The Paradox of Progress
Notes
Transcript
Doxology:
This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!
Biblical Reference: Luke 2:39-52
39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
The title of the message today, is “The Paradox of Progress”
I saw a few faces kind of squint in confusion when I said that, so I feel the first thing I need to do is explain exactly what a paradox is.
A paradox is commonly misunderstood with a contradiction, but they are not the same. A contradiction is when two opposing statements cannot be true at the same time.
If one person said, “It’s pitch black outside.” And then another person said at the same time from the same place, “The sun is shining bright.” This would be an obvious contradiction. It can’t be bright and sunny....and.....pitch black outside at the same time in the same place. These statements are opposing statements that cannot be true at the same time.
A paradox, on the other hand, are two seemingly opposing views that seem like a contradiction, but they are not.
Jesus was fully God and fully man. That is a paradox. On the surface, it seems as if those two statements could in no way be true at the same time, but they are. Jesus was indeed 100% God, but He was also 100% man. It’s a paradox.
As we read through this text, we find yet another paradox within Scripture.
Context
Context
This text is very unique. We have been studying the birth of Christ, and we have been jumping back and forth between Luke and Matthew to see all of the recorded events concerning that miraculous event of history. Last week, we finished up looking at Jesus’ birth, and next week, we will be jumping directly to the John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of Christ and paved the way for the beginning of His ministry. The Bible almost completely skips over the childhood years of Jesus.
But this text is unique, because it is the only place in all of Scripture that gives us any information into the childhood of Jesus. None of the other Gospels show us this account of history, just Luke.
Since it is the only place in Scripture that deals with His childhood, it puts that much more emphasis on it. So we want to take a few moments to unpack this section of Scripture and see if we can try to understand why God wanted us to see this particular event of Jesus’ childhood.
This standalone account of Jesus’ early years is bracketed, if you will, by two summary statements. Let’s look again at vs. 40 & 52
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Do you see the paradox? It hit me like a ton of bricks when I read through this the other day. We see here the Son of God, in all of His deity, learning and growing and developing. Isn’t that amazing? Jesus is God in the flesh, so in one sense you would naturally expect His growth and development in a physical capacity. He was born as a baby, like we all are, so in order for Him to become a man, He would have to grow in stature.
On the other hand, being the second person of the trinitarian Godhead and eternal in nature, growth and development seems impossible. How can God develop into something more than He already is.
By His very nature, He is perfect and unchangeable. Therefore, we see a paradox in this statement. It does not seem possible for Jesus to be the God of creation and to be advancing in the spirit and wisdom at the same time. That seems like a contradiction, but it isn’t. It’s a paradox.
I want us to hone in on this concept for a few moments, because I think there are some valuable lessons for us to learn by seeing the transition that we are able to witness in Christ during this time in his life.
Content
Content
His Natural Progression
His Natural Progression
41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
Notice that Mary and Joseph went to Passover every year. They never missed. Part of why they never missed, was because it was expected for them to be there. The law of God commanded that everyone participate in Passover, and seeing that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, they would have done nothing to compromise His righteousness.
So every year they went to Jerusalem so that they could all participate in this annual feast.
But this particular year was of utmost importance. Notice it said, “When He was 12 years old...”
Within the Jewish tradition, children were not held accountable unto the law of God until they were 12 years old. At 12 years old, during the Passover feast, the child was allowed for the first time to participate fully with the tradition and then from that time forward, they were held accountable unto the law of God in and of themselves.
This tradition came to be known as Bar Mitzvah. This was Jesus’ Bar Mitzvah. He was finally at the age to be accountable for His actions, at least in the eyes of the physical world around Him.
It is no mistake that Luke includes this amazing transitional moment of Jesus within his text. This is the moment that Jesus steps into His accountability unto God as a human being.
So we see in a traditional sense, the natural progression of Jesus.
His Mental Progression
His Mental Progression
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
We see once again an amazing paradox of Scripture.
This is the only time in the Gospels that you see this Greek word for teacher used to represent someone else who is teaching Jesus.
Jesus is the teacher. Jesus is the Son of God. How could someone else be teaching Him? It is a paradox.
Every other time you see this word used, it is used to speak of Jesus teaching others.
We are told that Jesus is growing in wisdom. Think of this opportunity for Him. At this moment, all of the greatest minds of Judaism have traveled to Jerusalem to participate in this annual feast. Jesus would never have an opportunity to glean from this many intellectual minds in his home town of Nazareth.
He does not want this opportunity to go to waste, so he sets and learns. He asks questions and then provides answers. And as He does, all are amazed. They are “astonished at His understanding and answers” it says.
The Word of God simply does not say, but I can only imagine the types of questions that Jesus is asking them. He is asking questions on a level that normal 12 year old boys have yet to even conceive. He is on a level like no other. These religious leaders have never seen a 12 year old boy so aware of God’s Word and its true meaning.
I can only imagine that many of the questions He asked from the Scriptures were from those passages that dealt with His on prophecy.
Nonetheless, we see His mental progression.
His Spiritual Progression
His Spiritual Progression
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Finally, we see His spiritual progression and this is where I want to hang out for a moment.
After Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple, they question Him regarding His actions. Notice what she says:
48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
They were not amazed because of how smart He was, they already knew that. They knew more about Him than anyone else could even fathom at this point.
They were amazed, I believe, because of how they found Him. A normal 12 year old would have been frantic after being separated from their parents for three days. They would have retraced all of their steps, talked to several different people, and someone would have known about this child being lost.
But they find Jesus sitting calm and collective in the temple. He was not worried about his parents leaving Him, He was worried about growing in wisdom and knowledge of God.
He did not seem to reciprocate their worry and fear.
Mary’s questioning is done in a way that it shows us two things:
Jesus had never acted like this before.
Jesus was perfect. All of His life, He had performed exactly as you would have wished your child to perform. He had never back-talked. He had never given an attitude. He always completed His chores....exactly like they were supposed to be completed. He never complained. He never got into trouble. He was perfect.
Now all of a sudden, on the very day that Jesus is recognized as being accountable to the Law of God, He purposefully stays behind from the caravan and causes panic to His parents. Of all days, you would think on this one, He would be on His best behavior.
She is trying to instill guilt into Him because of the nature of this event.
Look Jesus, Your Father and I have been worried sick about You. We thought You might have been kidnapped, lost, or even worse, dead. You realize what God has entrusted us with. He chose us to raise You, teach You, take care of You, and make sure that You are ready for whatever He has in store for You. You should not have done this.
But I want you to see His response:
49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Why have you been so worried? You did not have to search all over Jerusalem for me. You should have known where I was. “I must be about My Father’s business.”
Wow. What a statement.
Luke 1–5: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Incident at Age Twelve
Jesus’ staying behind was not an act of disobedience to His parents, nor was it irresponsibility on their part. They had never before known Him to do anything other than what they had expected Him to do. He was responsible, obedient, sensitive, thoughtful; in every way sinlessly perfect. This act, however, marked a transition. Jesus was moving from responsibility to His earthly parents to responsibility to God
Luke 1–5: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Incident at Age Twelve
This statement is the first time in Scripture that any individual claimed God as his personal father. The Jews viewed God as the Father of all in a creative sense, and the Father of Israel in a national sense. But no one had the audacity to claim God as his father in a personal, intimate sense, because of the profound implications of such a claim (see the discussion below). In this confession, Jesus made it clear that His first priority was to do the will of His heavenly Father. He also lifted Himself above the human realm. He was not in the ultimate sense Joseph’s son, or Mary’s son; He was the eternal Son of God, who came down from heaven (John 3:13; 6:38, 42). As such, He was under the authority of His heavenly Father, not His earthly parents.
The biblical teaching that Jesus is the Son of God is clear and unmistakable.
In this passage, we have the only spoken words of Christ ever recorded, and with those words, He claims to be the Son of God. Think about that. The first time we see the red letters in Scripture, it is Jesus claiming His own deity. There is no mistake in that.
Luke 1–5: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Incident at Age Twelve
It was Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God above all else that infuriated His Jewish opponents and led to His execution
Luke 1–5: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Incident at Age Twelve
The full, rich meaning of the title Son of God is not evident from the English concept of sonship. In Jewish culture “son” denoted more than just a male offspring. A young, underage child was considered a boy; only when that boy had become an adult was he a son in the fullest sense. It was then that he became equal to his father under the law and in terms of adult responsibility, and received the privileges his father had reserved for him.
When Jesus claimed that God Almighty was His own personal Father, He was establishing His being as of the same essence and nature, with the same rights and privileges, as God Himself. The Jewish leaders understood perfectly that by claiming to be the Son of God, Jesus was claiming deity and full equality with the Father.
Now here is the paradox of progress.
As Jesus grew in spiritual things, He had to let go of physical things......even His authoritative relationship with His parents. As Jesus, for the first time, claimed God as His Father, His responsibility in obedience shifted from His worldly parents to His Heavenly Father.
Can you imagine the sting in Mary’s heart when she heard that statement? Look at what it said:
50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
Mary and Joseph had known all along that there was something special about Jesus. They knew He was the Son of God, they knew He was the prophesied Messiah, and they knew God had a special plan for Him. But up to this point, they did not know Jesus also knew these things. They did not know that Jesus had been growing in His own understanding of who He was and what His purpose was.
It was in this moment, that we see Jesus’ understanding of Himself surpass that of Mary and Joseph.
Now His time with them was not over. Jesus had to be the sinless, spotless Lamb of God and He could not do that if He broke the 5th commandment. So, He went back home with them and remained with them for another 18 years, but let me tell you that it was never the same. Mary and Joseph, as well as Jesus, all knew from that day forward that a transition had taken place within the heart of Jesus, and His only purpose was to fulfill the will of God.
From that day forward, Mary pondered all of those things in her heart. She had to wrestle with the fact that her Son was her Savior, and that she would have to exchange her parental authority over Him for His divine authority over her.
Now here is where it comes home to us. Just as Jesus went through this process of understanding who He was and what His purpose was, we too have take that journey. We too must search out the truth of who we are and why we are.
Unlike Jesus, we are not perfect. Therefore, this process for you and I is going to go a lot slower than it did for Him. He understood perfectly who he was by the age of 12. For many of us, it takes a lifetime.
As Jesus grew spiritually, He had to let go of some things physically. Now for Him, He did so perfectly, but for us, it is more complicated.
We are born with this sinful nature that He did not have. That is not to say that He had it easy. Scripture makes it clear that He was tempted in every point that you and I are tempted in, but yet without sin.
But as we come to realize that God loves us and we devote our lives to Him, we still have to deal with this physical body and the desires of it. We attempt to live for God, but we do so imperfectly.
Here is the paradox. We are children of God, justified through the righteousness of Jesus for glory, and perfect in the eyes of God through faith in our Christ.......yet we still struggle with sin. And the closer we get to God, the more we realize that we have so much farther to go.
See, when a person first gets saved, they are so excited. They are excited simply because they come into a relationship with Almighty God and they are on the right side of eternity. And they should be excited....Amen!!!
But you reach a point in your journey with God, to where you begin to feel distant from Him, even though you may be closer to Him than you ever have been before.
Now I know that some feel distant because they actually have grown cold in their walk with God, but that is not what I am talking about right now.
Mary and Joseph had done everything asked of them. They did not waver. They did not slip. Remember, they went to every Passover and stayed for the whole feast, but yet in this moment, they felt farther from Jesus than they ever had before.
Some of you are right there. You are reading your Bibles. You are praying. You are desperately seeking God’s will in your life, but you feel distant. You feel as if you have somehow went backwards.
Let me encourage you today, that you have not gone backwards, but rather have gotten closer than you ever have been. Don’t be discouraged. Keep doing what you are doing. Keep being consistent in your faith. Keep pushing forward.
As you mature in Christ, your faith goes deeper, but as your faith goes deeper you are on another level with God. And on that level, things can get more difficult.
As a young Christian, you are more worried about just doing the right things and not doing the wrong things. And that’s ok, for all of you that are there. That is where the journey begins and you need to stay on that journey until God shows you different.
But as you mature in your faith, God begins to challenge not just what you do, but the motives behind what you do. When you get to that point, the journey gets harder.
As you continue to grow in your faith, God then begins to challenge you to let go of more of yourself and take hold of Christ alone. Then the journey gets really hard.
But just because your journey is getting more difficult, does not mean that you are falling away. The opposite is actually true, you are getting so close to Christ that the very essence of your soul is being challenged by His presence and He wants every fiber of your being to be in subjection to Him.
Its a paradox. The closer you get to Jesus, the farther you can feel from Him.
As you go through each of these stages of your faith, you must be willing to let go of more and more of yourself. You must remind yourself of what Jesus said, “I must be about My Father’s business.”
Commitment
Commitment