A Boyhood Of Jesus

Introduction

Except for the Gospel of Luke, the other gospels record Jesus from when he became an adult. Of course, the Gospel of Matthew records the circumstances when Jesus was born, Magi from the East who came and worshiped Jesus, and the story of Jesus' escape to Egypt, but it does not show Jesus' childhood.

Luke is the only one who records Jesus' childhood. Since the main recipients of the Gospel of Luke were Greeks, this can be seen as written to show the Son of God who came as a man. Perhaps Luke heard the story of Jesus' childhood firsthand by asking Mary. After hearing the entire story of Jesus' childhood, Luke only introduced one unusual thing that happened when Jesus was twelve years old.

Luke only recorded that Jesus was circumcised on the eight day after birth and went to the temple in Jerusalem to perform a purification ceremony, and omitted the stories of the visit of Magi from the East and escape to Egypt. And Luke summarized Jesus' life before he was twelve in one verse, verse 40. “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” Luke, then, summarized Jesus' life after what happened when he was twelve in one verse 52: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

I. Jesus’ life and appearance until he was twelve (v. 40).

First, Jesus grew up. Jesus differed from ordinary people only in that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a virgin body, but in everything else he was the same as ordinary people. Jesus grew normally in Mary's womb for ten months, was born in the same way as us, and grew up in the same way. Why did Jesus grow up going through the same growth process as us? Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” Because Jesus is the Son of God, he has no sin. But He faced the same challenges we face as we grow up. Therefore, Jesus knows all the joys and sorrows people experience and can sympathize with their weaknesses. And in order to bear all the sins we committed, Jesus grew up just like us.

Second, Jesus became strong. Jesus became physically strong and healthy. That is why, at the age of twelve, Jesus was able to make the long and difficult journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem without much care from his elders. As we know from Mark 6:3, Mary's husband Joseph was a carpenter. Therefore, Jesus may have assisted the carpenter in his work from his childhood. The work that a carpenter does is not mental labor, but hard physical labor. Therefore, Jesus must have been well-disciplined physically. Since Jesus had no sin, he would have had no choice but to always have a strong mind and body. So, during his public ministry, Jesus was able to walk long distances to minister and often stay up all night to pray.

Third, Jesus was filled with wisdom. This text shows us in a practical way the image of Jesus, who was filled with wisdom. When Jesus was twelve years old, he sat among his teachers in the temple, listening to them and asking them questions. At that time, even the teachers were amazed at Jesus’ understanding and his answers. As Jesus grew, he was filled with God's wisdom.

Fourth, God’s grace was upon Jesus. Of course, the grace spoken of here does not mean the love that God gives freely to sinners like us. Because Jesus had no sin. So what does it mean to say that God’s grace was upon Jesus? When Jesus was baptized, God looked at him from heaven and said, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22). In this way, God loved and was pleased with Jesus. Grace here is used in the same sense.

II. Jesus in the temple (vv. 41~47)

Every year during Passover, Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem and celebrated the Feast (v. 41). Joseph and Mary lived a life of obedience to the Law of Moses. Jesus grew up well under these godly parents. And it is said that when Jesus was twelve years old, his parents went up following the customs of this Feast (v. 42). There is no detailed explanation in the Bible, but traditionally, Jews held a coming-of-age ceremony when a boy turned thirteen, called ‘Bar Mitzvah’ or ‘Son of the Commandment.’ From this time on, man was freed from the care of his parents and keep the commandments of God on his own.