It’s by studying Jesus, that we can be more LIKE Jesus.
Today’s Topic: How can we be more like Mary and Joseph?
It was in the city of Antioch, as Luke records in Acts 11 verse 26, that the followers of Jesus were first referred to as Christians. The name isn’t a name that the followers of Christ gave themselves, but rather it was given to them by the society in Antioch, by the powers-that-be. It was derogatory; it was used to disrespect the followers of Jesus, to cast them as outcas...
It’s by studying Jesus, that we can be more LIKE Jesus.
Today’s Topic: How can we be more like Mary and Joseph?
It was in the city of Antioch, as Luke records in Acts 11 verse 26, that the followers of Jesus were first referred to as Christians. The name isn’t a name that the followers of Christ gave themselves, but rather it was given to them by the society in Antioch, by the powers-that-be. It was derogatory; it was used to disrespect the followers of Jesus, to cast them as outcasts.
Luke preferred to refer to Christians as “believers,” or “disciples,” or “brothers.” However, the name given in Antioch stuck. The word “Christian” literally means “Christ followers” or “people of Christ’s party.” If we are Christians, isn’t necessary that we deeply know our leader? If we are Christ Followers, isn’t it important to know whom we are following?
What does it mean to be a Christian? What should non-Christians expect from our behavior that is different from non-Christian behavior?
Luke 2:39-40 When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.
This word, “filled” is a very important word here. This same application works as well with the statement that Luke mentions when He says that Christ, “grew” up healthy and strong.
These words are showing us a transformation from something that wasn’t to now something that is. Jesus aged and grew up just like any other kid.
These words literally tell us that Christ was growing just like any other young man. He would have grown physically, mentally, spiritually, and He would’ve grown in the revelation of understanding his role as the Messiah. This story deeply reminds us of the humanity of Jesus.
If you remember when Jesus was born, he was born as a baby. As a baby, he did not have all of the abilities of a full grown adult… He had to grow. From this very specific wording, we know that there was a time in the life of Jesus where he went through everything we went through as a child. Specifically, He would know what boys go through. He would know what teenagers go through.
How should we feel knowing the Jesus grew up as a child just like we did, and that He experienced growth just like us?
Luke 2:41-42
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual.
Devotion to Faith was part of Home Life for Jesus. There was a rule in the Jewish land that every male must go to Jerusalem and participate in three religious feasts. One of the three feasts was the feast of Passover.
This scripture tells us that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus we’re on their way to celebrate Passover. Passover was a time that Jews would come together and reflect in rituals that celebrated the time in Israel’s history when the Israelites we’re led out of 400 years of slavery in Egypt.
Luke 2:43-44
43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.
Other translations tell us that Mary and Joseph walked with the caravan about one day, which would’ve been roughly 25 to 30 miles. Mary and Joseph didn’t know that they would not find Jesus on the side of the road on their way. The worst thoughts that a parent would imagine had to have been going through their head.
Can you remember the first time that you thought your child was lost and you didn’t know where they were? What did you feel?
How should we feel knowing that Mary and Joseph went through the same emotions as parents as we do today?
Luke 2:45-47
45 When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
How many of us would have made church the first place on our search list?
Church is exactly where Mary and Joseph find Jesus. In he’s not simply hanging out at the church He is in deep conversation with religious leaders. He is listening intently to what they are teaching and is actually asking follow-up questions. It is as if he is somewhere where He is deeply interested in being. You know why? It’s because Jesus was learning.
Remember how we talked earlier about Jesus growing in wisdom, growing physically, drawing mentally, and growing spiritually? This is showing Jesus growing. Moreover, Luke tells us that his understanding and his answers amazed all who heard him.
The Greek verb in this verse that indicates amazement is literally describing how people would react to supernatural events. The verb structure in this verse is the same as we see later in the Gospels of people’s reaction to how Christ performed miracles.
See, at 12 years old, with this conversation with the religious leaders, the reaction to Jesus was the beginning of the reactions the people would show towards Jesus during his ministry.
Jesus, at 12 years old, was showing signs of His divinity.
The word divinity refers to being divine, the divinity of Jesus, and the divine nature of Jesus as being God. It is the aspect of the life of Christ that is heavenly. At 12 years old, Jewish leaders are amazed by the answers of this child as if he were bringing Lazarus up out of the grave.
What is Luke trying to tell us by including a lesson on the humanity of Jesus and the Divinity of Jesus in this text?
This may have been the first time in Jesus’s young life but he is ever been able to sit down and have a conversation with the spiritual leaders. And this was definitely the first time that the spiritual leaders had an opportunity to sit down with a 12-year-old boy named Jesus who seemed to know whole lot about the Scriptures.
No doubt that the priests would’ve been the scratching their head at this amazing child and not knowing exactly what to think. I’ll tell you who else didn’t know what to think about the situation… Jesus is mother. She had been looking for him for three days and finally just found him at church.
Luke 2:48
48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
Joseph may have said:
You had your mother and I worried sick?
We’ve been searching for you for three days, and we were afraid you’d been taken by bandits.
You’re going to give your father a … Heart Attack
And then Jesus responds to his parents who probably have hugged him for moments look them over make sure you still has five fingers and five toes. I can see Mary grabbing the hand of Jesus so tight that she was not going to let the hand of that child leave hers until they got back home to Nazareth.
Look what Jesus says in verse number 49
49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant.
So Jesus asks them two questions in his response and in both of these questions Jesus is he assuming that Mary and Joseph know the answer. First, he asks them, “Why did you need the search?” Jesus is leaning towards the answer, this unspoken assumption that Mary and Joseph should have known where he was and if they knew where he was, they wouldn’t have to look for him. Second, Jesus just said, “Didn’t you know that I must be in my fathers house?”
Now, although the Bible doesn’t give us the words that Mary used to answer the questions form her son, She may have answered these questions like this: When Jesus asked “But why do you need to search?” Mary and Joseph would have wanted to answer, “Because I am your parent and I don’t know where you are and I need to find you. I need to protect you.”
Jesus says, “And didn’t you know I must be in my fathers house?”
And then Mary says: “No. I didn’t know that you would be in the temple.
Let’s pick up our action in Luke chapter 2 verse number 51
51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.
Nowhere in this story do we hear that Jesus was disobedient to his parents. The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus never sinned, and so we know that this episode was not an example of Christ humanly disobeying his parents, but rather Christ showing his messiah ship to his parents.
What emotions and qualities did Mary and Joseph show in their home, and what can we learn from their example?
