How much does Context control us?

What would happen if you took one of the greatest violinists in the world, put a Stradivarius in his hands, dressed him like a "street performer", and put him in a Washington D.C. train station? When he played, would he draw a crowd? Would people recognize the greatness playing in front of them? Or would they just walk on by? The Washington Post decided to find out.

In the three-quarters of an hour that Joshua Bell played, seven people stopped what they were doing to hang around and take in the performance, at least for a minute. Twenty-seven gave money, most of them on the run -- for a total of $32 and change. That leaves the 1,070 people who hurried by, oblivious, many only three feet away, few even turning to look.
No, Mr. Slatkin, there was never a crowd, not even for a second.

Why is this relevant now? If we can't recognize a musical virtuoso in our own time, how can we be surprised that the majority did not recognize the genius of a man like Jesus of Nazareth?