December 11, 2024 Text: Luke 2:41-52
Dear Friends in Christ,
If you were here last week, you know that our theme for these mid-week sermons is “Advent Answers to Hard Questions Hardly Anybody Is Asking?” Tonight’s question involves a query from a confirmation student who asked, “When Jesus was our age, did He know that He was God?” We will find the answer as we see Jesus in the temple as . . .
“THE OBEDIENT CHILD”
Joseph and Mary did what they were supposed to as Christian parents so that their son would know God. Circumcised at 8 days old. Brought to the temple for purification at 40 days old.
Thanks be to God for Christians parents of today who do the same thing. Bringing your babies for baptism. Committing their way to the Lord as we all help them to grow in the fear and love of God.
A baby doesn’t stay a baby forever. A baby grows, then toddles, then walks, then talks, learns to read and write. Then it’s off to school and a driver’s license and college and independence and oh my how fast it can go.
Jesus went through many of these same stages. He lived a normal life. Grew up. We meet him tonight at age 12, and we don’t quite think he is being obedient. If he is so obedient then why did He cause such anxiety for his parents? If you have ever been the lost child or the frantic parent or grandparent who lost a child, if even for a moment, you know the emotions that can come over you. Why this behavior from Jesus? If He is God, what is going on here?
While Joseph and Mary had some angel visits before His birth, did they realize or have the vaguest idea how their son would mature into adulthood? Did they understand what child is this? They probably both had their thoughts wonder back to the promises of the angels. Could this really be the Messiah? I don’t think this is hard to fathom. Even the disciples didn’t realize who he was. To his parents Jesus was their son. Look at it this way. As parents, we see our kids every day, but their growth is subtle. But as we are noticing, when as grandparents we just see Asher once a month, you notice the changes. In our text, if they thought He was God, would they have been so concerned?
Back to the question. When Jesus was growing up, did He know that He was God? Did He know what his future held? Did He know He would fulfill the promise of the Old Testament? If He did, would that not be a burden for a twelve-year-old?
Let’s hear from Jesus Himself. “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” That is why he is in the temple, as he told his human parents. You bet He knew who He was! He was reminding Jospeh and Mary that He was the Son of God and that He must be about the business of his Father in heaven. He came to earth on a mission of salvation. He was special, the one and only man (or boy) and God.
We make the mistake of seeing disobedience. But our text says in verse 51 that Jesus was respectful to his parents – “submissive to them.” What everyone always misses in this text is this. His parents never instructed him to leave with the crowds. Ah, is the light going on? Jesus had a job to do and it was centered in the temple. Jesus as God is omniscient, which means all-knowing, Jesus absolutely did know He was God.
Jesus was God, but in his state of humiliation, he didn’t not always use His divine powers. That is why He is asking questions in the temple. Jesus learned the same way we do. By studying and being inquisitive about the material – namely Holy Scripture.
Jesus learned a lot. We learn a lot from Scripture. Hebrews says, “although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” (Heb. 5:8). Paul writes in Philippians 2, that Jesus became obedient to death, even death on the cross, as the final payment for the sins of the world. The Scriptures promised what the Messiah would do. Jesus learned his lesson well.
When Jesus was a boy, did He know He was God? Absolutely. It is the Advent message, right? God became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
Amen.