Be Like Jesus: Luke 2.41-52

Today we are in the only place in the Bible where we learn what Jesus was like as a child.  We know lots about Jesus' birth, but we have little about Jesus as a child.  We learn a lot in a few verses in this passage.  

Have you ever wondered what your parents were like as children?  Children, ask your parents what their favorite toy was as a child.  It's helpful to know what was formed in us as children.  Jesus and his family took a trip to the Temple in Jerusalem and Jesus stays behind after his family left to return to Nazareth.  God's goal is to make us more like Jesus.  What can God do in my life?  God begins this in our early stages in life.  Jesus and his family worshipped together.

Worship together.

 Jesus and his family had a habit of worshipping together.

                        ⁴¹Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 

 Notice key words here in these verses.  There's a seven day feast, a festival of worship.  People who had a regular habit of worship took a week of their lives and traveled to Jerusalem for worship.  Each community had a synagogue and an established pattern.  Jesus grew up in a household where he and his family worshipped together.  I love the model of worship we have here.  Throughout Covid some parents didn't know what to do with their children in worship.  Some young people, even 15-16 years old, had never been in worship with their families.  Worship wasn't the area where children were incorporated into the life of some churches.    In Biblical times there wasn't an age where children were incorporated into worship.  As a Jew, the age of 13 is considered an adult and it was expected that a 13 year old would function as an adult.  It is significant that God begins a work in us earlier than we think.  God can speak into us as children.  The fact that you're here this morning means worship is important to you.  The background of this passage is that worship was a habit in the life of Jesus as He grew up.  

Barna says the number one factor of faith influence is the faith practice of our parents.  Our children will continue this habit as adults.  Who is the #1 person a teen goes to with spiritual questions?  Mom.  90% of teens go to their mother with spiritual questions.  You are the number one theologian in your kid's life.  Jesus had parents who were fully involved.  

Get in trouble for doing the right things.

Did Jesus get into trouble?  Yes!  Jesus got into trouble, but it wasn't His fault.
                        ⁴³And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 

 There were thousands of people traveling back home from Jerusalem.  They were probably traveling with extended family in a large group, so not everyone stayed with their mom and dad.  We can imagine this happening.  It would have been easy for the parents to lose a child and think they were ok.  They traveled with the women in the front and the men in the back and at the age of 12 Jesus could have traveled with mom or dad, or even extended family members.  Probably mom thought He was with dad and dad through He was with mom?  At some point they realized Jesus was not with them.  Jesus was doing the right thing.  Sometimes you can get into trouble for doing the right thing.  In  this case Jesus was doing the right thing but no one knew that.  Jesus was studying the Bible with others.

Study the Bible with others.

                        ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.  

 Jesus was missing for three days!  It took a day of traveling before they realized Jesus wasn't with them.  They weren't sure where they lost Jesus so they're backtracking where they've been.   They go back to Jerusalem to the Temple and Jesus is there studying the Bible.  Jesus is oblivious to the fact that people are looking for Him.  He's so engrossed in the Word of God that He forgets everything else.  When they discussed the Bible everyone was seated and they asked lots of questions.  The person teaching asked questions and the students asked questions too.  High end questions were asked.  Scripture was explored and discussed.  That was their method of study.  They were amazed at Jesus' responses and questions.  For those of you who are younger, sometimes we look at adults and parents as the wise ones.  Yes, your parents are very smart.  One thing we see here is Jesus was engaged in Bible study from an early age.  It's important as a child  to read the Bible yourself.  You can know the Bible.  Even as adults we study the Bible and we are still learning.  Jesus had an advanced knowledge.  We study the Bible to know what to do.  Jesus is perceived as a child.  It was unusual for a child to have the knowledge Jesus had.  

Do what God says.

Here's the first words of Jesus recorded in the Bible:
                        ⁴⁹And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

 Jesus' first words are questions.  His parents find him after searching for three days and they're upset.  Jesus responds with a question.   It's peculiar when someone responds with a question.  Jesus was doing this at the age of twelve.  Jesus used questions with His disciples and here he uses a question with his parents.  The question He asks makes them think and tells us more about Jesus.  It's obvious to Jesus who He is and wouldn't his parents know?  He's doing what He is called to do.  He's doing what His Father sent Him to this earth to do.  He is doing the Father's will.  At the age of twelve Jesus knew who He was; God.  Some people say Jesus became God in a process.  This is Mormon theology.  Some say Jesus discovered He was God.  The Bible indicates here that Jesus knew He was God as a child.  He knows this and His parents knew this as well.  Some questions have obvious answers.  Through a question Jesus expresses to His parents He is doing what He has to do.  When we know what God wants us to do there's a deep compulsion to do it.  When God tells us something it's not always understood.  Think in your mind that Jesus is a child but He is also God.  Jesus knows He is God.  Can God do anything He wants to do?  Would you have listened to your parents?  There are times we do not listen to our parents.  Imagine you're Jesus for a moment.  You're God; you're the Creator of Heaven and Earth; you're 12 years old and your parents are telling you what to do!  Jesus was never disobedient.  Jesus submits to his parents and that's not always easy to do.

Listen to your parents.

                        ⁵¹And 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.

 To do what God wants you to do and be what God wants you to be is to submit.  Being willing to listen to your parents is Godly.  Your parents have a responsibility before God to raise you to be good humans and followers of God.  Your parents do not know everything; they're still growing too.  Jesus is teaching his parents as well.  Mary, Jesus' mom reacts by treasuring these things in her heart.  She's reminded what God is doing in all of this.  Your parents can see God in you.  When your parents see you reading the Bible and praying it affects them.  It affected Mary.  I'm sure Mary was worried that Jesus wasn't safe.  She forgot about the greater purpose of Jesus' life.  Sometimes when we disagree with our parents we are teaching them.  Our parents are learning too.  

Become who God designed you to be.

                        ⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

Jesus is growing physically; He's getting taller and growing into a man.  Jesus is growing up.  Favor and stature together mean people really liked Jesus.  Jesus was liked as a child and a teen.  Jesus was pleasant to be around.  God makes us a pleasant person to be around.  What was it like to be in the presence of Jesus as a child?  The word increase here carries with it the thought of clearing out an obstacle like when we're hiking and we clear out a limb that's in the way.  The Bible describes this as obstacles that need to be removed out of the way.  God does this as a part of growing us up, removing obstacles.  Sometimes things are in the way.  As we face these things we grow and overcome obstacles.  This is what it means to grow up.  Jesus continued to develop habits  for growth.  Why do we do all these things?  Why do we worship?  Why do we have Sunday School and small groups?  All these things are to teach us and form us.  What habits is God developing in your life?  In you?  Is it reading God's Word?  Listening to your parents?  Will you commit to these things?

Sermon by Dr. Scotty Carpenter.  Sermon Notes by Jeni Martin Johnson.