Series Introduction: Some pictures are compelling. Just seeing them draws you into a story that you don’t yet know but want to. Some pictures compel you to feel certain emotions or move you to behave in certain ways. A compelling picture tells the whole story without the use of words.
You’re familiar with some of the compelling pictures of our time.
National Geographic Cover – Afghan girl
JFK Jr. – Salute at dads funeral.
VJ Day – Kiss
These are pictures most of us are familiar with and they are pictures that are compelling. They beg us – or force us – to become a part of the story…a story we may not fully understand.
Often a compelling picture is necessary to help us become what we really are. As followers of Christ we are called to be like him…to be Christ-like…but to do that we need to see what he is like. We need a compelling picture of Jesus if we are to become like him.
Between now and Easter, I am going to work on exposing us to a compelling picture of the Jesus of the Bible. We’ve just celebrated his birth and for the next 13 weeks or so we’re going to study the gospels and explore the life of Christ…hopefully painting a compelling picture that we can keep before us and use as a model to shape our lives – a portrait that will help us to become more like Him. We’re going to look at the life of Jesus from his birth to his death and then his resurrection. We’re going to get intimately acquainted with the beauty of his face…his life so that we can imitate him with ours.
Sermon Introduction:
This morning we’re going to dive into the only recorded account from the childhood of Jesus. With the exception of Luke’s gospel, we have no information on Jesus as a child but Luke paints a compelling picture of Jesus the child and the lessons we can take away from this portrait are essential to our becoming like Him.
Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Luke 2:41-52 (NIV)
Movement 1: Annual Pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover
According to Jewish law at the time, every adult male within 15 miles of Jerusalem was required to journey to Jerusalem to make a sacrifice at the temple every year during Passover. Often the women would accompany their husbands on these pilgrimages. Due to distance many Jews could not make the pilgrimage each year but were encouraged to try to make it at least once in their lives. Nazareth, where Jesus lived with his parents is about 70 miles from Jerusalem so it certainly fell outside of the 15 mile limit.
We know that Joseph and Mary were righteous people, that’s why they were chosen to be the parents of the Messiah, but their righteousness is further illustrated in the fact that Luke tells us that, “Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.” Though they were not required by law to make this spiritually significant journey each year due to the distance they lived from Jerusalem, they still made the journey each year. Only the most devout of Jews would do this.
Joseph and Mary travel to Jerusalem with a group from Nazareth and the surrounding villages, as was the custom and they take 12 year old Jesus with them. Age twelve was when a Jewish boy began to become a Jewish man and accept the religious responsibilities of a Jew. Jesus was just coming into his spiritual manhood as they made this journey to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.
The festivities would have lasted a few days in Jerusalem and then the group would have begun to travel back home. Luke tells us that they had traveled for a day before Joseph and Mary realized that Jesus wasn’t with them.
Now, Joseph and Mary were not irresponsible parents. Several things were taking place here that can account for them being a day down the road before they realized that their son was not with them.
For starters that were traveling in a large group of friends, family and neighbors. It’s not at all uncommon for kids to want to travel with other kids or with cousins or family members besides mom and dad and in a large group where everyone knows everyone else it would make sense for them to assume that Jesus was with a friend or family member as they traveled.
Also, it was normal for the women to begin the journey home with the children several hours before the men began the trip. They would then meet up at the encampment in the evening. Jesus was a 12 year old, just moving into manhood. It’s very probable that Joseph believed Jesus had left with his mother and the children while Mary believed Jesus to have stayed behind with his father and the other men and only when they met up in the evening did they realize that he was not with them.
I can only imagine how these young parents must have felt to discover that their 12 year old son was not in the group but was lost either in Jerusalem or somewhere along the way. So they travel back to Jerusalem to find their boy. And after searching for him the discover him in the temple, where he has been for the past three days, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Movement 2: Jesus – The Prodigy
Can you imagine finding your 12 year old son sitting at the feet of the great religious teachers of the day, listening to their wisdom and asking them pointed, engaging questions?
The overall concept here isn’t too far out. This is how teaching took place in the local synagogue. The rabbis and their disciples would sit around and as the rabbi would teach he would ask questions and listen to the answers given by his disciples. And his disciples would ask questions and let him answer them. It was a very interactive means of learning and Jesus was, apparently, very good at it. As he sat in the temple at the feet of the great religious teachers of his day he asked and answered questions and Luke tells us that. “Everyone who heard him was amazed with his understanding and his answers.”
Everyone was impressed, that is, except for his mother. Mary responds much as you would expect any mother to respond when her twelve year old son has been missing for three days. Even though he’s found in the temple among the religious teachers of his day, she sees her son whose been missing for three days and didn’t bother to tell mom or dad where he was.
Mary says, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” She scolds him as any mom would do in this situation. And now we get to the heart of this portrait of Jesus. Here we see his humility and obedience and submission.
Movement 3: Humble Submission
This is where today’s portrait of Jesus becomes so very compelling. Even at the tender age of 12 he knew who he was and what he was about. He knew his purpose. After being scolded by his mother he replies…”Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” He knew that his purpose was to bring redemption to Israel. He knew his life was about more than merely being a carpenter and following in Joseph’s steps. He knew…
Yet in his knowledge there was no conceit, no vanity or pride. He humbled himself and submitted to the authority that was placed over him…in this case the authority of his parents. Luke tells us that…
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Over the next few months we are going to be looking at some amazing portraits of Jesus found in the scripture so that we might begin to see the overall picture of who he is. We need to see a compelling portrait of Jesus if we are going to engage our lives in the pursuit of being like him.
In this story from Luke the compelling aspect of Christ’s character is his humble submission. Humble submission is something we don’t do well, but when we look at this portrait of Christ we learn more of how to be humble as he was humble and submit to the authority God has placed in our lives.
• Jesus submitted to the authority of his parents - he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.
• Jesus submitted to the Religious/Civil authority – He had a submissive, learners posture in the temple - they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
• He submitted to the authority of his Heavenly Father - Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? He was busy learning and growing and becoming who he was called to be.
In every way, though he already knew who he was and what his purpose was, he was submissive to the authority God had placed in his life. I find it very compelling to think that Christ…the very son of God…was willing to submit himself to all of the authorities that had been placed in his life and to he did so without complaining or rebelling or chaffing…he submitted in humility…Something that I think most of us struggle greatly with.
So What?
Our “So What” moment today may be a little more involved than it typically is. The so what is that we need to learn to be people who model this compelling portrait of Jesus. We need to be people who come to terms with and begin to practice humble submission. If we are going to truly be followers of Christ…if we are going to reclaim the name Christian (little Christs) then we must be people of humble submission.
Let me illustrate for you. I have heard people say of our current president. “I didn’t vote for him, he’s not my president.” I also hear people…people who were very active in their churches…some who led their churches say the same things about our former president. Now that may seem trivial or petty to discuss, but such a statement reveals an attitude of rebellion and rebellion does not look like Christ.
Paul tells us in Romans 13:
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.
Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
Romans 13:1-7 (NLT)
We like to look at this passage and say that we should respect those leaders who are godly and follow God’s will…but Paul was writing these words in regard to the Roman Empire. Not only were they a pagan government but they persecuted Christians for their refusal to worship Caesar as God. We have no case, no support for not submitting to the civil authorities over us…God has not left us any excuse but has taught us through his written word…the Bible… and through his living word…Jesus that submission is not an option.
Peter makes this difficult idea even more clear…and harder to swallow…
For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.
Slaves
You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
I Peter 2:13-21 (NLT)
That seems awfully hard to swallow. To be submissive to authorities that are cruel and harsh, yet that is exactly what we are called to do. But it doesn’t stop with submitting to the civil authority God has established, or with a bad boss.
We as Christians (Christ-followers) are called to submit to one another as well.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:21 (NIV)
This tough to do because it means we must stop thinking about ourselves and focus our thinking on one another…focus on the needs and wants of someone else, someone we may not like or even someone who is opposed to us. That’s hard…but that is what we are called to do.
The fact is, any truly accurate and compelling picture of Christ is going include his humble submission. If we are going to model our lives after the life of Christ then our lives must also be marked by a humble submission…To God, to the government, to the spiritual authority God has placed in our lives, to each other.
This morning, as we close our time together, I want us to focus on the need to submit. If we’re to model ourselves after Christ then submission must be a way of life for us, we must look at and model the submission of Christ. To do that I want us to spend some time focusing on the ultimate act of submission made by Him.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,[d]
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)
The ultimate sacrifice was found in the ultimate act of humble submission as Christ submitted himself to his Father’s will and to the cross so that we could experience a relationship of love with God.
This morning we’re going to take communion and remember that act of submission. And as we do so, I want you to use it as a time to commit to a life of submission to the Father. It is only when we submit to him that we’ll be able to submit to those around us as he has called us to do.
[Pray – Serve Communion]
