January 4th, 2023
by Jon Welch
by Jon Welch
Yesterday we left the story where the wise men had brought the young child, Jesus, and his family some gifts. During the night Joseph had a dream where an angel warned him to flee to Egypt because of the threat of death from the King. We don't know how long Jesus and his family were in Egypt. We know that Jesus was born between 6 B.C. and 4 B.C, and that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C. So Jesus and his family may have been there as long as a few years, or as short as a few weeks. Either way, We can assume that their time there was pretty impactful. Think about it- they seek shelter in a place that historically was unfriendly to Jews, a place that had a rich history in slavery and bondage of Jews! It was probably not the place Joseph would have chosen to have his new family. They would have almost certainly had a rough start there. But thankfully, because of Gods provision, they were able to seek refuge and safety until Herod died.
After Herods death, they had retuned to Nazareth to live and each year they would have made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. That is where we pick up today!
Read Luke 2:39-52 and Matthew 2:19-23
For just a moment, think about settling in Nazareth. We all know small towns- and in a small town, news travels fast. Think about the environment that Jesus grows up in. Everyone in Nazareth must have known about Mary and Josephs “situation”, with the quick marriage. Imagine the scorn that may have been present from the community to Jesus’ family.
Think of the questions that Jesus could have had…
“Why don't I share characteristics of my father, Jospeh?”
“Why don’t I have the name of my father or grandfater? Where did ‘Jesus’ come from?”
Maybe even, “Why do the Messiah and I have so much in common?”
These are questions that any 12 year old may ask if he were in Jesus’ situation. But this year it is special because during the annual trip to Jerusalem, Jesus would be able to ask questions to the religious leaders!
“After three days they found him the the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” Luke 2:46
I wonder what kind of things they were talking about. What kinds of questions was Jesus asking them and what were their responses? I suspect that maybe Jesus as a 12 year-old was beginning to put some pieces together.
Maybe the conversation went something like this:
Jesus: Is it true that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem of Judah?
Teachers: Yes, of course, young man, all good jews know that it is written in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel”
Jesus: But isn’t it also true that the Messiah will come out of Egypt?
Teachers: Silly boy, we just told you that he will come out of Bethlehem! How could he come out of two places?
Old priest from the back: Now, hold on a minute, I believe the boy has a legitimate question. Yes, I believe it is true. Look right here- it is written in Hosea 11:1, “and out of Egypt I called my son.”
(Everyone is in awe)
Jesus: So, what if the messiah was born in Bethlehem and then, for some strange reason, His family had to move to Egypt for a time, and then they returned. Could that be a possible explanation for the two scriptures? (everyone is amazed!) You know, I was born in Bethlehem and them my family moved to Egypt for a while….
The Bible says that everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. One thing that stands out about this time in Jesus’ life is what we see in two verses;
“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him” Luke 2:40
and
“Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52)
It sounds like Jesus was growing in every area of life, just like we do! To those around him, His family, these elders/teachers, he certainly looked, sounded, and acted human. Maybe thats because he was! Hebrews 2:17 says that he was made like us in every way! Amazing! Jesus chose to become just like us, in every way!
Its an error to ignore the full humanity of Jesus. Sometimes we do this by thinking of Jesus like some sort of Super Man image. But no... He was like us in every way...
What struggles might Jesus have had growing up? Make a list.
What temptations might Jesus have had as a Teenager?
What do you think it would have been like to be Jesus’ little brother or sister?
Throughout the Old Testament we see pictures of the Messiah and what he would go through in his growing up years. Read the below and jot down your notes!
Psalm 69:7-9
Isaiah 11:1-5
Hosea 11:1
Micah 5:2
Spend some time in prayer today thanking God for making Jesus just like us.
What stands out from todays teaching... comment below!
After Herods death, they had retuned to Nazareth to live and each year they would have made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. That is where we pick up today!
Read Luke 2:39-52 and Matthew 2:19-23
For just a moment, think about settling in Nazareth. We all know small towns- and in a small town, news travels fast. Think about the environment that Jesus grows up in. Everyone in Nazareth must have known about Mary and Josephs “situation”, with the quick marriage. Imagine the scorn that may have been present from the community to Jesus’ family.
Think of the questions that Jesus could have had…
“Why don't I share characteristics of my father, Jospeh?”
“Why don’t I have the name of my father or grandfater? Where did ‘Jesus’ come from?”
Maybe even, “Why do the Messiah and I have so much in common?”
These are questions that any 12 year old may ask if he were in Jesus’ situation. But this year it is special because during the annual trip to Jerusalem, Jesus would be able to ask questions to the religious leaders!
“After three days they found him the the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” Luke 2:46
I wonder what kind of things they were talking about. What kinds of questions was Jesus asking them and what were their responses? I suspect that maybe Jesus as a 12 year-old was beginning to put some pieces together.
Maybe the conversation went something like this:
Jesus: Is it true that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem of Judah?
Teachers: Yes, of course, young man, all good jews know that it is written in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel”
Jesus: But isn’t it also true that the Messiah will come out of Egypt?
Teachers: Silly boy, we just told you that he will come out of Bethlehem! How could he come out of two places?
Old priest from the back: Now, hold on a minute, I believe the boy has a legitimate question. Yes, I believe it is true. Look right here- it is written in Hosea 11:1, “and out of Egypt I called my son.”
(Everyone is in awe)
Jesus: So, what if the messiah was born in Bethlehem and then, for some strange reason, His family had to move to Egypt for a time, and then they returned. Could that be a possible explanation for the two scriptures? (everyone is amazed!) You know, I was born in Bethlehem and them my family moved to Egypt for a while….
The Bible says that everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. One thing that stands out about this time in Jesus’ life is what we see in two verses;
“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him” Luke 2:40
and
“Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52)
It sounds like Jesus was growing in every area of life, just like we do! To those around him, His family, these elders/teachers, he certainly looked, sounded, and acted human. Maybe thats because he was! Hebrews 2:17 says that he was made like us in every way! Amazing! Jesus chose to become just like us, in every way!
Its an error to ignore the full humanity of Jesus. Sometimes we do this by thinking of Jesus like some sort of Super Man image. But no... He was like us in every way...
What struggles might Jesus have had growing up? Make a list.
What temptations might Jesus have had as a Teenager?
What do you think it would have been like to be Jesus’ little brother or sister?
Throughout the Old Testament we see pictures of the Messiah and what he would go through in his growing up years. Read the below and jot down your notes!
Psalm 69:7-9
Isaiah 11:1-5
Hosea 11:1
Micah 5:2
Spend some time in prayer today thanking God for making Jesus just like us.
What stands out from todays teaching... comment below!
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I love how Jesus was so engaged with the religious leaders. He posed questions, that he knew the answers to, to cause them to have a deeper understanding of all of the scriptures.
Did his brothers get jealous because he was perfect. Did Mary show him favoritism. All the feelings that Jesus had and those of the ones that were his family, He dealt with (life) from the perspective of the Father. I see His relationship with God was how He lived the perfect plan that God had for Him. And that’s how we are supposed to do it.
We know Jesus was perfect, without a doubt. Scripture testifies to that. But since Jesus was made like us in every way (Heb. 2), I don't think he had the "advantage" of God like thought from birth. By that I mean, He LEARNED to walk.... to talk.... what was hot to the touch.... etc. After all, Luke says he "grew in wisdom and stature".
So- Consider this... While he was never sinful, did he ever have to be corrected? Maybe as a boy he would run into the road chasing a ball.... and Mary would have to correct him. "Jesus- you have to look both ways".
Maybe when Joseph gave him a chore to do, he didn't do it as he should have and would have to be corrected, "Son, when we stack wood we stack it like this..."
Imagine the difficulty of raising the son of God... of correcting the son of God. Wow...
I can imagine it being hard for his siblings to live up to his lifestyle… similar to how it is for us today, except they probably felt it in a way we cannot even fathom.
I can imagine Jesus felt alone or different, no one else was like him. We all find friends and spouses that are similar to us, or have the same interests… I can imagine that being harder for Jesus!
I also can imagine a constant pull away from the sin he was surrounded by… maybe why he liked to be alone with the Father at times.
I can also imagine Mary and Joseph having a fear of the power Jesus held being God in the flesh… especially after being visited by angels! I would probably always wonder what he was capable of and if I would see that power unleashed.
Great insight to ponder what Jesus’ life and those around him here like, how they interacted and responded to one another.
I think about what it would have been like to be his siblings and friends and I think how did Jesus feel as a child. Did anyone get it? What it must have been like to not feel like anyone understood you and thought you thought you were too good.
According to Hebrews 2:11-13 -we are Jesus’ brothers and sisters, therefore, I ask myself how do I respond to Jesus? Hopefully like his brother James who called him Lord.
What stood out to me today was from the readings from Luke. It took his parents at least 4 days to get back to him, they had went on a days journey and when they returned they found him after three days in the temple. I wonder if Jesus was scared while his parents were gone, or if he had someone there to take care of him and maybe feed him during that time. Even though he spoke to them as if he were more than just a child, his fleshly body was only a pre-teen. I’m not a parent, so I can’t imagine how Mary and Joseph may have felt. But I’m sure they had to be scared too.
I think how exciting it must’ve been for some to have their faith renewed when the savior was tangible. Standing before them shedding light to questions that I’m sure the teachers had pondered for their entire lives. We have faith and God definitely speaks to those who listen but to actually hear it from his lips must’ve carried so much weight that I can’t even begin fathom.
Amazing that at age 12 Jesus would slip away from his family seemingly without any worry. He would then go to hold highly intelligent talks with leaders/elders he would question. Imagining his siblings saying, What are you doing/thinking?? I would think there would be a level of reverence expected toward these people as well. I know what was expected of me at that age. One, I’d never have left my parents side to do what Jesus did. Nor would I have questioned an adult.
I think the overwhelming responsibility as a parent esoecially in todays world, i think Mary and Joseph was a major part in his ability to submit and be as humble as he was, is directly tied to his upbringing