“And when He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being supposedly, the son of Joseph.” – Luke 2:23

Supposedly, indeed!

For thirty years, Jesus walked the dusty streets of Nazareth.

He worked wood with calloused hands.

He laughed with younger siblings.

He was known, catalogued, filed away in the minds of neighbors who supposed they had Him figured out.

“Joseph’s boy,” they called Him – the carpenter’s son with sawdust in His hair and nothing particularly remarkable about Him.

They supposed.

I checked other Bible versions to see how they translated it: “Everyone thought he was the son of Joseph.”

“He was regarded as the son of Joseph.”

“He was thought to be the son of Joseph.”

But while Nazareth was busy supposing, heaven was knowing.

The earlier verses say the sky had torn open and the Father’s voice thundered across the Jordan: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

The crowd at Jesus’ baptism heard it.

The angels knew it.

Hell trembled at it.

Yet still, the people supposed otherwise.

Here lies the tension we all must wrestle with: the gap between what people suppose about you and what God knows about you.

That gap is not a crack in your identity; it’s the canyon where faith is forged.

Think about it. They supposed Jesus was ordinary.

Heaven knew He was the Word made flesh.

They supposed He was limited by lineage.

God knew He was the Lion of Judah and the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

They supposed He was another face in the crowd.

The Father knew He was His only begotten Son, the express image of His person and the brightness of His glory.

Their supposition didn’t change His position.

Their labels didn’t limit His legacy.

Their misidentification didn’t diminish His mission.

And here’s what grips my heart beloved: if they could misidentify the Savior of the world, what about you?

They will or rather; they have certainly misidentified you.

Walk today knowing this: people’s ‘supposedly’ does not change your position and heavenly reality in Christ.

If the crowd could get it awfully wrong about Jesus, we should not be surprised when people suppose the wrong things about you.

Maybe they suppose you’re a ‘failure’ who is defined by your past mistakes.

Perhaps they suppose you’re limited by your education or low social status or family background or the colour of your skin.

Heaven knows what they don’t know, that you’re a child of the Most High God, an heir of the Kingdom.

They might suppose you’re ordinary, forgettable, just another face.

But your Father looks at you and sees a masterpiece – fearfully and wonderfully made, called for such a time as this.

The beauty of Jesus’ example is this: He didn’t waste energy and time correcting every misunderstanding.

He didn’t campaign for recognition and people’s affirmation.

He didn’t argue with those who called Him “Joseph’s son.”

Why? Because His identity wasn’t anchored in public opinion; it was rooted in His Father’s affirmation.

He lived from the inside out, secure in who He was, unbothered by who they supposed Him to be.

This is your invitation too, child of God.

Stop living under the tyranny of supposition.

Stop letting others’ assumptions write your story.

Stop shrinking to fit inside boxes that were never meant to contain you.

You are not what they suppose you to be, No; you are who God declares you to be.

Before the world labeled you, God named you. Before anyone whispered over your life, He spoke.

And His voice is the only one that matters. You are loved.

You are chosen.

You are called.

You are His.

So, walk today knowing this: their ‘supposedly’ does not change your position and heavenly reality in Christ.

Let heaven’s knowledge drown out earth’s assumptions.

You are more, so much more, than what they suppose!