"And when they had finished everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. Now the Child continued to grow and become strong, being filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
And His parents would go to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after finishing the days of the Feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents did not know. But supposing Him to be in the caravan, they went a day’s journey, and they began searching for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for Him. And it happened that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, "Child, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You." And He said to them, "Why is it that you were searching for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?" But they did not understand the statement which He had spoken to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them, and His mother was treasuring all these things in her heart.
We welcome you to worship in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am delighted to have all of you here with us today.
"And when they had finished everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. Now the Child continued to grow and become strong, being filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
And His parents would go to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after finishing the days of the Feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents did not know. But supposing Him to be in the caravan, they went a day’s journey, and they began searching for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for Him. And it happened that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, "Child, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You." And He said to them, "Why is it that you were searching for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?" But they did not understand the statement which He had spoken to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them, and His mother was treasuring all these things in her heart.
Let's look at verse 39, "And when they had finished everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth." Here we see the transition from completing the ceremonies in the temple in Jerusalem to their return to Nazareth. However, there are several very important occurrences in between the time they left the temple and the time they returned to Galilee, that’s only recorded by Matthew in chapter 2, the visit from the magi and the deliverance of Jesus from Massacre of the Innocents. The lack of historical evidence outside of Matthew's record of the Massacre of the Innocents has lead to many critics to claim it never happened, however, if that were true, it seems reasonable that Matthew's account would have challenged by someone during that time period, for which there also appears to be a lack of evidence. How do we know it happened? Because Matthew records it, that evidence enough. In other words, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Verse 40, "Now the Child continued to grow and become strong, being filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him." This one single sentence covers everything that we know from the time of His birth to the age of twelve. I've heard some pretty fantastic stories of Jesus divinely creating this or commanding that as a Child, but Scripture records no such stories, therefore, they are just that, fantastic stories. If those incidents would have occurred, I'm sure that Mary would have mentioned at least one of them. We can assume then, that during His youth, Jesus grew up in a ordinary family with Mary, an ordinary mother and Joseph, who was an ordinary father to Jesus. And, since God ordains the family, that was good enough for the upbringing of Jesus. This simple statement affirms that Jesus continued to grow and develop in the same normal physical growth pattern as every other child, with the exception of His being unaffected by sin. I believe that any parent would agree that's unique! We're are well aware that you don't have to teach a child to be disobedient, in fact, some of the first words they learn is "No!" and "Mine!," that's because sin directly affects every baby born into the world since the Fall. Even though society has become so successful at trying to cover it up, that people actually laugh at it more than they cry. Sin is so filthy, so abhorrent to God, that Scripture compares it to a woman's bloody, menstrual cloth. (c.f. Isaiah 30:22) Every single time a person commits sin, he is rebelling against God. It's so detestable, it's like spiting in His face!
Then Luke tells us He become strong, being filled with wisdom. Obviously, physical strength would be a necessary component of growing up in Nazareth and being raised by a carpenter and working alongside Joseph in his business. (c.f. Mark 6:3) They would have walked for miles, up and down the rolling hillsides of Galilee. But Luke isn't referring to just His physical strength, the verb "krataióō,"meaning to become strengthened, which is linked to God's supreme mastery, unrivaled dominion. He was being perfected with the profound wisdom of the mind of God, He wouldn't have comprehended all that divine wisdom as an infant or even a young Child, now He would need to understand His mission as it relates to His identity. He would need to understand God's Word beyond the superficial meaning understood by men, and be able to articulate it to all people, from the self-righteous religious leaders to the unlearned. Do you understand that when we come to Christ, and the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, that we have the mind of Christ? (c.f. 1 Corinthians 2:16) That means there is to be unity among believers, the kind of supernatural unity that puts God's power on display and gives credibility to the Gospel, a far cry from the
constant bickering, conflict and division that is being put on display
in the church today, crippling not only our individual testimonies, but
the Church as a whole. A true and telling sign of a churches spiritual
health. (c.f. James 1:26)
Luke ends the verse with "and the grace of God was upon Him." I've been asked "Why would the Son of God need God's grace?" This isn't referring to the kind of grace God gives to sinners like us, who don't deserve it. This is the kind of favor given to One Who does deserve it, His own beloved Son, Who would face the normal onslaught of temptation, yet remain without sin. It was through the ongoing triumph over those temptations that He learned by experience to be obedient to His Father, that would later allow His Father to say "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"
That takes us to verse 41, "And His parents would go to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover." Going to the Feast of the Passover was a very normal thing for every Jewish family, which always falls on the fifteenth of Nisan at the beginning of the Jewish calendar year, synonymous with Spring, a time of longing for redefinition and hope; which coincides with March-April on our calendar, when we celebrate the Crucifixion/Resurrection of Christ. Passover was immediately followed by the seven-day feast of unleavened bread, making it an eight day celebration. I won't belabor the point, since we've gone into extension detail in the past. This is significant, because traditionally, women weren't required to go to Passover, again, I believe Luke wants us to know that both Joseph and Mary were true, faithful worshipers of God, with a devotion to obedience to His Word, they weren't just fulfilling a religious duty, they made the eighty-mile journey every year as a family.
Verses 42-45, "And when He became twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after finishing the days of the Feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents did not know. But supposing Him to be in the caravan, they went a day’s journey, and they began searching for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for Him." This is every parents nightmare! As parents, we all know the trauma of not being able to find our child, even if it's only momentary. When my two younger sons were little, they wanted to check out the latest Hot Wheels, which was at the end of the isle we were in, about 15 -20 feet away, but then, they decided to venture off to the toy section to see if there were more selection. I, of course, panicked, immediately abandoning my cart and went frantically searching through the entire store asking everyone I saw if they had seen them as I ran by. After only a few minutes, though it seemed like hours, I found them playing quietly in the floor of the toy isle. I decided to stay out of their sight, but close enough to keep a close eye on them. They eventually decided to come looking for me, expecting me to be where they left me, when I wasn't there, they went frantically looking for me, unaware that I was following close behind. After two or three minutes, I made myself visible and they were relieved to find me, after what must have felt like eternity to them. Needless to say, we never had that issue again.
There may be been several hundred people, all traveling together in a large caravan, and typically all the children would go first, so they wouldn't be left behind, with the women would follow along behind them and the men would be at the end. I'm sure Joseph and Mary probably didn't give it a thought, I imagine He'd never been known to do anything other than what was expected of Him, why would time be any different? Joseph probably assumed He in front where the women could keep and eye on Him, and Mary likely assumed He was with Joseph and the rest of the men, that is until they all gathered together at the end of the first days journey, some twenty-five or thirty miles later.
Verse 46, "And it happened that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions." They would have to wait until morning, travel another days journey back to Jerusalem, then look for Him at daybreak the next day, that's why it says after three days they found Him. And, where was He when they finally found Him? In the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. Imagine, at the young age of twelve Jesus knows what God knows, things far beyond our understanding. He knew He belonged in the temple of God among the Jewish teachers, the "experts" of the Old Testament. It's interesting to note, this is the only time Luke uses the word "didáskalos," to describe the religious teachers, from this point on, he refers to them only as "nomikos," meaning one learned in law or "grammateus," or scribe, one who interprets God's law. But for now, Luke is being kind toward them, so he identifies them as teachers. Before anyone asks, we're not told who the teachers are, or exactly what they were dialoguing about, I believe it's entirely possible that some of them may well be the very same teachers whom He would ask questions of teachers again, splitting theological hairs with, and calling them out for their hypocrisy, that want to kill Him eighteen years later. But for now, He's just a smart kid Who obviously loves God's Word, posing no threat to their authority.
Verse 47, "And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers." If you think about it, this is a pretty stunning statement, a twelve year of Child astonishing to the minds of experts of the religious establishment with His insightful questions and thought provoking wisdom. I would love to know the questions that were coming from His God filled mind, I'm convinced that He was no less captivating at twelve than He was as an expositor at 30 years of age. Jesus continued to amaze and astonish people throughout His entire earthly life.
Verse 48, "When they saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, "Child, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You." It's amazing how quickly we as parents move from being relieved to frustrated, isn't it? Luke says when Joseph and Mary found Him, they were astonished, I wonder if it was where He was that astonished them, or that He was engaged in serious dialog with the religious experts, or the fact that He seemed completely oblivious to the idea that He was lost. Mary's question is interesting, "Child, why have You treated us this way?," as if He'd intentionally set out to make them worry. The more appropriate question is why didn't they keep a closer eye on Him? But, not unlike most mothers', Mary takes the mental anguish and anxiety she's feeling personally, as she moves from frustration to shame to guilt, "Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You." This was the first time Mary would experience such inexplicable gut-wrenching pain in her heart over the Son of God, but it would not be the last. I wonder if she remembered Simeon's words to her, this child is going to cause "a sword to pierce through your own soul as well."
Verse 49, "And He said to them, "Why is it that you were searching for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?" Jesus loved His parents, I do not believe this statement was in any way intended to disrespectful. Luke uses the Greek verb "deí," meaning it is proper, or necessary, required to attain an end. In other words, Jesus was saying, "Mother, based on what you know about Me, did you not know that I belong in My Father's house? You should have looked for Me here first." Such a profound statement spoken in so few words.
Verse 50, "But they did not understand the statement which He had spoken to them." It's interesting that they didn't understand what He meant by what He said, after all, they knew Who He was! I imagine it must have somehow escaped their minds during the last twelve years, that His obedience was first and foremost to God. I believe that we can all take a lesson in God’s timing is always best, even when we don't understand what He's going! By the way, Jesus introduces us to the concept of God as a Father in a personal sense here for the first time. In fact, God is only referred to as Father a total of fourteen times in the thirty-nine books that make up the Old Testament. The incident ends with Joseph and Mary being perplexed by what had just transpired. Believe it or not, there are still some who are trying to figure out what He meant even today. I believe what He was saying was our earthly relationships and homes are only temporary,
Verse 51, "And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them, and His mother was treasuring all these things in her heart." So, Jesus went back with them to Nazareth and He continued in subjection to them until He begins His public ministry at the age of thirty, faithfully obeying the fifth commandment to "honor your father and mother." They both failed to understand and appreciate the full significance of Who He is and why He came, can you imagine how patient He must've been with them while they struggled to grasp the reality that it is they who should be obeying Him. The verse ends with, "And His mother was treasuring all these things in her heart." Mary had a lot to ponder, it wouldn't be until after His death and resurrection that Mary truly understood the significance of many of the things that Jesus had said. As parents, we need to recognize that God may lead our children in ways that we do not understand, ways that may even prove to be painful and costly to us. Nevertheless, we should never stand in the way of His will for their lives.
And that brings us to verse 52, "And Jesus was advancing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." And Jesus was advancing, it's the verb "prokóptō," it means moving forward, making progress in gaining wisdom, having a greater grasp of divine Truth, growing physically and spiritually stronger. "And in favor with God and men," Jesus exhibited grace in His dealing with both God and man. How often do we react like Joseph and Mary, expecting Him to justify His actions, or explain His reasons we our lives have been inconvenienced.
Can you grasp that Jesus, Who lived a perfect life, was treated as if He had lived my life or yours on the cross so that God could treat you and I as if we have lived His? That reality is beyond staggering to me. What is even more amazing to me, is that some still struggle with Who Jesus is, when at the age of twelve, He made it clear in identifying Himself as the Son of God, Who came into the world to save all who would receive Him and obey His commands.
Every person ever born on this planet will live somewhere forever without end, the only options are heaven or hell. It's the most important, critical decision that anybody will ever make regarding their eternal destiny. It doesn't matter what else you believe, if you don't believe that Truth, you cannot be saved. God calls people many times to come to Him, before destruction comes. He sends His messengers to proclaim the Truth and confront people with that most critical of all decisions, just like the choice I'm setting before you this day. All of the religions in the world believing different things cannot lead to heaven, the Truth is there are only two roads; the wide road and the narrow road, one leads on Heaven and all others lead to Hell.
In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus warns "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it." In John 10:1, Jesus said "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber." That’s the choice, it can't be made any clearer than that, two ways, with two very different destinations.
No religion is selling Hell, so it's imperative to make the right decision, but understand, that decision isn't going to happen by accident. It's not enough to be amazed by Jesus, you must Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to enter through the narrow gate.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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