Who Is Jesus From
Notes
Transcript
Who Is Jesus From
Open your bibles and turn with me to Luke 2:39-52
We are coming to the end of Luke 2 this morning….
And this picture that Luke gives to us is quite unique.
In fact, it’s the only recorded testimony of Jesus as a child.
Luke spans nearly 30 years of Jesus life….
And even here, Luke only gives us one story….
Just a story of Jesus in the Temple….
This story ends with a repeated para-phrase-
that Jesus grew in a wisdom and stature, and favor with God and man.
It’s clear that Luke has a purpose here….
And yet, what is it?
Why include this story?
Why of all the stories, that could have been included. Why this one?
It seems apparent, as most scholars agree
that Luke has received this information from Mary’s own testimony.
There is little reason for it to have been known to anyone else.
And yet, of all the stories to be told, this one rose to prominence.
Sermon Summary - Jesus declares who He is!
And what we will see, that part of Luke’s primary point here in this passage
Is helping us answer the question – “who is Jesus’ father?”
From who does Jesus come?
Here we have Mary, Jesus mother….
And Joseph….loseJesus, and there is a tension that arises.
You’re father and I been looking for you……
And Jesus responded, "Why were you looking for me?
You know I must be in my Father’s house!”
And its here, that Mary, I believe likely, the reality of who Jesus is, hits her!
And here, you have the first recorded words of her own son!!
Of the Messiah in Luke’s gospel!!
He reveals his unique relationship with God the Father….
Throughout Luke’s gospel, we’ve heard the testimony of Jesus!
From the Gabriel, from Mary about Jesus….from Elizabeth, and Zachariah about Jesus….
But now, we hear from the Lord himself, who he declares himself to be!!
And further, Gabriel said 3 things of the Messiah….
that he would be called Jesus,
He would be called Holy,
and He would be called the son of God
And beginning in Luke 2:21-33….you see that happen
Jesus (2:21)
Holy (dedicated and sanctified)
now the 3rd
Jesus speaks for himself. And declares from his own mouth, who He is!!
Of his relationship with His FATHER….He is the SON of GOD!
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I. It’s easy to lose sight of Jesus in the midst of life and religious ritual. (v.39-45)
I. It’s easy to lose sight of Jesus in the midst of life and religious ritual. (v.39-45)
We left off last week, with Luke demonstrating that
Jesus and his parents are living in light of the Law of the Lord!
And the language continues of Jesus fulfilling the Law and the customs of the Law.
Luke is still wanting us to see that reality, even here…in his language of the LAW OF THE LORD
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
You know, one memory I have of my mother is a time when I was afraid….
Now, this has been many moons ago, it will tell you how old I am…
When I was out with my mother, at K-Mart….who was shopping…
And I was of the age that I had a tendency to
stretch the boundaries a bit.
See how far I could wander off without being in trouble…
then I’d find myself back with my family….
Well, on this occasion, I turned down one too many aisles….
and I couldn’t find my mother….
and I continued wandering around the store, still couldn’t find her….
And then I became convinced in the span of what was probably only a couple of minutes….
that well, my mother had just left me there at K-Mart to fend for myself….
And I believe a worker spotted me and asked what was wrong. –
My mother has left without me!
And so they paged her over the intercom….
MAYBE NO SURPRISE TO YOU….turns out she hadn’t left…
she was, in fact, looking for me.
And I said, with tears….I thought you had just left me here!!
And she said, “Son, what are you thinking, I’m not just going to leave you!!!
But I think all of us….know that feeling…
We all have a store like that….
And Luke gives us just enough details here…
But leaves us wondering…
But it’s clear – Mary and Joseph aren’t bad parents….
And Jesus isn’t being disobedient to his parents.
But nonetheless the loose sight of Jesus in the midst of a grand occasion in Jerusalem!
We read there – according to the Law of the Lord!
And then again in v.42- according to CUSTOM!
The Jews would travel – 3 times per year to Jerusalem –
for the PASSOVER, FEAST of WEEKS, and THE FEAST OF BOOTHS!
And here, they are traveling for the feast of Passover!
It was the opening day of the festival of unleavened bread….
in which the Jews would celebrate and remember
when God rescued his people from Egyptian slavery. (Ex. 12)
The Jews are commanded in the Law to do this,
and was the custom – Ex 23:14-17 as well as Duet 16:16.
Now, Jerusalem would have been absolutely packed at this time!
Some scholars estimate – there was likely 3 million travellers in the cityat this time!
In fact, when you read the book of Psalms –
The last Psalms (Ps. 120-134) are called the Psalms of ASCENT….
these were the songs that the ISRAEL would sing as they made the journey….
often in large caravans together…singing these psalms and songs together
as a part of worship as the prepared for the feast and going to the TEMPLE
You read there, in v.44– that Jesus and his parents were traveling in a group!!
So it would have been quite east for something like this to happen.
Jospeh and Mary might not have even been in the same group together,
but when they wind down for the day – they might have noticed…..
as they do, hey were is Jesus?….
well, I thought he was with you….I thought he was with you!!
So it’s likely that upon the ending of the feast in v.43–
as literally millions depart, there was likely an innocent mix-up!
It could have been that Jesus just gets caught up in the moment,
as this was likely his first year attending the Feast or making the journey with his family…
for a few reasons.
For one, in Matthew’s gospel, we read of Herod, who attempted to kill Jesus….
if the timeline is accurate, this would have been around the time of his death,
so it would have been much safer for Him to make the journey.
and it would have been Jesus’s coming of age…
as a 12-year-old boy, on the cusp of manhood!
And he sees and all who were with them….
experience an incredible week of worship, praise, and adoration!
Singing songs of the Lord, anticipating the MESSIAH!
And everyone begins to depart…and they travel a day’s journey….about 20 miles
SUPPOSING him to be in the group….only he’s not!!
And they search for him….and they can’t find him…
And when they couldn’t find him….they returned….SEARCHING FOR HIM!!
I want to say something here…first Mary and Joesph,
its said were doing everything according to the Law of the Lord!
They were living in light of God’s law, and living to see that Jesus was raised right!
They traveled by custom to Jerusalem….
they brought him to the temple to be dedicated and to be circumcised 8 days old!
They are doing everything right….
And I want to say, this is in no way,
suggesting that Mary and Jospeh were bad parents….that’s not Luke’s point.
In fact, Luke shows us the opposite is the case….
they are living rightly and wanting Jesus to be raised rightly!
Parents you ought to do that…
it’s a good thing to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord!
Further, what a blessing to have a community around your children
to instruct and correct them….to entrust to them to help care for one another!
Mary and Jospeh had that!!
But yet, here is a some meaningful application, that Luke subtly clues us into….
that will be the apotome of the religious leaders throughout the gospels!
Is here are good Jews, who are being faithful to the Lord!
And they are living in light of the Law!
And in the customs of the Law!
And they assume that God is with them!
That Jesus is near….that Jesus is with them…..but He’s not!!
And how easy it is for us to default to a way of legalism.
Or routine or ritual…
To do the things!
To be filled with the law….but missing the GOSPEL!
For the I to be dotted and T – crossed….
but for grace of God through Christ to be missing!!
This is what the Pharisees and the religious leaders would be guilty of!
They thought God was with them!
They were convinced they were right!
God was for them….and with them!
Yet, their hearts were far from him!!
And the same can happen for us….
in the routine, in life, and the name of the routine of religion….
to assume that Jesus is with us….but if we truly begin to search,
we realize that….he’s been left behind somewhere along the way…..
Again, not the primary point of Luke regarding Mary and Joseph here….
but I know that happens to us….
And there is a tension here…
building between the customs of the Law….and the fulfiller of the Law – Jesus!
And how he interacts with others….
His parents….the religious leaders, and really all of Israel.
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II.It’s easy to conform Christ to our understanding (v.46- 48)
II.It’s easy to conform Christ to our understanding (v.46- 48)
Well, the good news is Mary and Joseph find Jesus!
The story doesn’t end with Jesus being lost and forgotten by His earthly parents
But where they find him and what Jesus is doing—
more specifically, the response of others—Luke uses to teach us…
and leave us on the edge of our seats…
until the truth of Christ is resolved with his own words!
46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
Luke is increasingly making it clear who Jesus is!
But beforeLuke gives us the words of Jesus!
He places Jesus in the Temple –
And that’s significant because
Jesus will not be back in the Temple in LUKE’S gospel until Chapter 19.
In which Jesus cleanses the temple….
and drives out the money changers from the temple with a WHIP of CORDS!
This encounter is certainly warmer than that….
With Jesus as a young child….as well as with teachers of the Law!
I mean, there they are, sitting with the Messiah, and they don’t have a clue!
They are AMAZED and ASTONISHED!
And even when Mary and Joseph show us….They are amazed!!
It’s almost like, in the passing of time, they had forgotten the truth of who Christ is!
And he sits among the teachers of the Law!
You know the Apostle Paul, when he speaks of his training as a Pharisee…
Paul speaks of being taught under the feet of GAMILIEAL….
This was custom for a disciple to sit under the feet of a teacher…
to be an apprentice of the law and the truths of God!
But here is Jesus…and he’s not sitting at the feet of anyone!!
Jesus is sitting AMONG THEM…
There he is, interacting with the teachers!
Engaging through listening and asking questions….
and even here…his questions are a subtle form of teaching!
And you notice in v. 47 – He’s giving ANSWERS as well
Jesus demonstrates himself as one who
is distinguished in his understanding of the truths of God!
He’s sitting among the DR.s of the scriptures….and even as a 12-year-old BOY …
You know it’s interested throughout the rest of Luke and the gospels.
The teachers, scribes, and Pharisees will get to the point CAN’T DISAGREE MORE
with what Jesus teaches regarding the TRUTHS OF GOD!!
But here….they seem all on board!
They are quite impressed with His style, his questions, his answers, and his understanding!!
And there he is –…RIGHT WHERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE .in the temple….
teaching the TRUTHS of GOD!
AND MOM AND DAD walk in!!
NOW, they are just as amazed as the TEACHERS of the LAW!
48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so?
Now, Mary – goes into full blown MOMMA MODE…
The word she uses here…is the likely the same tone and phrasing
you’d expect any other DISTRESSED, but NOW RELEIEVED parent would say!
Like – BOI!! …..WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??!!
Behold, your father (Now, some liberal SCHOLARS – have taken this to say –
SEE THE VIRGIN BIRTH is just a HOAX, and Luke slips us here….JOSEPH is the FATHER….)
But really, what is Mary supposed to say…..
every time, she is supposed to say – YOUR STEP-FATHER AND I….
Now me, and my husband?....your step dad….
Mary is choosing to honor Joseph!
And what a man to be honored!
You never hear a word from Joseph anywhere!
Even here, it’s Mary speaking….
Joseph is always quiet but always seen doing the right thing! –
Like a silent hero in the bible!
And Joseph – is Jesus’s father!
In every way….he help raise him!
He supported him!
He taught Jesus the trade of carpentry!
He’s Jesus’s Father in EVERY way…..except one!!
He didn’t contribute any DNA!
GOD IS JESUS FATHER!
So it would be natural for Mary to say what she said
Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
The word here – means more than troubled!
It means more than anxious!
You see that even in the ENGLISH – GREAT DISTRESS!
It’s one word in the GREEK – and means to be pained…or in agony!
Luke doesn’t use the word again until Luke: 16:24-25
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
Mary is deeply grieved here!
She didn’t know what happened to him!.... She thought she’d lost Jesus
And even here, in some small way may is realizing the words of Simeon to her,
that a sword is piercing her own soul…as she is in anguish of losing her son….
To which, I wonder why would they be surprised at this!
They knew who Jesus is!
It had been revealed to MARY….She believed him to be the MESSIAH!
No doubt she is living in faith….
But I would that throughout her life, in even in the 12 years of rearing her son!
It would have been easy to get in a routine….it might have been easy to forget if you will!
You know it would have been quite easy in the day to day, of rasising a child….
but to think, even here, it had been 12 years
since Mary had heard any revelation from an angel speaking to her about Jesus….
And in raising a CHILDin the day-to-day!
It’s might have been easy to lose sight of the bigger picture in the day-to-day!
And I say that – not so much out of speculation,
as I do, that even in v. 51-Mary again is said to be
TREASURING UP these things in her heart again.
But right now, she’s a mother who’s lost her SON!
How easy it is to forget!
How easy it is to live in light of what is in front of us!
Rather than what we know to be true! God is in control!
Jesus is authoritative!
Live in light of Jesus who we think he is or should be!
AND IN DISTRESS!!
RATHER than in light of WHO HE ACTUALLY IS! - GOD’s SON!
AND REMAIN CONFIDENT of HOW GOD is at work,
and what the Lord is doing
And that’s really the mystery of this passage –
You know – the mystery of the INCARNATION is incredible!!
A mystery that is profound, complex, and ESSENTIAL to our faith!
And not to say you can really ever fully grasp it!
But to some degree….you can begin to comprehend….ok God in the FLESH!
FULLY HUMAN and FULLY DIVINE….I mean, as much as a human mind can grasp it….ok.
But this passage…..and the truths here….this is difficult to grasp!
Notice look begins and ends in the same way.
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
And, I can understand that Jesus….
God in the flesh, would mature and grow PHYSICALLY.
LIKE any other young body, his body developed,
and he increased in stature! HE became strong!
But – what’s difficult for me!
Is that Jesus…. also grew in wisdom
THAT his mind increased in understanding!
He was increasingly aware of the wisdom and
Some way HE EVEN INCREASED in KNOWLEDGE!
Even though you see him as a young boy, hanging with the best of the TEACHERS!
JESUS increased in further wisdom from his understanding here in this passage!
It’s very difficult to wrap my mind around that reality!
But its true!
Jesus is FULLY GOD!
NEEDING NOTHING!
AND TOTALLY Self-sufficient!
And is - FULLY HUMAN
Had a mother who cared for him!
That was concerned about him!
And HE INCREASED in WISDOM and STATURE.
It’s difficult to keep these realities in mind!
And the tendency is to emphasize one over the other!
And I think is likely so, for Jesus’s own mother!
That’s my baby boy!!!
And make Jesus fit your understanding of who he is!
CONFORM him to you, rather than see him for who he IS!
The same for the teachers of the LAW in the TEMPLE!
They were fine, so long as Jesus was ONLY a good teacher!
Just a human…..
That was the problem the PHARISEE’s HAD WITH HIM – right
16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
We are fine with Jesus – so long as he fits
into our box and understanding of how we like HIM!
And Luke – wants to make it crystal clear to us!!
JESUS – is FULLY HUMAN!!
HE GREW IN WISDOM and STAUTUE!
He had a mom and an earthly father who raised him!
AND TELLS us of this experience of JESUS as a child in the TEMPLE
ONLY to make it CRYSTAL CLEAR –
HE WAS not merely just a man!!
HE WAS GOD’S SON!!
JESUS knows that!
LUKE knows that….Mary will soon remember that!
AND Luke wants us to know this reality as well!
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III. Jesus declares who He is! (v.49-52)
III. Jesus declares who He is! (v.49-52)
Here, again, we have Jesus’ first recorded words in Luke’s GOSPEL!
And it hangs in suspense….on the heels of everyone has spoken words about JESUS!
He’s been accepted by the TEACHERS of the LAW in the TEMPLE….
His mother is distressed because she thought she lost her baby boy!!
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
The response of Jesus here….almost has the same ring as the Angels at the empty TOMB
WHY ARE YOU SEEKING THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD!! – Luke 24:5
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
That last phrase is very interesting….
Did you not know that it is NECESSARY–
That I I MUSTBE ABOUT MY FATHER’s BUSINESS!
I mean, Jesus couldn’t be more clear here!
This is the climax of the entire story!
Jesus is making it very clear – of WHOM…TO WHO HE BELONGS!
Jesus belongs to God…HE is FROM GOD!
GOD IS HIS FATHER!!
AND HE is in the rightful place remaining in the TEMPLE…
AND CONCERNING WITH HIS FATHER’S BUSINESS!
This is incredible –
Of all the great men who have come before Jesus.
Men like Mosesand DAVID….
who enjoyed a special relationship and covenant with God….
None of them, were as bold as this – to CALL GOD their own FATHER!
But Jesus, says it as if it’s the most natural and obvious thing in the WORLD!!
WHY WERE YOU LOOKING FOR ME!!
DID YOU NOT KNOW…I MUST BE about my FATHER’s BUSINESS!
And beloved, we ought to PRAISE GOD!
THAT JESUS is always about HIS FATHER’s BUSINESS!!
In the economy of God,. And the FATHER WORKING to save sinful humanity!
Through the suffering and obedience of CHRIST,
fulfilling the LAW on our behalf,
and applying HIS WORK of GRACE in our HEARTS
by the working of HIS SPIRIT!!
Jesus is the Son of God!
And He is the SAVIOR of SINFUL MAN!!
And He is the only way by which we are saved!
Because Jesus always tends to the business and plan of GOD!!
And don’t miss what LUKE is doing here!!
Again, we won’t see Jesus in the temple again until the height of the Passion NARRATIVE!
But yet – Luke places JESUS….here….right in the EPICENTER of OLD TESTAMENT!
THE TEMPLE – was where the JEWS would meet with the LORD!
Where sacrifices and atonement were made.
It was the religious hot spot of all of life for the JEWS!
And there sitting in the TEMPLE….
OF THE OLD COVENANT hope of GOD’s PEOPLE!
Is the COVENANT MEDIATOR of the NEW COVENANT!!
That Jeremiah and EZEKIEL foresaw –
The days are coming….when the Lord will make a new COVENANT with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL!
It’s NOT like the COVENANT that they BROKE!!
But one, that will be accomplished fully by the Lord HIMSELF
and applied to those with a NEW HEART of FAITH
And right herein the TEMPLE!
Sits the NEW AND BETTER TEMPLE, JESUS CHRIST!!
AND GOD has come and is sitting among the teachers of the law in the TEMPLE!!
And there is God the SON, sitting in the TEMPLE!
HE is the RIGHTFUL owner of the TEMPLE!
Though, it was built HEROD….
who sought to put Jesus to DEATH, according to Matthew’s GOSPEL!
Well, HEROD is since DIED….IT doesn’t belong to HEROD
AND there is JESUS….sitting IN HIS TEMPLE!!
It belongs to Jesus!
And one day, Jesus will say,
you destroy this temple, and in 3 days, I will be raised again!!
And Luke helps us see, that SALVATION!
Doesn’t work around the OLD TESTAMENT!
God’s salvation isn’t abandoning the Jewish people!
They aren’t bypassed or circumvented!
The salvation that God is going to bring to the entire world!
IS COMING THROUGH THE JEWISH PEOPLE, through CHRIST!
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You know these verses are quite interesting!
They are difficult to process….as I mentioned before
The mystery of the incarnation!
And here is the incarnate CHRIST….maturing and growing as a man!
And here is Jesus, living with MARY and JOSPEH–
Who doesn’t fully grasp these things….how could they?
They’re doing their best to rear a child….
But Jesus is obedient to them!
He isn’t rebellious….nor is he disrespectful to his parents.
HE IS SUBMISSIVE TO THEM!!
He’s keeping with the 5th COMMAND!
TO HONOR YOUR FATHER and your mother…
Which, by the way….is a lifelong command!
Your relationship to them may shift…
in that you are no longer under their authority…or under their rule….
BUT HONOR to them is a lifelong commitment!
And Jesus – is submissive to THEM…
Again, Joseph is honored here….
There is nothing in this passage or in any in the NT
that would cause us to look upon Joseph with suspicion.
Jesus was raised by HIM…and was submissive to HIM!
HE learned a trade under his watch care….and in following his ways!
And I just want to say – if there is ever a passage
that shows the godliness of SUBMISSION….it’s this one!
This type of posture– that says, well, no one is going to tell me what to do!
(the GODLINESS OF HUMBLE SUBMISSION)
I don’t submit to anyone!! ….
Well, then you’ll never be like JESUS!!
Jesus yielded….He submitted!!
And he was obedient!!
To HIS EARTHLY PARENTS!
And Jesus in DIVIINE JOY!
JOYFULLY OBEYS THE FATHER!
AND doesn’t come to do HIS OWN WILL, but THE WILL of the ONE WHO SENT HIM!
And yet – here is Jesus –
Who thought Luke is making it CRYSTAL CLEAR – JESUS IS FROM GOD!!
And yet – is still willing to submit himself to HIS EARTHLY parents.
Which brings us to MARY’s Realization…..
Again, it’s likelyLuke has received this info from HER personally…
And it’s almost like Mary is processing in real time….
She’s treasured these things up in her heart before!!
She remembered Simeon’s WORD – that a SWORD would pierce her own SOUL…
No doubt – the feeling of a mother who thought she’d lost her CHILD!!
And It’s like even here….Mary is having a moment of understanding!
(you can almost har e her telling the story)
My little boy Jesus….he’s age 12….he’s becoming a MAN!!
And there was this time that I thought we lost him,
Luke- and me and Joseph…traveled all the way back to JERUSALEM!
And FOUND HIM IN THE TEMPLE!!
AND LUKE – when I saw him….I SAID – “BOY!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!”
And Jesus said to me – almost bewildered….WAIT, WHAT!?
You know that I must be about my FATHER’s BUSINESS!!
And at FIRSTI didn’t get it….
And then I stopped and considered what Jesus was saying!!
And then I realized that though Jesus came from me! ….
He doesn’t belong to me!!
HE IS FROM GOD!!
And HE IS GOD!!
I BELONG TO HIM!!
And Luke drops – just a subtle, subtle hint here in this text….
Did you notice….in the search for JESUS…..the timeline in finding HIM….
It was v.46 after 3 days they found HIM in the TEMPLE…..
OH, LUKE…..what a carefully placed detail.
You know….later in Luke’s gospel…
Mary would find herself in this same position!
She would watch the religious leaders
and the crowds increasingly grow in hostility towards Jesus!
She would see the change in the crowd's demeanor
when Jesus rode into Jerusalem once more during PASSOVER WEEK!
And he rides in on a DONKEY…and THE CROWDS cry out
HOSANNA! HOSANNA! HOSANNA in THE HIGHEST!!
And she would watch as the resentment grew…and
The same words – that Jesus speaks here – HE IS FROM GOD!!
Becomes the evidence presented that JESUS is a BLASPHERMER and deserving of DEATH!
And MARY will watch as her son – is condemned by men and sentenced to death by crucifixion!
And she witnesses – the beating and the humiliation,
and the shame placed on him by the hands of SINFUL MEN!!
And she watches as JESUS breathes his last breath on the CROSS…and is placed in a tomb!
And ANOTHER SWORD pierces her SOUL!!
And thought, we’ve lost him again!!
My little boy has been put to death!!
BUT IN 3 days!!
MARY – HE’s ALIVE!!
JUST LIKE HE PROMISED!!
And there is the proof that JESUS truly is from GOD!!
You see, here Jesus gives no evidence of his statement!
He only speaks it!!
But one day, He will speak these words again
and PROVE them to be true by the
POWER OF HIS RESSURECTION from the DEAD!!
JESUS declares who HE IS!!
AND HE DECLARES THAT HE IS FROM THE FATHER!!
CONCLUSION: -------
This passage reminds us of how easy it is to lose sight of Jesus
in the busyness of life and the rituals we hold dear.
Just like Mary and Joseph,
who assumed Jesus was with them only to find He was missing,
we, too, can get caught up in the distractions of daily life,
forgetting to seek Him and recognize His presence.
It’s so easy to try to conform Jesus to our understanding or expectations,
just as Mary and Joseph were confused by His words in the temple.
And like the religious teachers, just thought of him to be a young child protégé…
someone to be captivated by….
but were uninterested in His true IDENTITY as the SON of GOD!
We must remember that Jesus is not bound by our limited perspectives;
He is the Savior of the world, and His ways are higher than ours.
Yet, in the midst of this confusion, Jesus boldly declares who He is.
He reveals His divine identity and purpose.
The boy in the temple is not merely a child, but the fulfillment of the Old Covenant,
and He is already setting the stage for the New Covenant that
will be fully realized through His life, death, and resurrection.
Luke gives us a profound answer to the question of Jesus' true identity—
He is the Son of God,
And HIS Father’s business was His mission from the very beginning.
Mary's realization and the subtle hint at the cross remind us
that Jesus' path was set, even as a child.
As we close today, let us reflect on who Jesus truly is—
the Savior, the Son of God, the fulfillment of God’s promise,
and the one who calls us to align our lives with His will.
Let us not lose sight of Him in the rituals and routines of life,
but instead, let His life and mission shape our own.
Just as Jesus declared who He was, let us also declare who He is in our lives,
living with the understanding that He is our Savior, AND LORD
