Jesus Grows Up
Notes
Transcript
Jesus Grows Up
Jesus Grows Up
This morning we are going to wrap up the opening and prologue of Luke.
Let’s not forget that throughout these opening chapters of Luke’s gospel that Luke is setting up an epic retelling of Jesus’ life and ministry.
His purpose in these opening chapters is to create in us a sense of awe and wonder at the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Just think of all that he’s covered so far.
The amazing announcements of both John and Jesus.
The multiple prophesies that have been spoken about Jesus through Elizabeth, Zechariah, Simeon, and Anna.
The miraculous birth of Jesus of a virgin in Bethlehem.
All of this is leading us to the words and works of Jesus.
But the thing is, Jesus still needs to grow up.
Remember he’s born a baby, he doesn’t descend from Heaven fully grown, so he has to live life as a child and grow into an adult.
In fact, this morning’s text is book-ended with phrases about Jesus’ growing up.
And one of the reasons this is included in Luke’s gospel is so that we don’t loose the fact that Jesus was both truly human and truly God.
And Luke wants us to go on the journey too of discovering who Jesus is.
Remember Luke told us his purpose for writing this gospel.
4 so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.
And Luke doesn’t want to just tell us, he wants to show us.
So he includes this extended birth narrative to help us truly see Jesus’ divine origins and his earthly life.
Luke’s retelling of Jesus’ life is a little different in another way.
Remember, one of his sources for Jesus’ life and ministry was Mary, Jesus’ mother.
So she relays to him a story about Jesus that Luke chooses to include for both biographical and theological reasons.
I’m talking about the story at the end of Luke 2 where Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem and is missing from Joseph and Mary’s care for a few days.
There’s a story from my childhood that is kind of a lore of some sorts.
One time I got super mad at my parents and decided I was going to run away.
I wanted to leave and never come back.
So I stormed out of the house and left.
Except I didn’t go far.
But where I decided to hide was not where my parents chose to look.
I was actually in our backyard sitting on the Air Conditioner.
The way the house was constructed was the AC was on the ground under some stairs out the back door.
So you couldn’t just look outside in see me, you would have to go down the stairs and around the corner.
I could hear my parents panicking at not being able to find me.
In fact, they talked about calling the police to put out a search.
I do remember my dad getting in his car and driving around the neighborhood to look for me.
After about 30 minutes, when I had calmed down.
I went back in the house, found my mom, and got in heaps of trouble.
I’m not sure I sat down for weeks after that.
The Situation with Jesus, Mary and Joseph is quite a bit different than my situation, but if you’ve ever lost a kid in the grocery story, shopping mall, or amusement park, I’m sure that you can relate to Mary and Joseph here.
Before we get to this story of Jesus in Jerusalem, let’s look at the end of Jesus’ infancy as recorded by Luke.
39 When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40 The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on him.
Growing Up
Growing Up
These verses piggyback on last weeks sermon.
They conclude the birth narrative of Jesus.
After his circumcision, songs song to him and the prophecy from Anna, Luke tells us that Jesus and his family go back to Nazareth.
They return to life.
Everything probably pretty normal.
Joseph went back to working.
Mary went back to caring for her son.
They cooked, cleaned, and lived a rather normal life.
Jesus would start attending the synagogue as he got older
He would start learning and studying the Jewish Scriptures.
In fact, I love the realism in v.40
Jesus had to grow up.
He was filled with wisdom and covered by God’s grace.
Though he progressed through the normal stages of childhood, he was distinct and different.
In fact, Luke tells us something similar about John in Luke 1.80
80 The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
But I don’t know if you can notice it with just a cursory reading, but Luke only uses two identifiers for John.
He grew up and became strong in spirit.
While with Jesus he uses 4.
Luke 2:40 “40 The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on him.”
This is a subtle way that Luke points out that Jesus is greater than John.
Luke wants us to know that John is awesome.
But Jesus is Awesomer.
And let us never forget that.
No matter how awesome someone or something may be, Jesus is always better.
Now, we will circle back to Jesus’ growth at the end of this mornings text too.
So hold on tight we will get there, but for now Luke is going to transition to the family a few years down the road and tell us about an event that impacted Mary for the rest of her life.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2
It shows that Jesus was devout and understood His role from even the age of 12 When Jesus next appears in Luke’s narrative, He is about 30 and beginning His public ministry (3:23).
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 2
grew and became strong, filled with wisdom … the favor of God. The fourfold description of Jesus’ growth parallels the twofold description of John in 1:80 but shows that Jesus is greater. Jesus experienced physical and intellectual growth as any ordinary human child would, but he also experienced “the favor of God” in his everyday life in an unusual and increasing (2:52) measure (cf. 3:22)
Luke The Twelve-Year-Old Jesus Goes to the Temple (2:41–52)
After the host of witnesses to Jesus in Luke 1:5–2:40, Jesus now speaks for himself for the first time. This is the literary climax of Luke’s initial section and shows the sense of mission and self-awareness Jesus possesses. Jesus has a unique relationship to God and a clear sense of his calling, one that transcends his relationship to his earthly parents
41 Every year his parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.
42 When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival.
Devoted
Devoted
As we have observed about Mary and Joseph, they were extremely devoted to God.
They were pious individuals who obeyed the law.
Whether is was the circumcision of Jesus, the offering of purification, and now the traveling for passover, the belief’s they held tightly weren’t abstract.
They were real and devoted to obedience to the Lord.
We read that every year Mary, Joseph, and Jesus would make the journey to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.
Passover was the most important feast on the Jewish calendar.
Now Passover was one of the 3 main feasts that the Jewish people, specifically Jewish Males were required to attend in Jerusalem.
This was a commandment found in the OT ans because of their Devotion Jesus’ family went every year.
Because we aren’t Jewish, we don’t celebrate the Passover.
So I want to remind you why this was the most important feasts for the Jewish people.
The Passover is what signaled God’s Salvation for the Jewish people out of Egypt.
Prior to the passover God commanded Moses to go and ask Pharoah to free his people from Slavery.
Pharoah refused to free them.
So God sent on Pharoah and Egypt 10 plagues.
There were frogs, gnats, locusts, bloody water and the like.
However, the 10th and final plague was that God was going to take the life of every firstborn son.
All livestock, children, and any other firstborn.
This included all children even the Israelite children.
Yet God made provision for his people.
He told them that if they would sacrifice a lamb and paint it’s blood on their doorway, then he would passover them and their children would be saved from death.
So those who listened and obeyed the Lord’s instruction were saved from death.
Those who didn’t their firstborn would die.
The 10th plague was sent and Pharoah finally let Moses and God’s people go.
Now for centuries they have celebrated their deliverance.
When Jesus steps on the scene they had celebrated Passover for some 1200 or so Years.
Remembering God’s Provision and Deliverance.
And here we get a glimpse at Mary, Joseph, and Jesus going to celebrate this same feast.
Honestly, the only one who had to make the pilgrimage was Joseph.
It was only the adult males who were required to celebrate passover in Jerusalem.
For this family it wasn’t an easy trip.
The trip from Nazareth to Jerusalem was about 80 miles.
It would have taken between 3-4 days to make the journey.
All the while watching out for bandits and robbers on the way.
But this whole family decided to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
And they all did it every year.
Even when Jesus was an infant, toddler, and child they made this trip.
None of those trips are recorded but this one was.
This trip was different.
This trip took place when Jesus was 12.
This was Jesus’ last pilgrimage for passover as a child before he crossed-over into adulthood.
The Jewish tradition then and even today is that a child is only a child until he or she turns 13 years old.
At 13 years old, you are an adult and responsible for adhering to and obeying the law of God.
So Jesus is on the precipice of being an adult and this would be his final Journey to Jerusalem for Passover as an observer from this point forward he would have to be a full participant in the passover ritual.
Jesus would watch as his father would pull back the throat of the lamb and slice it with a knife.
The blood would then be collected by the priest and thrown on the altar.
Later that evening they would roast the lamb and eat it as their ancestors had.
Remembering and telling the story of exodus.
This exercise was meant to remind them of the deliverance provided by God over 1000 years ago.
Little did those in the temple courtyard know that on that day, the true lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world was in their presence.
And though Passover was extremely important to the History of Redemption and to the Jewish people, that’s not even the point Luke wanting to make here.
The point is that Jesus on the brink of adulthood was finally starting to understand and comprehend his mission.
43 After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
44 Assuming he was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.
Jesus is Missing
Jesus is Missing
After the week long ceremony, it was time for the family to make their way back home.
We also learn here that they traveled in a group.
Probably other friends and family from the same area caravanning back home.
They would travel in numbers to help with protection and overseeing any little ones who traveled with them.
Remember this wasn’t hop in a car and drive to Jerusalem.
They were on foot and donkey making this trek and there were many to take care of.
So it wouldn’t have been unusual for some children to be with people other than their parents.
This would have been why Mary and Joseph didn’t immediately notice that Jesus wasn’t with them.
They would have figured that he was with someone else and was just fine.
It wasn’t until they were a day’s journey away from Jerusalem that they discovered that Jesus was no where to be found.
Now a days journey would have been between 20-25 miles.
So it was no short distance.
But Jesus was missing so they had to return to look for him.
I can only imagine how overwhelmed and distressed Mary and Joseph were.
Their first born son wasn’t with them.
And I didn’t mention it earlier but for the passover, there was roughly a 200,000 influx of people into the city.
Meaning that the place was packed.
On top of the normal population, another 200,000 plus people were there adding to the confusion and stress of losing your child.
There has been much discussion on whether Jesus stayed behind intentionally or not.
and the reality is Luke isn’t interested in answering that question.
It could have simply been a pre-teen boy losing track of time.
B/c he was truly human, he was still learning and growing.
He was still developing social awareness.
Whatever the reason for his staying behind, I can tell you that he didn’t do it to intentionally stress out or worry his parents.
He was growing in the knowledge of what The Father had sent him to do.
He was growing in the knowledge of what it meant to be fully human.
So he got caught up in the events, rituals, and growing in knowledge that he was left behind.
And once Mary and Joseph noticed it they made way back for Jerusalem.
They needed to find Jesus.
46 After three days, they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all those who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.
48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked them. “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?”
50 But they did not understand what he said to them.
Jesus is Found
Jesus is Found
Mary and Joseph make the Journey back to find Jesus.
They were separated for 3 days before they were reunited.
And when they found him, he was in the temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions.
Jesus was interacting with the teachings of the religious leaders.
He wanted to hear and understand what they knew.
Eventually, in the years to come, they would be asking him questions, but right now he was asking them.
Now I find this fascinating.
I came across this quote earlier, “To be Jewish is to ask questions.”
Something that is ingrained in the teachings of Judaism, even at Jesus’ time, was to ask questions.
Questions for clarity. Questions for understanding.
I think that this is something that Christians have missed in our devotion to God.
We have lost the art of asking questions.
Many of us see question asking as taboo or even undermining God.
But the reality is, we can never ask too many questions about an infinite God.
And part of growing in our understanding of who God is means that we need to ask questions.
This is modeled by a young Jesus.
He ask’s questions. He seeks understanding. He also listens to the answers.
And as he asks questions, he also responds.
Now this is the only time in the gospel that Jesus takes instruction from the teachers, but it is still a good model of what it looks like to be a learner.
We need to listen and ask questions.
And even at a young age, Jesus’ understanding and answers astound those who hear.
The word astounded here in v.47, can also be translated as amazed.
And Luke uses this word amazed often throughout his Gospel and acts.
It’s usually attached to a miracle that has taken place.
Jesus raising a girl from the dead, the disciples speaking in tongues, and even Saul’s conversion.
So this is no small feat.
Jesus’ questions and answers stir up within the hearers amazement.
Jesus’ understanding was not normal or not a typical understanding.
So Luke is trying again to communicate that even before Jesus’ ministry, there was something distinct about him.
Jesus’ wisdom was not rivaled by any of the boys his age.
The fact that Luke uses this word astounded or amazed he is wanting the reader to know that this is a supernatural display of wisdom.
I’ve personally met and had conversations with 12 year olds and typically they don’t have a lot of wise things to say.
And yet here Jesus is speaking truth and wisdom so much that it astounds and amazes those who here.
Meanwhile, Mary and Joseph were still searching for him whole heatedly.
Trying to find the child they had been given care over.
And after searching the city, they find Jesus in the temple.
Sitting at the feet of the teachers, asking questions, and seeking answers.
We must not overlook that the temple is the centerpiece for the Jewish people at the time.
It shouldn’t be surprising that Jesus was there.
What’s most surprising is the wisdom that was flowing from his lips.
The people had never and would never again see anyone like Jesus.
He was special.
He was unique.
He was wise beyond his years.
Not only where the people present astounded by Jesus, but so where Mary and Joseph.
They were overwhelmed with the brilliance and promise that Jesus showed as he spoke in the Temple with the teachers.
Yet, not only were they astounded by what they saw, I can also imagine they had a sense of relief and maybe some anger at Jesus.
For the simple fact that worry often gives way to anger.
Mary then asks Jesus, Luke 2:48 “... “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.””
I don’t know about you, but I can feel the anxiety and exasperation in her voice.
She was loosing her mind looking for Jesus.
She finds him.
Confronts him.
And Jesus’ response is amazing.
Luke 2:49 “49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked them. “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?””
These are the first words we have recorded by Jesus.
At the ripe old age of 12, Jesus knew who he was and who he belonged to.
He knew about his mission.
The center of Jesus’ life, mission, and purpose centered around glorifying the Father.
Jesus’ knew where he was supposed to be even if his parents didn’t.
He is clearly aware that though Joseph is his earthly father and caretaker, he has a greater Father in the Lord.
And the Lord’s house is the temple.
Jesus knows that he is the Son of God, even at the age of 12.
We can tell by his response that there is no other place that Jesus belongs.
He must be in his father’s house.
It’s necessary for him.
In fact, it seems as if Jesus is actually surprised that Mary and Joseph didn’t first come to the temple to find him.
It’s like he’s saying, “Where else would I go? This is where I belong. You should know this”
For Jesus, his being in the temple isn’t a simple want or desire.
It was necessary for him to be there.
Here we also see that Jesus asserts God as his father.
This doesn’t mean a lot to many of us in the room b/c for most of our church going life we have regularly called God our father.
But for the Jewish people, God as father was never a personal thing.
It was always in view of the Nation of Israel.
God was the father of his people, but never the father of an individual.
And throughout Jesus’ life and ministry, he always referred to God as my father.
And here’s a deep theological truth that we can sink out teeth into.
God is our father as well if we belong to Jesus.
B/c when we place our faith and trust in Jesus, then we become sons and daughters of God.
Not all are God’s children.
Only those who have been adopted into his family can call him father.
And it is through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and resurrection that this is made possible for those who believe.
So if you want God to be your father, then we must go through Jesus.
Jesus is the key to our relationship with God.
It is through his life and sacrifice that we can go from enemies of God to sons and daughters of God.
What a blessing it is to belong to the Household of God.
There’s something else I want us to see here when it comes to Jesus.
Even before he entered into manhood.
Before he started to preach, teach, and heal.
Jesus knew who he was.
He knew that he needed to be about his father’s business.
He knew why he was sent.
He was sent to earth to bring glory to God.
He was sent to earth to be as the author of Hebrews puts it
Hebrews 1:3 “3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Colossians 1:15 “15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
Jesus knew this about himself.
He knew who he was, he knew what his mission was, but his parents still didn’t understand.
Which is still such a true understanding and super relatable to us even today.
Think about it, even with all the miracles surrounding his birth.
All the prophesies that had been spoken to her about this boy.
All the things that both Mary and Joseph had seen and experienced in relation to Jesus.
They still didn’t fully comprehend
They would still not know the fullness and meaning of Jesus’ life and ministry until the resurrection.
Though they knew this child was special
Though they knew that he was set apart
It wasn’t until the greatest miracle that Mary would truly understand.
It’s not until the resurrection and understanding the gospel message that we get to see who Jesus truly is and what he did.
We can know the facts and figures about Jesus, but until we understand the impact of what Jesus did, he’s just another great teacher.
He’s simply a role model or moral example.
It’s not until we understand the resurrection that we see that Jesus is the Son of God.
That we see that he is God in flesh who sacrificed himself so that sinners could be forgiven and invited into the family of God.
Now, even though Jesus grasped his calling and mission, he was still only 12 years old, so he had some growing up to do.
51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.
Jesus Grows Up
Jesus Grows Up
At the realization of Jesus’ mission and calling, what does he do?
He goes back home to live and obey his parents.
He knows that he is the Son of God sent to the earth to perform miracles.
To sacrifice himself on the cross.
To teach profound truths about his Father and the Scriptures.
But he lays all that down, to go and be obedient to his parents.
He lays all that down and waits another 18 or so years to start his ministry.
Why b/c he also knew that he didn’t have all the tools necessary to begin his mission.
There was still some wisdom needed.
He needed to grow in stature so that people would take him seriously.
He needed to continue to be obedient to his parents and find favor with God and with people.
His growth was not yet complete.
The time had not come for him to step out to teach, preach, and reach.
He wouldn’t have been taken seriously by the world if he would have started here at 12.
So Jesus grew in wisdom.
He grew in his relationship with God.
He grew in his knowledge of how to talk to others.
He grew up.
He was preparing himself to move on to his ministry.
So what can we learn from this passage?
First we can see that growing in our knowledge and wisdom about God is a good way to mimic and emulate Jesus.
Too often we can become complacent with what we know about God.
But we need to know that there is always more to know.
We need to be comfortable growing in wisdom.
Being complacent in our knowledge of God doesn’t honor God.
We shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions and to seek answers.
Second, to imitate Christ we need to know that our lives revolve around bringing glory to God.
In all that we do we should be focused on how does this thought, activity, or word from my mouth honor God.
Meaning that we need to be a little more intentional in our day to day lives.
Luke The Lukan Message
The main theological emphasis of this passage is Christological. Long before Jesus began his public ministry, Luke revealed that he was aware of his unique relationship to God. Already at the age of twelve he knew that he was God’s Son and that he possessed a unique calling. He demonstrated a higher allegiance to his divine sonship than to Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:49), although because he kept the law he would be obedient to them (2:51).