Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #5 Growing Up

On the road again! We’ll be taking a shortcut from the time of Jesus’ birth directly to his family’s trip to Jerusalem when he was twelve years old. If you’d like to see what happened from just before his birth to his move to Nazareth as a young child, you can read Moving to a New Home.

Carrying on with our present leg of the journey, let’s read the first signpost. (As a child, I think I visited every National Park west of the Mississippi River with my family. My mother made us kids read every sign along the way. Sigh.) Thank God our signs here, from the Word of God, all lead us to the good news of our savior, Jesus Christ!

A Glimpse of Jesus’ Childhood

Luke 2:39,40 [New King James Version]:
So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled [pleroō]with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

This section of scripture, Luke 2:39-52, presents the only picture we have from God’s Word of Jesus’ childhood years. Mary and Joseph took on their responsibilities as his parents, faithfully performing “all things according to the law of the Lord.”

As a result, he grew with life from within (auxanō) physically, became strong and mighty (krataioō) in spirit, and was “filled to the brim” (pleroō) with wisdom in his soul, in his mind. We’re not born with wisdom, physical stature, or spiritual strength—and neither was Jesus. This gradual growth to maturity took time, as it does for all of us.

Learning and growing can come naturally, but often requires great effort. Remember watching a baby try to take his first step? How about a teenage daughter studying for a chemistry test? Or a young believer’s struggles to put off the ways of the world and grow in the love of Christ? (Ephesians 4:15) We all, including Jesus, have our own strengths and weaknesses, our own challenges, our own bodies and minds to work with. By the grace of God, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

And from Jesus’ birth, the “grace of God was upon him.” He had been especially graced by God to be the “only begotten” Son of God, the only one born with sinless blood. Because of this, he had the potential to be the perfect sacrifice for all (Hebrews 2:14-18). But he, himself, had to endure any and all temptation that we may be faced with, and yet remain sinless (Hebrews 4:15).

Throughout his childhood, his parents must have taught him about his birth, the messages from the angels, the visit of the shepherds and later the Magi, and as much as they knew of who he was and what he was to do. Jesus most likely learned to read and write at home, and beginning at age 5, attended school at the local synagogue where he learned to read, write, and memorize the Scripture, the Torah.

A Trip to Jerusalem

Now let’s start down the road with the twelve-year-old Jesus going to Jerusalem.

Luke 2:41-45 [NKJV]:
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 
And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 
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; 
but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 
So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 

Once again, faithfully fulfilling the law, Joseph, as a man of full age, was required to attend the yearly feast of Passover. Women and children would often accompany the men. This particular Passover, Jesus was around his “coming of age,” and would then be considered a “bar mitzvah”, a “son of the commandment,” responsible to keep the law himself as a full member of the religious community. (The Old Testament does not set a specific age for this event in a young man’s life, nor does it mention any particular celebration of it.)

On the return trip to Nazareth, the scripture relates that after a day’s journey, Joseph and Mary realized that Jesus was not in the company (sunodia, a large party or caravan of friends and relatives) traveling together. They made the return trip back to Jerusalem, another day’s journey.

Luke 2:46,47 [NKJV]:
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. 
And all who heard Him were astonished [existēmi] at His understanding and answers. 

After two days of travel, Joseph and Mary discovered him on the third day in the temple, sitting with the teachers, members of the Sanhedrin, who could be found there on feast days or the Sabbath engaged in discussion with others regarding the law. Jesus intently listened to them and asked them questions, and as was their manner, the teachers would often respond by asking questions of their listeners.

The Word then tells us that “all who heard him [Jesus] were astonished at his understanding and answers”! The Greek word used for “astonished” here means, “astonishment caused by events which are miraculous, extraordinary, or difficult to understand.” He was still growing in wisdom and spiritual strength, but it was astonishing that this young man, at the age of only twelve years old, had such great understanding of the scriptures.

Luke 2:48-50 [NKJV]:
So when they (Joseph and Mary) saw Him, they were amazed [ekplesso]; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must [dei] be about My Father’s business?” 
But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

An Amazing Child

When Joseph and Mary finally found him in the temple, they were amazed. This word “amazed” is different from the word “astonished” in the previous verse. Here, it expresses something more like “dumbstruck,” “perplexed,” or “bewildered.” Mary, as many a mother might have done, expressed the anxiety, the trouble, even the torment that they had just endured because she felt Jesus had “done this to us” in his neglect to at least communicate his whereabouts with them.

But was this really all Jesus’ fault? Perhaps it’s Joseph and Mary who could have been a little more diligent to make sure that he was among the company when they left Jerusalem. In any case, Jesus answered them as any a mature young man who has confidence in what he is doing and where he is going might have answered his mother, “Why did you seek me? Didn’t you know that I must [dei, necessary] be about my Father’s business?”

Jesus had come to the beginning of manhood and was starting to take on the duties of his calling. As most young people, he was eager to answer this calling from God, his Father. The words “that I must be” could be translated, “it is necessary that I be…” There are nine more of these “it is necessary…” statements in the gospel of Luke and all reflect the necessity of Jesus fulfilling these particular responsibilities (Luke 4:43; 9:22; 13:33; 17:25; 19:5; 22:37; 24:7, 26, 44).

His mother, Mary, had reproached him with the words, “Your father and I…” emphasizing first the authority of Joseph as a father over him and then her own as his mother. But Jesus replied with, “Didn’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business?” indicating the needed shift that he felt he must make toward his heavenly Father’s authority.

Joseph and Mary knew that he, as the Son of God, at some point would need to “save his people from their sins.” But they did not understand the fulness of what that would mean, nor did they know how this would all play out. At this point, they “did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.” And since Jesus was still under the authority of Joseph and Mary, he went home with them and was subject to them.

Luke 2:51 [NKJV]:
Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept [diatereō] all these things in her heart.

Just after the shepherds had visited the new family in Bethlehem, Mary had “kept [suntereō] all these things, and pondered [sumballō) them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Now, again, she did not have a full understanding of these events or of what Jesus had said, but she “kept [diatereō] all these things in her heart.”

We do the same with the life-changing words and events in our own lives. As we begin to recognize the importance of these things, we “keep” (suntereō = “guard together”) and we “ponder” (sumballō = “throw together”) them in our hearts. Growing in our understanding of our relationship with our heavenly Father, we will then “keep” (diatereō = “guard thoroughly”) them in our hearts. And God will continue to lead us along in our understanding of His calling for us, just as He did for Mary.

A Time to Grow in Wisdom and Stature

Luke 2:52 [NKJV]:
And Jesus increased [prokoptō] in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

In this next stage of his life, Jesus increased in wisdom. Back in verse 40, we read that Jesus was “filled to the brim” (pleroō) with all the wisdom his 12-year-old self could hold. He had certainly astonished all who heard him in the temple!

Here in verse 52, the Greek word for increase, prokoptō, means to go forward, advance, proceed, make progress. As he increased in stature (in age and physical growth,) he also increased in wisdom. This wisdom instructs when, where, why, how, and to whom the Word and will of God apply.

And along with wisdom, Jesus increased in favor (charis = “grace”) with God and men. A common definition for this word “grace” is the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life. The reflection in the life shines with joy, liberality, thankfulness, benefit, and favor.

It is no wonder that as Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, that people were drawn to him, the only begotten Son of God’s limitless love. Even today, 2,000 years later, we count ourselves among these. Thank God for His Son, Jesus Christ, who paved the way for us that we could be called the sons and daughters of God, shining with His love and light today!

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