A man wrote into Reader's Digest with an embarrassing story about his former boss. This gentleman was just stepping out of the shower one evening when his wife called and asked him to run down to the basement and turn off the iron she had accidentally left on. Without bothering to grab a towel or robe, the man headed down to the basement. Just as he reached the bottom stair, the lights came on and a dozen friends and colleagues jumped out and shouted, “Surprise!" His wife had planned a secret party for the man's 40th birthday. (1)

Not all surprises are good ones, at least at first glance. Jesus had an uncanny ability to take people by surprise--and they weren't always pleased about it. Take, for instance, the surprise Jesus sprung on the Nazarene congregation in our Bible passage for toda…