The Temple

Context:

Birth announcement to the shepherds

Presented in the temple after 8 days according to customs,

Arrival of magi, fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod

Herod dies, now back in Nazareth

Story today Jesus=12 yr old boy

Discussion Question: What do you think Jesus was like as a child?

Might heard stories about Jesus as child…other writings, outside the Bible, later on, that speaks about Jesus as a child

“Infancy Gospel of Thomas” or “Arabic Infancy Gospel”

Stories Jesus exercising super natural abilities as young boy

Jesus as boy has misunderstand w/other boy

Two boys have words

Argument ends w/Jesus causing boy to be crippled

Jesus sculpt birds out of clay

Says a few magical words “abra ca-daba”

Clay birds come to life—>fly away

Why aren’t these stories in our Bible?

Not true: stories/fables

Truth of the matter all we know—>12 verses in Luke

Luke doesn’t seemed bothered we don’t know everything about Jesus as child

When Bible=silent, don’t have to fill in blanks w/fables

Content w/what God has chosen to tell us

So when the Bible is silent, we don't have to fill in the blanks with stories.

We can be content with what God has chosen to tell us.

The Bible doesn't tell us everything Jesus did. John 21:25

It tells us everything God wanted us to know about Jesus for the purpose of believing in Him.

Percentages:

Of the 4 gospels, only Matthew & Luke tell us anything about Jesus’ childhood (newborn baby-kid)

12 verses are essentially the only extended account of Jesus between infancy & adulthood

8 days old-30 yrs old—>all summed up in 12 verses

Luke 2:40–52 (NASB95)

Jesus the Child: Luke 2:40

Jesus the Child…

Continued to grow…

Jesus developed in every way in other child developed

Growth chart

Awkwardness

even in puberty (Did Jesus have pimples/acne?)

Become strong…

Have someone tell story about working out…start out strong?

Came at point where no longer wanted to roll w/Gunnar

Jesus did not come out lifting boulders…grew in strength

Increasing in wisdom…

Difference between knowledge & wisdom?

Knowledge=simply knowing facts

Wisdom=knowing what to do w/facts

Illustration: can tear down a motor; no way can build it back—>have the facts to tear down; don’t have wisdom to build back

Know

Grace of God was upon Him…

Grace=not giving what we deserve—>all need—>sinners

Grace also mean= “favor”

What is Luke essentially saying?

Jesus grew

He learned

He matured

He obeyed His parents

He worked

The Son of God really grew up

Discussion Question: How many people struggle with the fact that Jesus had to increase in wisdom?

Theological Principal?

Two gospels record Jesus’ genealogy

Matthew’s lineage of Jesus—>David

Luke’s lineage of Jesus—>Adam

Why?

Luke portrays Jesus as being “fully God” & “fully man”

Gospel writers portray Jesus:

Matthew—>King; the promised King who would fulfill OT prophecies

Mark—>Servant; “He came to serve & give His life”

Luke—>Son of man; fully man

John—>Son of God; full God—>”In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”

Why does Jesus' humanity matter so much?

There are at least four major theological reasons.

1. Jesus had to become truly human to represent us

This is huge.

Adam represented humanity in the fall. Christ comes as the new/last Adam to represent humanity in redemption.

Paul makes that connection explicitly in 1 Corinthians 15.

Jesus doesn't save humanity by remaining distant from humanity.

He enters humanity.

He becomes one of us.

That's why Hebrews 2:17 is so important:

“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren…”

Jesus can truly stand in our place because He truly became one of us.

2. Jesus' humanity makes His death a genuine human death

This is critical to the gospel.

If Jesus only appeared to be human, then the cross isn't what Christianity claims it is.

But Jesus possessed a real human body, experienced real human suffering, and truly died.

That's why Luke spends so much time emphasizing Jesus' physical humanity.

The baby in Luke 2 eventually becomes the man who says:

“This is My body which is given for you.”

The incarnation makes substitution possible.

He became like us so that He could die for us.

3. Jesus' humanity means He understands human experience

Hebrews 4:15 says:

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses…”

Why can He sympathize?

Because He has actually experienced human life.

He knows what it is to grow.

He knows hunger.

He knows weariness.

He knows grief.

He knows temptation.

He knows suffering.

And yet He did so without sin.

So when Luke tells us that Jesus grew up like a real child, that's not merely interesting biographical information.

It tells us something about the Savior we trust.

4. Jesus' humanity shows us what perfect human life looks like

This is particularly interesting for your Luke 2 study.

Jesus doesn't merely come to save humanity from the outside.

He comes as the perfect human being.

Luke 2:40 says He grew in wisdom.

Luke 2:51 says He was submissive to Mary and Joseph.

Luke 2:52 says He increased in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and men.

And then Luke's Gospel shows us the adult Jesus living in perfect dependence upon His Father.

In other words:

Jesus is not only the Savior of humanity; He is the perfect picture of what humanity was created to be.