The Son of God at Twelve Years Old

Today is the last entry for this year...

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ 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.”

⁴⁹ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁵¹ Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

There are two observation I'd like to make from today's passage. The first comes from verse 46 and 47. Jesus spent his time "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." In these verses, it seems as if Jesus is learning, even though he is the son of God, he's sitting amongst the teachers of the law, listening to them and asking them questions. The thing that struck me the most was the teachers' reactions to a 12 year old Jesus in verse 47, "Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers." Even though, Jesus may be challenging them or their teachings, they marveled at his intelligence. A total opposite reaction to how they'd perceive him about twenty years later. It also seems like they just brushed him off as a bright, smart twelve old kid. He was no real threat to them.

The second observation came from verse 49. Mary is chastising Jesus for making her and Joseph worry over losing him. She said, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Mary Mary says, "Your father and I have been searching for you...", but Jesus answered “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” So in other words, Jesus has made it obvious to his parents that he knew who his real Father was and it clearly wasn't Joseph.

Ultimately, this incident points out that Jesus is indeed different from Man, and he made it very clear of his wisdom and divinity through his birthright, not the the general public like he did when he begins his ministry, but to the teachers of the law and to his parents, Mary and Joseph. It's subtle and they don't take great offense or quite understand what he's saying because Jesus is simply a child in their eyes. It's also strange because these would be the people who would have the most difficult time in accepting the true nature of who Jesus was and his mission for why he came down to this earth.

I hope you all have a happy New Year!!!

And the child grew...

the Bible doesn’t say anything about Jesus’ teen years or about what kind of a brother he was to his siblings… however, being “filled with wisdom, and the Grace of God upon him” we can be sure He was not like any child there ever was or will be

…but I struggled to understand why this was necessary… these 30 some years… I mean, did he really need to “grow up?” was there anything he could learn from Joseph about being a carpenter? He invented trees! He was there when Noah built the ark. Is there anything he didn’t already know that He needed to know to do what He came to do? was there some lesson from the Bible that he needed to get right before he started his ministry? He is the Word!

…to conclude, a quote from Esther (12/21 entry), “…rejoice in Jesus' humility that enabled God to display his amazing plan of redemption.”

…Jesus spent these years changing physiologically from dhild to man but it was a continuing act of humility, submission and obedience to the plan of the Father who sent Him.

…how great is His love for us.

Good morning ladies. I hope you had a restful night of sleep.
Today's passage on Luke 2: 36-38 and it tells of a woman who lived in the temple from the time she became a widow until she reached the age of 84.

To me, Anna seems to be the first nun in history as a woman who has devoted her life to a lifestyle of worship, fasting and praying. There were priests that lived in the temple but as a woman, it seems to me she was one of a kind.
I've always been intrigued by nuns and the kind of life they lead or I should say, the life they are lead to live. They sacrifice their whole lives to live in a habit. There's something pure and simple about them. They seem otherworldly and removed. There's also something so beautiful about their wholehearted and steadfast devotion. And, there's something about them I want to emulate but I see the deep contrast between what consumes our hearts and minds.
I think the greatest contrast I can relate to is that they have a lifestyle of worshiping and serving God whereas I have my lifestyle and I try to worship and serve God.
Anna was lead to live in the temple and as a prophet, she was able to discern the coming of the Christ. She faithfully proclaimed redemption-true redemption. We each have our calling and I realize that the focal point of our lives should and can be in worshiping, fasting and praying. I may not be a prophet and I don't have to become a nun and I don't have to live in a temple/convent. Jesus said in John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
No matter what we do and no matter where we live and work, let us live a life of worship, let us fast and pray to God our Father.

Luke 2:25-32

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss[a] your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

[so sorry for the extremely late post!]

The Holy Spirit reveals to Simeon that he would not die before seeing the Lord. As promised, Simeon is holding Jesus in his very own arms and begins to praise the Lord.

This passage should give us great hope and confidence in our Lord. His promises are true and never failing. I know that I put my confidence and hope in people and things other than the Lord, believing that it will bring me the ultimate joy that I desire. Of course those people have failed and hurt me, and those things have given me temporary joy if even that. May we be able to come to Lord in full confidence that His promises hold true in our lives, as long as we live according to His will. May we not undermine our Lord.

Jesus presented in the Temple

²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
²² When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Joseph and Mary show complete obedience to God here in these verses. They adhere strictly to the Law of Moses by circumcising baby Jesus, presenting him to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice in accordance with the law. One of the commentaries I read mentioned that the two young pigeons was an offering of the poor because the law asked for a lamb and a dove or pigeons. However, if you were poor you could offer two doves or two pigeons.

I think we can learn a lot from the actions of Joseph and Mary here. They obeyed God's word, they did not make any excuses regarding their own personal situations or circumstances and obeyed. They offered all that they could to God.

Here we are at the eve of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Just as Joseph and Mary obeyed God's words and laws I pray that we would be able to hear God, know his word so that we could strive to live a life of obedience so that we may be used by God in a mighty way. Merry Christmas ladies!