Luke 2
"And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him... When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem... So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. - Now so it was 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 astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."
I was thinking over this passage yesterday. Jesus grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him. Jesus as a man was subject to all of God's laws for living in this world, even this world under sin- though He was sinless. Jesus as God was subject to all God's laws for living in this world, even this world under sin. But when His ministry started He would often fulfill those laws and forgive sinners and heal the blind, the lame and the maimed. But I get ahead of myself.
Him lingering behind in Jerusalem was one of the reasons I stayed on this passage. It was right after Passover, after the lamb had been killed and after the story of Israel's redemption had been told on a million lips. Jesus lingered there. I think He knew who He was and what He was supposed to do. He told Pilate many years from that day when He was only twelve, "For this reason I was born, to testify to the truth." He knew then who He was and why He came, but He also knew when He was only a boy. And this boy went into the temple, one of His favorite haunts, and the staggering thing is that He SAT in the midst of the teachers. Sitting is what rabbis do. A rabbit would stand to read the word of God in the synagogue and then sit to comment on it. All the others would stand the whole time. Jesus sitting in the midst of the teachers listening to them and asking them questions, they all being astonished at His understanding. I wonder what they were talking about. Jesus' first days in Scripture, after His birth, parallels His last days before He died. I wonder if He was asking questions about the Messiah, one of His favorite subjects. If so, He was witnessing to His parents generation when He was only a kid! He witnessed to His generation when He grew up, but here He asks questions of the rabbis, men learned in Scripture and teaching His parents' generation. Can we live lives like that?
I was thinking over this passage yesterday. Jesus grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him. Jesus as a man was subject to all of God's laws for living in this world, even this world under sin- though He was sinless. Jesus as God was subject to all God's laws for living in this world, even this world under sin. But when His ministry started He would often fulfill those laws and forgive sinners and heal the blind, the lame and the maimed. But I get ahead of myself.
Him lingering behind in Jerusalem was one of the reasons I stayed on this passage. It was right after Passover, after the lamb had been killed and after the story of Israel's redemption had been told on a million lips. Jesus lingered there. I think He knew who He was and what He was supposed to do. He told Pilate many years from that day when He was only twelve, "For this reason I was born, to testify to the truth." He knew then who He was and why He came, but He also knew when He was only a boy. And this boy went into the temple, one of His favorite haunts, and the staggering thing is that He SAT in the midst of the teachers. Sitting is what rabbis do. A rabbit would stand to read the word of God in the synagogue and then sit to comment on it. All the others would stand the whole time. Jesus sitting in the midst of the teachers listening to them and asking them questions, they all being astonished at His understanding. I wonder what they were talking about. Jesus' first days in Scripture, after His birth, parallels His last days before He died. I wonder if He was asking questions about the Messiah, one of His favorite subjects. If so, He was witnessing to His parents generation when He was only a kid! He witnessed to His generation when He grew up, but here He asks questions of the rabbis, men learned in Scripture and teaching His parents' generation. Can we live lives like that?