the Synoptics generally seem to provide... but I don't think the beloved disciple was really so unique. I just think he's the one who put it on paper most directly.
So that's all to say I'm starting to believe there's a real purpose for our day in pulling back the curtain from the Gospels to look at Jesus alone. I think we've spent so many centuries on his teachings and their deeper meanings (especially as compared with theo-logic based on Paul's letters) that we've allowed our view of Him in His Prime to become virtually theoretical.
One very common view about Nazareth seems to be: Jesus somehow, mysteriously lived this perfect life that we're not supposed to imagine, because we could never possibly live up to that standard anyway and we'd go crazy trying. Another is: There was one way by which Jesus pleased the Father but you and I have a totally different challenge than he did. Then there's the one that shouldn't even be worth mentioning, which is: We're not supposed to nail Him down, man, because Jesus is, like, whoever you want him to be, maaan.
Sorry, but no. Jesus is whoever He actually Is. I've seen written "portraits" of Jesus that emphasize his characteristics, his deeds, his teachings, his theology, his moral rectitude or his personability. I don't think any of those portraits strikes directly enough to his real core. Only one thing was his centrality. And that one thing is something I believe we actually DO need to see much more clearly.
So it begins to occur to me that Jesus' adult life pre-baptism is the one area of the Gospels where there is nothing else to distract us from that view. (Stay with my recent series and I believe I will demonstrate that, yes, the Gospels do reflect that period of time in his life, if we look carefully.) And you know what else? Maybe it's not up to you or me to re-enact what we see in Nazareth. Maybe we're just supposed to look at it and fall on our faces in awe - because if we could look at Jesus in Nazareth, there is one thing we absolutely would see.
The centrality of Christ's Life on Earth was His Father.
Bill Heroman, Amateur Academic