Question
I Had To Be in My Father’s House
Luke 2:41-52
Key Verse 49
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Read verse 41-43. What did Jesus’ parents do every year? (41, Dt 16:1-8) How old was Jesus when they went up to Jerusalem? (42). Where did Jesus do after the festival instead of returning home? (43)
Read verse 44-47. What do Jesus’ parents do when they find that Jesus is not with them? (44-45). What was Jesus doing when they find him? (46) Why were the people at the temple amazed at Jesus? (47)
Read verses 48-50. What do Jesus’ parents say when they find him? (48) What is Jesus’ response? (49). What do you think Jesus meant by this? Why do you think that Jesus’ parents do not understand what he said? (50).
Read verses 51-52. What happens when Jesus returns to Nazareth with his parents? (51a). How does Jesus’ mother treat all these events? (51b). What happens as Jesus gets older? (52)
Manuscript
Message
I had to be in my Father’s house
Luke 2:41-52
Key Verse 2:49
““Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Good morning? I don’t know what to say this morning. The title of today’s message is “I had to be in my Father’s house”, and the key verse is verse 49. Can we read this verse together? ““Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Let’s pray.
Today we don’t have an introduction of the message. Message is very simple. Basically when Jesus was twelve years old he went to the temple at the time of the Passover. And he stayed in temple for 3 days and Jesus’ parents took him back. And basically that is the story. When they found him Jesus’ mother asked him, ““Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” And the boy Jesus responded saying, “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (v.49)
And that’s it. He went down to Nazareth with them and he was obedient to them. Nothing. Nothing more. So according to today’s passage, there are two things special about Jesus. Two things special about Jesus. What are the two things special about Jesus? Any volunteers? Okay. Sarah (Larsen)! “His father is God.” Good thing. Bingo. Can anyone try to two things not just one? Msn Philip! “He studied the Bible hard.” (Laughter) There is one more. That’s true. Msn Petra said, “He has his heavenly Father and earthly father.” True. That’s close. I would like to try to one more person, for more specific and concrete answer. (Someone said,) “He had a clear identity as the Son of God.” That’s true. (Someone said something). What is it? “Wisdom.” Another person said “He is God”. Yes, he is God. Okay. Do you want to try? Sarah’s mom. “He listened to his mother and he was obedient to his mother.” Very true. (laughter). What is special about Jesus is ‘there is no special about Jesus’. That is special about Jesus. We have four gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. For Jesus’ life from the age 1 to age 30, there is nothing there except today’s few sentences.
When Jesus was born there was a lot of revelations. Angels’ message to shepherds; Magi from the East visiting; testimony of Simeon; testimony of Anna; testimony of Zechariah; and many others. So much revelation was there that Jesus’ mother had treasured them in her heart and pondered them in her heart. But from the age of 1 to 12 nothing was there. Jesus was not special at all. And that is Jesus’ special. Jesus was not special at all. In today’s event, he said, “I had to be in my Father’s house.” “Didn’t you know?” and then he just followed his parents and was obedient to them for another 18 years up to the age of 30. So if you see Jesus’ entire life from the age one to thirty, what is special? Nothing is special. That is special.
What does it mean? He became a perfectly man. He became exactly like you and me. That’s why when Jesus said, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Jesus’ parents did not understand what he was saying. They got such a huge revelation about baby Jesus, but for 12 years Jesus did not demonstrate anything special at all. He was exactly like any other boy. So when Jesus said, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” they said, “What is he talking about?” They were clueless. After that he did not make a big thing. He just followed them and was obedient to them for another 18 years.
Jesus became a fully man. That is special thing about Jesus. He became a man like you, exactly same like you and me. Do you like it? Do you like he became exactly like you and me? Of course!
What does it mean? It means two things. First, he understands our agony. He understands our troubles. He understands how we are frustrated with our weaknesses and sins. He understands how hard it is to get a job and work hard. He was the Son of God. So if he wanted he could become like a little Samuel as we studied the book of 1 Samuel. He could be devoted to the priest and he could live in his Father’s house from his young age. He said, “This is my Father’s house.” As the Son of God he had more right than anyone else to live in his Father’s house; in his Father’s house on a full time basis. But he didn’t do that. He lived as a layman like you and me. Layman. He lived as a carpenter. He had a job. He understands how hard to work in our job. He understand how hard it is to try to perform and please our bosses and take care of people under us. It is not easy to get a job and it is not easy to bring bread to the table. It’s not easy to have financial security. He knows all of them for sure.
He became exactly like us. He became a fully man. So when he was crucified on the cross, he was crucified as a man, human beings like you and me. That’s why his death on the cross can replace our own death.
Does he understand our temptation? Of course! Hebrew 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
Do you believe he was tempted in every way just we are? He was tempted in every way just we are. So he knows how temptation is strong, how temptation is terrible, how temptation is troublesome for us. Yet, he did not sin. Is this microphone still working? Okay.
So there is nothing special about Jesus became he became a fully man. It shows he understands us, our needs, our agony, and weaknesses. That’s why he decided to be crucified. He decided to sacrifice to take our sins.
There is another meaning in ‘Jesus became fully man like you and me.” It means he came down to our place and hold our hands and leads us step by step to our Father in heaven. “Step by step”. It is a personal service. One of the reasons I like our ministry is ‘personal help’ from our one to one bible teachers. I also looked for a church. Even in Gardena, I looked for it. I thought all churches are open like UBF chapters in Korea. But they are all closed during week days. On Wednesday night they open I went to one. But the preacher was not interested in preaching. He talked about engagement of his son and talked about how to get a better car for him. I like our ministry because our spiritual seniors who know the bible more personally can help us step by step, teaching us how to apply the spiritual truth to our practical life and leading us to our heavenly Father.
So Jesus became the way. He came down to us. He spoke our language. He ate our own food. He knows our customs. He knows how to interact with people. He became exactly like one of us and help us and guide us to the Father, and make us his own children.
“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” What do you think? Do you think Jesus had all spiritual knowledge when he was born? Or Jesus got all spiritual knowledge, powerful revelation about all spiritual truth when he was 30 years old within a night? How do you think Jesus knows God personally? When do you think he was born again? Do you think he was born again as soon as he was born as a baby? What do you think?
I think he might have been born again when he was 12 years old. He became to know he is the Son of God, and he became to know he had to stay in his Father’s house. What does it mean ‘to be in my Father’s house’? It means “I want work for my Father”. That was what he was saying. He found his identity as the Son of God and he found his mission as the Son of God, may be at the age of 12. So he said, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
What is the special thing about ‘Father’s house’? What is the special thing about the temple? What’s so important? (Greg Newmaster said, “God’s presence”) Yes. 100% score. “God’s presence”. His name is Greg Newmaster. 100% score today. A plus. God was there. “My Father’s house’ or ‘temple’ is so special because God is there. One Psalmist said “as a deer pants for the stream of water my soul pants for you God.” We all are children of God. We are all made by God. Our soul thirsts for our living God.
This is the confession of king David. Let’s read Psalm 27:4 “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
David wanted to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. That’s it. Dwelling in the house of the Lord. Intimate fellowship with the Father God. Glorying him and enjoying him, communicating with him, talking to each other.
This is another person’s confession. Psalm 84:10 “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”
I’d rather be a doorkeeper of the house of God. I would rather become a doorkeeper of God and closer to God. Even one day than 1,000 years somewhere else. This is who we are. Our inners desire is to be closer to God and to be near to God so much and work for him.
“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” When Jesus knew who was his Father he became to know what he should do. He wanted to work for his Father. When we know who is our heavenly Father we want to work for him too. We want to have close relationship with him, and we want to live for him. That is what it means “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Jesus said, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” When he realized that who is his Father, he realized what he wanted to do, which is to work for his Father. He did the same thing for me.
When I realized who is my Father, he helped me to work for my Father. It was 1982 Summer. I think it is around July. I was born again at that time. This is my born again verse. John 16:28 “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
It was the first time I saw this verse but it was vibrating in my heart. The daily break booklet was one year old one. God obviously wanted to give the verse to me. So I requested 3 times for the booklet and the Chicago staff made a mistake in the third time and I got the booklet. It helped me to know who is my Father and I became to know what I should do for the rest of my life. Work for my Father.
How did I know that God is my Father? Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
The Holy Spirit testifies with my spirit that I am a child of God. That is why the verse was vibrating in my heart. At that time I had one to one bible study with missionary Isaac Kim for 2 or 3 months. Probably 2 months. I went to International Summer Bible Conference in Canada by Niagara Fall. After the conference I went to New York, met my first bible teacher whom I long to see for the last 7 or 8 years. She left UBF with her husband. So she was not with UBF at that time, but I spent one week in her house. But the church she was serving had a bible conference. So I attended the bible conference. So when I came back to LA, I did not keep the promise of the date to missionary Isaac Kim. So when I came to LA airport, missionary Isaac Kim did not come to pick me up. I didn’t have a car at that time. I started a common life just a month ago. Our church and center was only one bed room apartment. In order to come to the common life house I had to say to my mother, “Good bye.” I gave my car to my younger sister. I don’t know how I came to center from the airport. The center was in west Los Angeles. (Westwood). Why didn’t missionary Isaac Kim come to pick me up? I never asked him, but this is what I guessed. Because I didn’t keep the date I would return he might have misunderstood that my fist bible teacher might have invited me to her church or might have invited me to marry somebody, the woman in her church, or I decided to leave UBF ministry, something along the line. This is my pure guess. I could be wrong. So my relationship with missionary Isaac Kim was sour at that time. It was very hard for me and I felt sorrowful at that time. Because my life in God was troublesome. It was not easy.
I started to have a bible study in 1975 when I was a freshman. But within one year my bible teacher left for America as a missionary for New York UBF, and I was left alone. Then I think 2 or 3 years later I studied the bible again with missionary Mark Yang. I think it lasted about 1.5 years. I studied very hard. But the family persecution arose and I stopped having bible study. Then I came to America. I fought with my brother, and I repented and I contacted Korea, and finally I met missionary Isaac Kim and studied one to one, and a couple of months later I was born again. And now I had to leave UBF again. Before I met missionary Isaac Kim again, this was my prayer. “I would rather be a window cleaner of UBF center if God sends me back to UBF again.” The reason I prayed like this is because I could see my life has a meaning. I see the UBF ministry was doing the work of God. So even by cleaning windows of UBF bible center my life would have a meaning. So that was my prayer. So I came back to UBF by God’s grace, and then I had to leave again. Actually I didn’t have any place to God because I had already said ‘goodbye’ to my family members and mom. I had to find a place to stay.
Now at that moment, this verse (John 16:28) “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father” helped me to reason. Missionary Isaac was doing and working for my Father in heaven for sure. Even in the world if you know someone is working and helping your father, what would you do? You would be thankful. You would help him. You would encourage him. Don’t you? Even in the world. How much it would be when missionary Isaac is working for my Father in heaven! He is working for my Father. I should appreciate. I should thank him. I should be thankful even more. So I decided to stay with him and decided to help him out. It was all because he was working for my Father.
Then think about it! Did he get my help? Or did I get his help? (Missionary Petra said, ‘both’) Both? But I get tons of times more. I got millions of time more help from him. When I decided to help him it turned out I was helping myself. He helped me more than millions of times. Without his help and shepherding I would not be here. I would not know where I am. Maybe I may be homeless, alcoholic, possibly. I might not have family. I might not have two daughters. I might not have such a nice suit like this. I may be a bagger saying “spare coins” on a street. It is possible too.
“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” “Didn’t you know I need to work for my Father?” That was realization of boy Jesus. And I think he did the same thing in my life. He helped me to know who is my Father and he helped me to know I need to work for my Father. I need to make a decision to stay with missionary Isaac and help him because he is working for my Father.
So today we learned two special thing about Jesus. One special thing is “Jesus is the Son of God.” He claimed, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Second special thing about Jesus is Jesus is the son of Joseph and Mary. There is no special thing about Jesus because he became a fully man like you and me. He even had a job. He worked hard.
One word: Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?
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Biblenote
I had to be in my Father’s house
Luke 2:41-52
Key Verse 49
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Introduction
This passage is about Jesus’ youth life which was recorded in Luke gospel only. Through this passage we can learn that Jesus recognized himself as the Son of God from his youth. Recognizing himself as the Savior of the world, Jesus was growing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man to prepare his public ministry. This passage depicts what lies in Jesus’ heart desire. May the Lord help us to have vision for our growing children through their role model, Jesus Christ.
1. Read verse 41-43. What did Jesus’ parents do every year? (41, Dt 16:1-8) How old was Jesus when they went up to Jerusalem? (42). Where did Jesus do after the festival instead of returning home? (43)
1-1.Read verse 41-43
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.
1-2. What did Jesus’ parents do every year? (41, Dt 16:1-8)
They went to Jerusalem to observe the Festival of the Passover.
Deuteronomy 16:1-8 read,
Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name. 3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. 4 Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you 6 except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary[a] of your departure from Egypt. 7 Roast it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. 8 For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the Lord your God and do no work.
---The feast of Passover continued for 7 days. The people of Israel remembered God’s great grace of deliverance from Pharaoh after 430 year slavery in Egypt.
Jesus’ parents were faithful in observing God’s command. Jesus observed how their parents obey God’s command and he learned God’s command from them. Jesus grew under spiritual parents influence.
The duty of parents is to let their children grow under their good spiritual influence by living by faith and word of God.
It reminds us of 1 Chronicles 28: 8-9(David encouraged his son, Solomon).
8 “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.
9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
David encouraged his young son Solomon to acknowledge the God of his father. Acknowledging the God of his father is a starting point to build up his own faith.
1-3. How old was Jesus when they went up to Jerusalem? (42).
In Jewish society, a 12 year old girl and 13 year old boy are considered to be adults.
Jesus was 12 years old(I assume that he is approaching 13 years old).
Now he is legally allowed to participate in the festivals and ceremonies of the Law of Moses and to get married.
At that time 12 years old children had to begin to fast from time to time.
At thirteen years old a boy(12 year old girl) began to be ‘a son of the commandment’ (so called, Bar Mitzbah) obliged to the duties of adult.
Bar mitzvah is simply the age when a person is held responsible for his actions and minimally qualified to marry. If you compare this to secular law, you will find that it is not so very far from our modern notions of a child's maturity. In Anglo-American common law, a child of the age of 14 is old enough to assume many of the responsibilities of an adult, including minimal criminal liability. Under United States law, 14 is the minimum age of employment for most occupations (though working hours are limited so as not to interfere with school).
In many states, a fourteen year old can marry with parental consent. Children of any age are permitted to testify in court, and children over the age of 14 are permitted to have significant input into custody decisions in cases of divorce. Certainly, a 13-year-old child is capable of knowing the difference between right and wrong and of being held responsible for his actions, and that is all it really means to become a bar mitzvah. “http://www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm”
Jesus’ parents taught Jesus how to observe God’s command by letting him observe the festival.
Although Jesus is the eternal God, he became like us and set a good example in terms of obeying his earthly parents according to God’s will.
1-4. Where did Jesus do after the festival instead of returning home? (43)
Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents were not aware of it.
When returning from the festival, it was the custom for the women to go on ahead with the younger children and the men to follow with the bigger boys.
Mary may have thought that Jesus was with Joseph, and he may’ve thought that he was with Mary.
Jesus didn’t stay in Jerusalem not being disobedient to his parents but he had business to do there. He had a Father in heaven, whom he had to obey. It was more important than of his earthly parents.
Now Jesus acted not just as a son of his earthly parents but as a Son of God.
The founder of Moravian mission movement Zinzendorf started prayer for world mission at his age 8. It is good to see young children have a sense of mission and willing to serve God’s will even in their young age. Parents’ job is to help their children to live as children of God and servants of Him with a sense of mission before God.
2. Read verse 44-47. What do Jesus’ parents do when they find that Jesus is not with them? (44-45). What was Jesus doing when they find him? (46) Why were the people at the temple amazed at Jesus? (47)
2-1. Read verse 44-47.
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.
2-2. What do Jesus’ parents do when they find that Jesus is not with them? (44-45).
They began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. They might be so worried and anxious about him.
2-3. What was Jesus doing when they find him? (46)
After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Jesus was doing what his parents had never expected.
Jesus was sitting among the teachers listening to them and asking them questions. He was not just taught as an audience by the teachers but also discussed with them.
Jesus had great desire for the truth.
At twelve(10-11, girl; 11-12 boy), puberty starts.
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction to enable fertilization. It is initiated by hormonal signals. In response to the signals, the gonads produce hormones that stimulate libido and the growth, function, and transformation of the brain, bones, muscle, blood, skin, hair, breasts, and sexual organs. Physical growth—height and weight—accelerates in the first half of puberty and is completed when the child has developed an adult body.
Because Jesus went through such drastic hormonal and bodily changes, he could have developed desires to explore other things but he shows great desire for the truth!
He had to sit more than 3 days without even asking his parents for permission.
He did not know when his parents left, because he immersed himself on listening to teachers with great desire to learn, asking questions endlessly.
Maybe he had accumulated many questions before coming to the temple.
When the time came, he never wanted to lose chance to get all his questions answered.
Jesus was a truth seeker teenager!
He wants to increase knowledge about God’s truth and was ready to discuss them with teachers with learning mind.
He was sitting among the teachers to study word of God instead of playing with other children. Parents should help their children to develop holy desire to study word of God.
Jesus listened to the teachers and asked them questions: Even though he was son of God, he learned from teachers with humble heart and learning mind. He is a good example about how young people can grow spiritually.
2-4. Why were the people at the temple amazed at Jesus? (47)
Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. They had never seen young man talk with the knowledge and wisdom at the rate he did.
Even though he was only 12 years old, he had great knowledge and understanding, amazing people.
He had divine wisdom and knowledge that were not taught by man but came from God.
Teenagers who live under the value system of pragmatism or utilitarianism are dangerous for young people have God’s image in them and searching for meaning and purpose in their lives!
cf) Utilitarianism -
“Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as
they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” –John Stuart Mill
Happiness = pleasure, and the absence of pain
Unhappiness = pain, and the absence of pleasure
Happiness is the only thing that has intrinsic value
“pleasure, and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends.
May the Lord help our young children to establish their relationship with the creator God through studying the book of Genesis.
3. Read verses 48-50. What do Jesus’ parents say when they find him? (48) What is Jesus’ response? (49). What do you think Jesus meant by this? Why do you think that Jesus’ parents do not understand what he said? (50).
3-1. Read verses 48-50.
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.
3-2. What do Jesus’ parents say when they find him? (48)
When his parents saw him, they were astonished for he was sitting among the teachers even discussing with them.
“Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
Mary mentioned how they had hard time to find him with great anxiety. She implied that such young boy was not supposed to behave like that without informing his parents ahead of time. Mary and Joseph understood that Jesus was just a 12 years old boy who needed parents’ protection and guidance. They could not understand why Jesus acted that way.
3-3. What is Jesus’ response? (49).
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
3-4. What do you think Jesus meant by this?
“Why were you searching for me?”
It implies that his parents were not supposed to search for him or worry about him.
“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Jesus called God ‘my Father’. Jesus recognized him as Son of God. He proclaimed his deity by calling God ‘my Father’.
No one told him about his identity. Even his parents didn’t. But Jesus knew who he was for himself.
Joseph was his father as a parent, but God was his true Father.
Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?
King James Version shows,
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
Jesus had two fathers. One is his earthly father while the other is his heavenly Father.
Although he had to be obedient and hard working for his earthly father who was a carpenter, he must be sure to do God’s work. When he became of his own age, he acknowledged what God wants him to be and do.
When he said “must,” he must have established his inherent relationship with his Father in heaven.
He must then have known his mission on earth
He had clear idea about what he was supposed to do even though he was only 12 years old.
His parents didn’t need to worry about him because Jesus was under his true Father’s care and protection.
His parents didn’t need to search for him because Jesus was doing his Father’s business.
He knew that he had to live as a son of Heavenly Father. He put his Father’s will first than his earthly parents’ expectation even though he might know his parents had worried about him.
Jesus had clear identity about himself as the Messiah and had a clear idea about his mission such a young age.
3-5. Why do you think that Jesus’ parents do not understand what he said? (50).
They did not understand what he was saying to them
They still considered him as a young boy.
They didn’t understand fully about who Jesus was yet even though they had been told about him through the angel.
They could have applied what the angel had said and understood the clear guidance of the Holy Spirit so far and come to their own conclusion that Jesus is the Son of God.
4. Read verses 51-52. What happens when Jesus returns to Nazareth with his parents? (51a). How does Jesus’ mother treat all these events? (51b). What happens as Jesus gets older? (52)
4-1. Read verse 51-52.
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 man.
4-2.What happens when Jesus returns to Nazareth with his parents? (51a).
Jesus was obedient to his parents. Even though he knew he was Son of God, he respected his earthly parents and obeyed them according to God’s command.
Exodus 20:12 reads,
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Jesus is good example about how children’s attitude toward their parents should be. God loves those who are obedient to their parents. Those who are obedient to their parents can obey God too.
4-3.How does Jesus’ mother treat all these events? (51b).
Mary treasured all these things in her heart. She did not perfectly understand what her son said, but took them seriously.
She didn’t ignore what Jesus said because he was too young. We should not ignore young ones because of their young age.
Mary treasured all the things even though she couldn’t understand believing that there were certain meanings for the things.
4-4. What happens as Jesus gets older? (52)
Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
He grew up physically well. His soul increased in wisdom. He kept growing to be capable to serve his messianic work in the future. Even Jesus went through this growing process to serve God’s work.
Jesus was loved by both God and man. The image of God shone in Jesus and people loved him, seeing the God’s image in him.
Conclusion
Jesus must have recognized himself as the Son of God and known what his mission was in such a young age. He had divine knowledge and wisdom that amazed people. He was obedient to his parents. He grew spiritually and physically in favor with God and man. He was being ready to serve God’s work as the Messiah. His parents gave good influence to him by showing good example how to serve God in their lives. May God bless all our children to grow like Jesus to be great servants of God and help us to influence them.
One word: In my Father’s house