Jesus Is Amazing

Introduction

Good morning, please open in your Bibles to Luke 2:41-52 that is Luke 2:41-52. If you are using one of the Bible’s scattered throughout the chairs our passage for this morning with be on page ….. That is page ….

I have so relieved to be back in the book of Luke. I believe that is helpful for time to time to do a small series addressing a particular topic like we just went through as we brought Kendall on as an Elder of our church. But, my favorite method of preaching will always be preaching through books of the Bible passage by passage. Therefore we find ourselves joyfully back in the book of Luke chapter 2 verses 41-52.

Have you ever been amazed by an event or a person? Friday night kicked off the 2026 Olympics and I did some research looking for the youngest Olympians throughout the modern Olympics. The youngest olympian ever was 10 year old gymnasts Dimitrios Loundras from Greece. He completed in the 1896 Olympics and won bronze in the team parallel bars. The youngest ever gold medalist was Majorie Gestring of team USA who won Gold in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin at the 3 meter springboard dive. In 1992 Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan became the youngest Olympic record breaker in the 200m breastroke, and the youngest competitor at the 2026 winter olympics is American skier Abby Winterberger age 15. Abby will compete in the Freeski Halfpipe where she will drop into a 22 foot icy wall (the size of 2 story building) her run will last between 75-90 seconds and during that time she will fly 20+ feet above the lip of the halfpipe, she will complete multiple tricks in which will rotate her body 2-4 full rotations, land facing backwards, and need to switch stances to set up the next trick. Abby will do all of this while being too young to drive a car in the USA. Abby Winterberg is long shot to medal, but at age 15 she has plenty of time to make her mark. Abby Winterberg is amazing.

Young people are capable of doing amazing things, and when were are amazed by something it captivates us. It takes hold of our attention and thoughts. Other lesser things fade into the background, and that which amazes us becomes central in to us. I love the Olympics because of the amazing nature of these athletes. I will have it on as much as possible in the next few weeks. I will watch less sitcoms, read a little less fiction, and I might even learn the rules to curling. This morning we get a small glimpse into Jesus as a young boy and what we find is that he is amazing. I want us to look to him and be in awe so that he might become central in our lives. I pray as we jump back into of Luke, that Jesus would captivate us, and we pay less attention to ourselves and the things of this world and commit ourselves to setting our eyes on Him. Let’s read Luke 2:41-52.

Jesus is Central v. 41-45

Luke 2:41–45 “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 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, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.”

Mary and Joesph are again depicted as faithful Jews. They ensured Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day and offered the correct offerings. We learned from their inability to purchase a lamb that they were a poor family. And now see despite their poverty their devotion to the Lord drives them to travel every year to Jerusalem from Nazareth to celebrate the Passover. The Passover is a Jewish feast celebrated once a year to remember when God pass over the Israelites in Eypgt as God executed judgement over the Egyptians by taking the life of their firstborn. God instructed His people, the Jews, to take a lamb and slaughter it and then use the lamb’s blood to cover their doorpost. Wherever the Spirit of the Lord came upon the blood on the doorpost He would pass over that home and leave the firstborn alive. This plague was teh 10th and final plague that God sent Egypt and was the plague that broke Pharaoh’s stubbornness. After this plague, he let the people of God go free. This is was a monuemental event for the Jewish people, but it was an event that pointed to the coming of another Passover Lamb who would be slaughtered and who’s blood would be used to cover the people of God. And those covered in this Lamb’s blood would also escape the judgement of God.

This passover lamb would be the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus would be killed in our place and through faith in him we are covered in his blood. This annual festival was a reminder to the people of God for over a thousand years that God protects His people, delivers His people, and provides the sacrifice for His people. And after approximately 1500 passovers the people of God find themselves celebrating this feast with the very Lamb of God in their midst. A 12 year old boy, the son of Carpenter walked the temple in Jerusalem, ate a passover meal, and no one seems to realize that the reason they feast is right their among them. He is fulfillment of this annual feast, yet even his own parents lose track of Him.

Mary was told by an angel none the less that Jesus would Luke 1:32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,” that the Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” The angel tells Joesph Matthew 1:22–23 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”

And even with this special revelation from God directly from the mouth of a divine messenger they celebrate this feast like it just another holiday. They get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the festival and Jesus becomes an assumed fixture in their lives. They do what many parents have done, they leave the child behind. Dad thinks, “Mom’s got him” Mom thinks, “Dad’s got him.” And if not Mom or Dad surely he is with his grandparents, cousins, aunts, or uncles. Jesus is just another Jewish kid traveling with his family celebrating the Passover. Do you see the irony! The feast is all about Him, it has been all about him for over a thousand years! Yet, here He is, and He is not the center of attention! He gets lost in the shuffle.

How much are we like this? We have been given special revelation about who Christ is, and yet when life gets busy, when there places to go, and religious things to be done… Jesus get’s lost in the shuffle. Mary and Joesph are good Jews, they are devoted people willing to travel on foot to Jerusalem once a year! And yet, their focus is not on THE Passover Lamb. They are concerned about the things of this world rather than the kingdom of God. So, they lose Jesus and have to return to Jerusalem to find Him.

T/S- And when they do find him they are amazed by Him! They are amazed by His wisdom!

Jesus is Wise v. 46-47

Luke 2:46–47 “After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”

It is interesting that the text tells us that Jesus is sitting among the teachers. Typically, when a student is sitting with his teachers biblical authors would say that the student is sitting at the feet of the teachers. A common phrase used to show the reader that the student is subservient to the teacher. Luke is dropping a hint about the authority of Jesus. Later in Luke 4:32 when JEsus begins his earthly teaching ministry Luke will record “and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.”

This 12 year old boy is found in the temple in Jerusalem sitting among the teachers asking them questions and also providing answers. Jewish would boys would being their formal instruction of more complex issues in the Torah, that is the book of the law the first 5 books of the Bible, at around age 12. Jesus should just now be learning how to engage with formal teachers in a complex way, and yet here he is sitting among the teachers and all who hear him are amazed by his understanding and his answers. Jesus’ wisdom is impressive.

In Isaiah 11:1–2 we read a prophecy about the Messiah or Christ, the figure that would save Israel according to the OT. It tells us this, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” Jesse was the father of a man named David who would become a great king in Israel. The Messiah would come from David’s lineage and as the angel told Mary, he would sit on David’s throne forever. Jesus’ display of knowledge and understanding in regards to God’s Word, the Torah, the source of all wisdom for the Jews is a fulfillment of this prophecy. Luke is showing us, He is the one! The Spirit of the Lord is upon him and it is manifesting or making itself known through Jesus’ wisdom.

He is the Messiah. He wisdom is superior wisdom, even as a young boy. This is because he is not ordinary boy. He is the Son of God.

Jesus is the Son of God v. 48-50

Luke 2:48–50 “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 he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.”

The people are amazed by Jesus’ wisdom and his parents are astonished when they find him. Yet, Mary ask Jesus “Son, why have you treated us so?” Note they her primary concern is not about the things of God. This is where Jesus’ focus is. He is in the temple learning and teaching about the things of God from His word. Mary wants to know why he would put them, his parents through turmoil. She interprets his absence from the caravan as a personal attack on her and Joseph. Parents, do we so often do the same thing… Our kids might not be off study the Bible when we lose track of them to be sure. But mistakes and misunderstandings turn into wrongly perceived unspoken “attacks” against us their parents. Our concern is not for the well being of the child, their standing before God, but rather how their behavior impacts us.

Mary continues and explains that she and his father, Joseph, have been searching for Him in great distress. Jesus responds and in his response creates a juxtaposition, a contrasting of two fathers. His earthly father Joseph and his heavenly father God. Mary is saying who are worrying your earthly father, as she and Joseph are concerned about earthly things and lose track of Jesus. Jesus responds with expressing his heavenly concerns. Why were you looking for me? He is saying there is no need for distress… Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house? This is where I am supposed to be in the presence of the Father discussing the things of the Father. He is about His Father’s business, not his earthly father concerned primarily with earthly things, but His heavenly Father concerned about heavenly things. His commitment to the Father is the real life outworking of his identity as the Son of God.

Now Luke is also doing something here that is amazing. It is things like this that remind us that we are reading an excellent author. Now, when the Holy Spirit guides you, maybe it is cheating, but Luke is incredible. You see these are the first words of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. The first time Jesus speaks he tells us that he must be about his Father’s business. But there is a little bit of a cliff hanger here… what is the business of his Father? In fact, the phrase translated “my Father’s house” is vague. It could be literally translated “in the of my Father” there are much easier ways to say in my Father’s house in greek. What is Luke doing? Why the ambiguity… because he wants you to keep reading. He wants to ask, what is the buisness or the things of the Father. What does it mean to be a part of or in the Father’s house. You and I are supposed to be like Mary and Joseph at this point of the Gospel. They did not understand the saying… It is vague… because Luke knows what he is doing.

If you were to read this Gospel like you would a novel you would read looking for the answer. What is the the business of the Father? And in the last words of Jesus we get the answer crystal clear. At the end of the book the pieces fall into place Jesus says in Luke 24:46–49 “and [Jesus} said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”” Jesus is going to send the promise of “my Father” to his disciples, the Holy Spirit. The business or things of the Father is the Holy Spirit that dwells in believes empowering them to proclaim the good news the Jesus died for sin, rose from the dead, and that forgivness of sins is possible in his name. Jesus as a boy was focused on these things. And these things are revealed to us in the Word of God, the topic of discussion, as Jesus sat with these teachers. The human mind of Jesus was shaped by the Word of God, so that Jesus as truly God and truly man could one day become the perfect sacrifice for sin.

T/S- Jesus divinity is displayed as He is the Son of God, and his humanity is displayed in verses 51-2.

Jesus is Truly Man v.51-52

Luke 2:51–52 “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. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

This impressive boy who amazes all who hear his understanding and answers submits himself to his parents and as he returns home. Did you catch that kids, Jesus was submissive to his parents, even after he was right! He submits to his parents, though they were not focused of God. And his mother treasures up all these things in her heart. Proverbs 23:24–25 “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.” Children who obey their parents and do what is right are a treasure to their parents. I met with Tom for lunch this week and he did what many proud dad’s due and he bragged on his adult children. He boasted in his thankfulness for their responsibility and the reality that they were all living as independent adults. What Tom was doing is good and right, he was acknowledging the joys of kids who learn to do what is right and become adults. It is an encouragement to the young parents in this room. Parenting is really hard, and no children are perfect like Jesus. But they are a treasure and if we train them in righteousness there is great reward even in this broken world. Even when adult children to silly things, parents can and should rejoice when their adult children do what is right. It is a special joy!

Mary, mothered a perfect son and so she treasured his wisdom, his divinity, and humanity as he submitted to her and his father. Submission is not primarily about our leader being right… We submit to godly authority, like parents or a husband, or pastors, or a church body or an employer or even a government because of our faith in the One who grants them authority: God! Jesus understood this, and so Jesus shows us what it means to be a human that loves God’s law. He submits to the imperfect authority of Mary and Joseph. This is what it means to be a perfect man, a perfect god-honoring man submits to God ordained authority.

Another aspect of Jesus’ humanity shines through in this text as we also see that human beings are meant to grow. Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God. If Jesus needed to increase then, that means we need to increase. Growth is normal and good part of life. You and I are not finished products even once we make to adulthood. Jesus grew, you are meant to grow.

This forces us to recognize the two natures of Christ. His divine nature and his human nature. His divine nature is co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit. Our Tri-une God shares all attributes with all three persons for all time, and enjoys all of His attributes eternally and infinitely. For example the Father, Son, and Spirt are all all-knowing. If one person were to lack this attribute, they would cease to be One Being, we cannot divide their natures. Thus, the divine nature of Christ knows all things and cannot therefore increase in wisdom. To increase in wisdom is to necessitate a lack of wisdom. However, the human nature of Christ, in order to be truly man had to have a human mind. And human minds are unlike the mind of God, they are finite and must increase in wisdom. Jesus had to experience the process of increasing in wisdom if he were to be truly man. The Athanasian creed reads as follows:  

That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,     neither blending their persons     nor dividing their essence.         For the person of the Father is a distinct person,         the person of the Son is another,         and that of the Holy Spirit still another.         But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one,         their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.

    What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has.         The Father is uncreated,         the Son is uncreated,         the Holy Spirit is uncreated.

        The Father is immeasurable,         the Son is immeasurable,         the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.

        The Father is eternal,         the Son is eternal,         the Holy Spirit is eternal.

            And yet there are not three eternal beings;             there is but one eternal being.             So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings;             there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being….

Skipping a bit in the Creed we read about the incarnation, the truth that God the Son, took humanity to himself. That is to say, when Jesus became man he did not cease to be what he was (divine) he became what he was not (man) listen to the creed.

Now this is the true faith:

    That we believe and confess     that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son,     is both God and human, equally.

    He is God from the essence of the Father,     begotten before time;     and he is human from the essence of his mother,     born in time;     completely God, completely human,     with a rational soul and human flesh;     equal to the Father as regards divinity,     less than the Father as regards humanity.

    Although he is God and human,     yet Christ is not two, but one.     He is one, however,     not by his divinity being turned into flesh,     but by God's taking humanity to himself.     He is one,     certainly not by the blending of his essence,     but by the unity of his person.     For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh,     so too the one Christ is both God and human.

Theologians have used the language of the two natures of the one Christ or they will use the phrase hypostatic union. The idea that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man. He had two insperatable natures, but was one in those natures. He was deity and human.

Hidden in the mystery of the two natures of Christ we find the most amazing of truths. Because Jesus was truly God and truly man, Jesus alone is able to be our mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” If he was not God he could not bear the weight of our sin, and if he was not man would qualify as our substitute. The the two natures are necessary if was He going to be able to atone for our sin.

These are truths that make my head hurt, and perhaps you have a similar experience, yet I want you to see the beauty of the incarnate Christ. When God the Son took on humanity he did something that only God can do, and something quite frankly only God would do. Only the Triune God who is infinite in power could take on flesh to save us from our sins, and only the triune infinite in love would sacrifice himself for sinners. Verse 3 of And Can it Be expresses this so well,

He left His Father's throne above, So free, so infinite His grace; Emptied Himself of all but love, And bled for Adam's helpless race; 'Tis mercy all, immense and free; For, O my God, it found out me.

Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me!

I love good worship songs like this one. Because a good song like this one pairs deep theological truth which requires an increasing mind and helps us to respond to it emotionally in a proper way. The crescendo of the chorus gives expression to the depth of the verse.

Conclusion

Jesus was completely man he increased in mind, in body, and in favor with God and man. He grew and changed would do amazing things in his divinity like calm storms, walk on water, and heal the sick. And yet as a man he would get tired and hungry, he would die, and he obeyed his parents. He life was perfect from start to finish, tempted in every way even as a child and yet without sin! He had supernatural wisdom and in a way mysterious yet true was Son of God and Son of Man. Jesus is amazing! This small glimpse into his childhood brings Proverbs 20:11 “Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.” How amazingly true this is of Jesus… even as a child his actions revealed that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God! We are to stand amazed in his presence. We are to glory in His glory!