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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Today is THURSDAY, Dec. 26th, the day after Christmas.
While we’ve been hearing Christmas music in stores and on car radios for over a month, and we’ve seen Christmas decorations everywhere… suddenly today a transformation in America takes place. Great effort will be made today to put Christmas behind us. You’ll see it almost everywhere. It’s amazing. . .
We’ve been following the chronological story of Christmas in our ‘Walking with Jesus’ journey. Yesterday we considered the Disciple John’s comments about the incarnation of Jesus, concluding with this powerful statement: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
That is the essence of “Immanuel”, ‘God with us’, isn’t it? God came and lived here, among us, in the person of Jesus Christ. He was the literal fulfillment of God’s promise made to Moses on Mount Sinai, 1500 years before… “I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.” (Ex. 29:45,46)
God had given Moses instructions about building a Tabernacle and fabricating an “Ark of the Covenant” and putting in that Ark the tablets of stone on which were engraved the 10 Commandments. Then Moses was to put that Ark in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle. The cloud representing God’s Presence came down and hovered over that Tabernacle. It symbolized that while God was not visible, the cloud assured the people He was there.
Do you see what John was saying when he said Jesus came and “…made His dwelling among us…”? God was visible in the person of Jesus, and not just for a moment or an hour or even a day… but He lived here for many years. “Immanuel” God dwelling on earth among mankind, bringing to reality the promise of God’s desire spoken in Exodus 29.
I led us through John 1:1-14 on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Those words were written by John, Jesus’ good friend and disciple, as John reflected on the Jesus he knew as an adult. John was not an eye witness to the Christmas events, but in these 14 verses John explained them in the global and eternal perspective.
Chronologically, the Christmas story as we normally consider it, ends when Joseph leads Mary and infant Jesus from their refugee days in Egypt, back to Nazareth to settle there. We saw that in Matt. 2:19-23. Then the narrative about Jesus grows silent. Only one brief glimpse is given to us of Jesus during those ensuing 28 years or so. We find it in Luke 2:41-52. Would you please read that and let’s consider it today.
You see Luke is describing some of normal life for Jesus and His earthly family. Each year they traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem, as did thousands of other Jews, to celebrate the Passover. That great celebration is unique to Jews the world over and still is celebrated today where-ever Jewish people live. Of course it honors the remarkable events of God delivering the Hebrew slaves from Egypt and Moses leading them out and through the Red Sea to freedom (Exodus 14). Can you imagine what that must have been like for “Immanuel” to attend Passover celebration events!?
Luke tells us Jesus was 12 yrs old on this trip to Jerusalem. It may well be on this trip Jesus experienced what today is called the “Bar Mitzpha”, the celebration of a Jewish boy crossing into adulthood. Up to this age a Jewish boy is considered responsible to his parents, and his parents responsible for his behavior. After this ceremony, however, the boy is viewed as an adult, now responsible to God and to the people for his own behavior, and expected to step into the mature role of a Jewish man. While we have no description of this ceremony from Luke, Jesus’ behavior of remaining behind in Jerusalem to discuss God and theology and Jewish history and the Torah, with the Jewish teachers in the Temple courts, after His family had begun their return to Nazareth, leads me to believe both Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem now viewed young Jesus differently than before.
Look at Dr. Luke’s description of what Joseph and Mary found when they returned to Jerusalem to look for young Jesus: “After three days they found Him (Jesus) 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.” (Luke 2:47,48)
While it is likely Jesus, as a young boy, studied the Torah with the Rabbi or teachers of the law in Nazareth, as all young boys would have, we have no record of that from the Gospel writers. But here Luke shows us the adult, educated, religious leaders were amazed at Jesus’ ability to engage them in theological discussions. What does that tell you friends, about what was going on in Jesus’ heart and mind as He was growing up? Do you see this is part of the Incarnation miracle?
Mary’s question to Jesus is a normal, concerned mother, asking for an explanation about what could have been viewed as an inconsiderate and possibly disobedient son, for Jesus had evidently not told them He would remain behind as they began their return trip to Nazareth. But Jesus’ answer is another glimpse into “Immanuel”, ‘God with us’. Look at vs. 49: “Why were you searching for Me? Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?“ Oh my!
This gives us a glimpse into the heart and mind of 12 year old Jesus. He knew who He was…“Immanuel”. He knew why He was here on earth, ‘dwelling among us’. He knew the mission God the Father had sent Him to earth to accomplish. And evidently this was the moment all that truth about Jesus’ identity and purpose on earth, first came face to face with the realistic expectations of everyone around Him, including His own family… that He would simply behave as any other normal young Jewish boy.
Please put yourself into that moment. Can you imagine the looks on everyone’s face, especially Mary and the religious leaders in the Temple. Do the looks you see and the gasps you hear validate what Luke wrote next: “But they did not understand what He was saying to them.” (Luke 2:50) I suspect everyone held their breath… waiting to see what would happen next, what would be said? Luke doesn’t tell us.
I suspect Jesus let that powerful moment hang in the air long enough that it was emblazoned in everyone’s mind and heart as a historic, defining moment. Then I imagine Jesus thanked the religious leaders, perhaps by going around and shaking each of their hands and expressing His respect and thanks that they allowed Him to engage them in religious discussion, and He walked out, with Mary, and re-joined the family traveling caravan on their way back to Nazareth.
Luke tells us “But His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51). Does that sound familiar? Remember Luke used the same phrase after the visit of the shepherds in the stable in Luke 2:19? I imagine this happened often for Mary as she watched “Immanuel” grow up in her home. I suspect one of the things that just rattled around in her mind, was when Jesus had said “My Fathers’s house…”, referring to the Temple and His relationship with Almighty God. What a powerful, jarring, shocking statement for young Jesus to make!
Luke only says one more thing: “He (Jesus) went to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and with men.” (Luke 2:52) What do you think Luke means? I think he means Jesus treated Joseph & Mary and other adults in Nazareth with respect and was looked on with favor by all who knew Him. I think it means He continued to mature in every way… socially, spiritually, physically, intellectually, as God prepared “Immanuel” for His mission on earth.
There’s a gap of 18 years or so between the end of Luke 2:52 and Luke 3:1. We have no record of anything which took place in those years with regard to Jesus. But just as the 400 year silence between the Old & New Testament was broken with Gabriel announcing the miraculous pregnancy of Elizabeth and that her son would be John the Baptist, so this 18 year silence is broken with Dr. Luke explaining that John the Baptist, 6 months older than Jesus, launched his work as the forerunner of Jesus the Christ!
So, as we close the Christmas story. . .I wonder what God has spoken into your heart this year, that is new insight, new awareness of what God was doing through the incarnation miracle of “Immanuel”, ‘God with us’?
What difference will all we discussed together this month in “Walking with Jesus” make in your life and mine, as we prepare to step into 2020? May I invite you to find some time today to do what Mary did and ponder this remarkable story? Treasure this story in your heart and mind, and invite God to speak to you about how He wants it to affect HOW you conclude 2019 and HOW you prepare for 2020?
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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