Luke 2:40-52
Didn’t You Know?
Woodlawn Baptist Church
December 18, 2005
Introduction
Several years ago the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article by Dr. Paul Ruskin on the Stages of Aging. In the article, Dr. Ruskin described a case study he had presented to his students when teaching a class in medical school. He described the case study patient under his care like this:
“The patient neither speaks nor comprehends the spoken word. Sometimes she babbles incoherently for hours on end. She is disoriented about person, place, and time. She does, however respond to her name. I have worked with her for the past six months, but she still shows complete disregard for her physical appearance and makes no effort to assist her own care. She must be fed, bathed and clothed by others.
“Her food must be pureed. Her shirt is usually soiled from almost incessant drooling. She does not walk. Her sleep pattern is erratic. Often she wakes in the middle of the night and her screaming awakens others. Most of the time she is friendly and happy, but several times a day she gets quite agitated without apparent cause. Then she wails until someone comes to comfort her.”
After presenting the class with this challenging case, Dr. Ruskin then asked his students if any of them would like to volunteer to take care of this person. No one volunteered. Then Dr. Ruskin said, “I’m surprised that none of you offered to help, because actually she is my favorite patient. I get immense pleasure from taking care of her and I am learning so much from her. She has taught me a depth of gratitude I never knew before. She has taught me the spirit of unwavering trust. And she has taught me the power of unconditional love.” Then Dr. Ruskin said, “Let me show you her picture.” He pulled out the picture and passed it around. It was the photo of his six-month-old baby daughter.
I like that story for several reasons. For one thing, it shows us the importance of perspective. And it shows us how essential it is to have all the facts before we make a decision. It reminds us too, that our children have so much to teach us if we will tune in and pay attention. Even as a child Jesus had some things to teach His parents; and us too if we will tune in and pay attention.
Does the Lord have your attention this morning? Is your heart prepared to meet with Him? Do not let it be distracted by your busyness or with thoughts of everything you have to do when we leave this place. Take a moment and ask the Lord to still your heart so you can receive what the Spirit has for you.
Read Luke 2:40-52.
Now keep in mind that this account is really only part of the larger context of chapters 1 and 2. In these two chapters Luke has made some amazing affirmations about Jesus that help us to understand just exactly who and what He was. From his infancy throughout His childhood and on into adulthood we are shown that this is the Christ, the Messiah, the Chosen One. We are given this glimpse of a twelve year-old boy that confounds His parents, the religious leaders, and still many people today. This passage is not given to us to teach us how to be better parents or how to follow God’s will, but it is given to remind us or teach us that this is the Christ: to give us perspective, understanding, and cause for faith.
He accepted the limitations of humanity
Whenever I think of this I’m reminded of the movie Aladdin when the Genie is talking about why he wants to be set free from genie bondage and not have to live inside that lamp. He’s mentions how powerful he is when he says, “Infinite power – itty bitty living space!” Christ had infinite power as the second person of the godhead, but He chose an itty bitty living space in the human body born to Mary. Paul said it this way in Philippians 2:6-8.
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Jesus accepted the limitations of a human body. He was born like all babies are born. He grew through childhood just like other children grow. Verse 52 says He grew in stature, like all young boys do. We read in the gospel accounts that Jesus hungered, thirsted, grew tired, suffered and eventually died a death like we all will experience.
Jesus accepted the limitations of a human mind. The fact that he “increased in wisdom” says that He went through a learning process just like our kids go through. Jesus had to learn to read and write. We find Him asking questions and discussing the Law with the teachers, and later would even say that there were some things He just didn’t know, such as the time of His second coming.
Jesus had a human soul and experienced human emotions. He was filled with joy at times, saddened at other times, wept, laughed, grieved and marveled.
Why? Why did Jesus accept the limitations of humanity? One reason was so He could be our substitute. If He had not been a man He could not have died in our place and paid our sin debt. Hebrews 2:16-18 says,
“For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.”
Jesus had to be a man, not an angel, not an animal, but a man, like us in every way but without sin to die for our sins and bring us back into right relation to God. He had to become man to be the Mediator between God and man. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” He was fully God, but He was fully man as well so He might fully represent us. Jesus became a man to be our example. He became a man to be our pattern for living and for dying. He became a man to sympathize with us as our Great High Priest. You’ll never be able to accuse God of not knowing what you’re going through. He’s lived it! You cannot say to God that He doesn’t understand your temptations, your problems, your hurts and sorrows and pain. He knows! The difference between us and Him is sin. Where you and I fail time and again, Jesus forced His body to live in obedience to God.
If the passage we’re studying shows us anything, it shows us that the God of heaven and earth who created all things, knows all things, and sustains all things willingly accepted the limitations of humanity, having to grow physically, emotionally, and mentally to walk a mile in our shoes and suffer the penalty for sin that was due us.
He did not choose in His humanity to be the Messiah
Luke could have taken up anywhere in the life of Christ, but he left no doubt as to the divine nature of what was taking place. He backed up all the way to a time even before His birth to reveal to us that He was the promised Messiah, Lord, Savior and Son of God. This whole pre-teen account of Jesus making an interesting choice to remain in Jerusalem to discuss the Law gives us a view of a young boy who is the Savior, not of one who is contemplating a choice. There was never a moment in His earthly existence when Jesus would choose to be the Messiah. He simply was and is.
Yes Jesus was a man, and yes He grew in stature and wisdom and all of that, but He was no ordinary child. This child was fully divine just as well as He was fully human. He chose to be the Messiah, but He made that choice in eternity past before the world was even created. The virgin birth was a choice. The humble childhood was a choice. Accepting the limitations of a human body was a choice just as much as dying on the cross was a choice that He made as God, not as man.
People make Jesus out to be just a great man who did some great things. He grew in popularity and died a martyr and this religion we call Christianity is a good way of life. He was a prophet, a great teacher, a miracle worker who thought himself to be a deliverer, but that’s a faulty view of Christ.
Peter wrote that we were “redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”
Mary and Joseph found Jesus that day sitting in the temple courtyard speaking with the masters of the Law and scolded Him for making them worry. Listen to what He said to them. “Why were you worrying? You know I was born for this.” While He grew and developed an awareness and understanding of the cross as a boy, there was never a choice to be a Savior, only that increasing awareness. His birth, life, death and resurrection were foreordained, all planned out, with you in mind long before He would take this walk with His parents.
He defined His choices by His purpose
If there is anything that strikes us in this passage it is that Jesus appears to have disrespected His parents both by staying in Jerusalem and then again by what He says to them when they found Him. Did Jesus disobey? If He did then He sinned. Was Jesus disrespectful? If He was then He sinned. I don’t think that there was a hint of disrespect or disobedience in Jesus’ heart toward His parents. His decision to stay behind was not made out of these things, but rather by His purpose. Jesus was on His way to the cross, but He was still growing in His awareness of this purpose as a young boy.
It is traditional at age 12 for Jewish boys to be made a Son of the Law. We hear about Jewish boys having their “Bar Mitzvah.” That is when they are officially made a Son of the Law. They become responsible for their own obedience to the Law. This does not mean that Jesus was no longer under the authority of His parents, but simply that He was now personally accountable to keep the Law of God for Himself.
When Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple, what was He doing? He was asking questions. He was not teaching, He was not usurping a role of authority in the temple with the learned men. He was simply asking questions. He had come under the Law and was now responsible to keep the Law Himself. He had reached a time when He was in the temple doing everything He could to comprehend what that responsibility really meant.
In His humanity He was asking the questions that pertained to the matters that were at hand in His own life, because that same text says that Jesus Himself grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. There was development in Jesus. He didn’t go from imperfection to perfection, nor did He go from sin to righteousness – He just had an expanding awareness, and this was part of it.
When His parents said, “Why have you done this?” He gave the right answer. He didn’t say, “You’re not important,” but He said this, “I must be about my Father’s business.” They had to recognize that the aim of his life had to do with that which was from God, and that their authority would not be ignored by Him, but it would always be under the authority of His Father, and that’s all He was saying. In a generals sense He was saying, “Look, I have been made a son of the Law, and I must understand the fullness of what this means.” There was no rebellion there; it was just a priority – the ultimate priority.
If Jesus saying, “How is it that ye sought me?” which means, “Why were you seeking me?” sounds disrespectful; it is not. Jesus is however telling them that they had forgotten who He was. They had no reason to worry, no reason to fear. God had marvelously shown them that He was the Messiah; they should have figured out that God would also protect Him until the proper time came for Him to fulfill His purpose.
Jesus spent His life moving toward the cross, but it was no accident that He ended up there. He was given for that purpose and He lived for that purpose. I cannot imagine Jesus going through life with the knowledge that the men and women with whom He interacted would be men and women for whom He would lay down His life. Every step from the cradle to the cross was defined by God’s plan of redemption: His desire to be in relation with you and me.
Do you understand that today? Do you hear what the Spirit is saying? “God demonstrated His love toward you” in that while you stood in need of a relationship with Him, when you were lost and without hope, when you needed a Savior, He provided one for you in the person of Jesus Christ. But the Lord did more than provide for you a Savior; He provided for you and me a wonderful Lord and Master, even a Friend.
I cannot express to you the awe I feel as I have learned of Christ in these chapters, but I can tell you that today God invites you too to stand in awe once again. He wants to captivate your heart as He did in the beginning and fill you too with wonder.
http://www.esermons.com/viewSermons.asp?theFileName=yearC_christmas_1B.html
Some of the material under the third point is adapted from an answer John MacArthur gave in response to a question about whether Jesus disobeyed or not. The discussion is found at http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/70-16-4.htm
