Scripture Luke 2:41-52
SLIDE: Title Slide - Temple
SLIDE: Let’s do some ExeJesus
Imagine a young
newly married couple being forced to travel far away from home at the time
their baby is due, and no arrangements had been made for their arrival and they
were essentially homeless when they gave birth to their child. Then they
couldn’t return home right away because the mother was in no condition to
travel, yet they had to scrape by for provisions and a place to stay. But they
loved God and held to the traditions having their son circumcised on the 8th
day according to the Jewish law and had to wait 40 days before the mother was
pronounced pure after having given birth. Now they could go to the temple and
present their newborn son to be dedicated to God. They returned to where they
had been staying until she was strong enough to travel. After a while, some
astrologers show upbringing gifts for the couple’s child but with that, they
brought trouble as well. The king of the land, through the astrologers and his
own officials, determined that this couple’s child was potentially going to be
the new king of Israel. So, the king – Herod, decided to have the couple’s baby
killed. To make sure no one would switch children or hide the baby, he had his
soldiers kill all male babies two years old and younger in the town where the
baby was.
SLIDE: Map Fortunately,
the dad got word what the king was up too – and if things had not been bad
enough, they had to go further away from their home to a completely different
country and hide out there to protect their baby. They also had to bear the
weight of all those other babies who were killed because the tyrant king wanted
their baby dead. Later, after King Herod
died that they felt safe to return home and allowed any talk about their child
being someone special to subside for his own protection.
And
quiet it was. In fact, we hear not a word or an action about
Jesus, unless you read false documents like the infancy gospel of Thomas
written in 125 AD. You can see hear that what was determined to be scripture
and what was not as simple as it seems because there were many
non-inspired writings as well. (READ)
SLIDE: Thomas
1.
When this child Jesus was five years old, he was playing
at the ford of a stream. He made pools of the rushing water and made it
immediately pure; he ordered this by word alone. 2. He made soft clay and
modeled twelve sparrows from it. It was the Sabbath when he did this. There
were many other children playing with him. 3. A certain Jew saw what Jesus did
while playing on the Sabbath; he immediately went and announced to his father
Joseph, “See, your child is at the stream, and has taken clay and modeled twelve
birds; he has profaned the Sabbath.” 4.
Joseph came to the place, and seeing what Jesus did he cried out, “Why do you do on the Sabbath what it is not lawful to do?” Jesus clapped his hands and cried to the sparrows, “Be gone.” And the
sparrows flew off chirping. 5. The Jews saw this and were amazed. They went away
and described to their leaders what they had seen Jesus do.
2.
1. The son of Annas
the scribe was standing there with Joseph. He took a branch of a willow and
scattered the water which Jesus had arranged. Jesus saw what he did and became
angry and said to him, “You unrighteous,
impious ignoramus, what did the pools and the water do to harm you? Behold, you
shall also wither as a tree, and you shall not bear leaves nor roots nor fruit.” 3. And immediately that child was all withered. Jesus
left and went to the house of Joseph. The parents of the withered one bore him
away, bemoaning his lost youth. They led him to Joseph and reproached him, “What kind of
child do you have who does such things?”
3.
Once again, he was going through the
village and a child who was running banged into his shoulder. Jesus was
angered and said to him, “You shall go no
further on your way.” And immediately the
child fell down dead. Some people saw this happened and said, “From whence was this child begotten, for his every word
is an act accomplished?” 1. The parents of
the dead boy went to Joseph and blamed him: “Because you have such a boy, you
cannot live with us in the village; your alternative is to teach him to bless
and not to curse, for he is killing our children.”
4. His father was a carpenter and at that time made plows
and yokes. He received an order from a certain rich man to make a bed for him.
One beam came out shorter than the other, and he did not know what to do. The
child Jesus said to Joseph his father, “Lay
the two pieces of wood alongside each other, and make them even at one end.” 2. Joseph did as the child told him. Jesus stood at the
other end and grasped the shorter beam; he stretched it and made it equal with
the other. His father Joseph saw and was astonished, and embracing the child he
kissed him and said, “I am blessed because
God has given this child to me.”
You can tell
these are made up stories – but imagine the real conflict for Joseph and Jesus.
Any middle schoolboy has a hard time figuring out who they are – imagine what
Jesus must have been going through beginning to understand he was God in the
flesh and Joseph trying to help him. The Superman movie with Kevin Costner I
think shows us a more realistic view of what it might have been like for Jesus
in his early childhood.
Now
that we have looked at a lot of background – let us get to the truth – what we
know for certain. What we know are the very first recorded words of Jesus at
age 12 in the temple.
Prelude to his first words – the last words said about him:
Luke 2:30-32 “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have
prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and
for glory to your people Israel.”
Luke 2:38 Anna,
the prophetess gave thanks to God and spoke about
the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:41-52
Every year his parents went to Jerusalem
for the Feast of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up
to the Feast, according to the custom. 43 After the Feast was over, while his
parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they
were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they
traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives
and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back
to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the
temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them
questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his
answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to
him, "Son, why have you treated us like this?
Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he was
saying to them.
51 Then he went down to
Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these
things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and
in favor with God and men.
The question
Jesus asks is not mean. He simply can’t believe they would not know where he
was. Another person might wonder, how could you not know I would be at
Starbucks? Or, didn’t you think first to look for me in the shoe department?
Jesus is saying, I didn’t stay here to hide from you and make you upset, I
didn’t even know you had left – I am here because I can’t imagine being
anywhere else. I love being at church….in…my Father’s House.
Church
is NOT JUST FOR ADULTS! Jesus at age 12 thought it was the coolest place to be
– a place to learn, to worship, to get close to God. Not only are these words
his first recorded words – they are the only recorded words during the first 30
years of his life. The only words for the son of God on earth for us to know
that he says make them SUPER IMPORTANT.
Jesus
says there is no better place for us to be, at any age, than in church. And to
be there with intention, not out of habit or as one who is forced to be there.
You ought to want to be there. That wanting to be at church only comes if you
have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are here for ANY OTHER
reason, it will not last. Worse than that, you will be miserable just coming to
church.
What
can I do, what words can I say to convince someone how important it is to be
part of the church and be in God’s house with God’s people no less than once a
week for the rest of your life? There is nothing I can do or say – but I can
point you to Jesus and hope his actions and his words stick in your heart and
won’t let go. Then maybe some Sunday someone will be looking for you and you
can respond: "Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house, worshipping Jesus, my
savior?"
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