I Must Be In My Father’s House
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
Ten-year old Truman Henry Safford (born in 1836) was asked:
“Multiply in your head 365,365,365,365,365,365 by 365,365,365,365,365,365.”
Little Truman flew around the room like a top,...
Pulled his pantaloons over the top of his boots,...
Bit his hand,...
Rolled his eyes in their sockets,...
Sometimes smiling and talking,...
And then seeming to be in agony,...
Until,...
In not more than only one minute...
Just less than one minute of being asked this outrageous question...
He said...
“133,491,850,208,566,925,016,658,299,941,583,225!’’
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He was right...
Truman gave the correct answer with no paper...
In less than a minute.
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At about that same age Truman devised a new method for calculating the moon’s risings and settings that was significantly faster than the existing one.
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Truman by all accounts is a true child prodigy.
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The young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began playing the keyboard by ear at the age of three.
By the time he was six, he had begun composing his own pieces.
At that same age Mozart, along with his older sister, began touring Europe, giving both private concerts for the nobility, and also public concerts.
At eight, he composed his first symphony.
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William James Sidis...
Born in 1898 was reading the New York Times at the age of eighteen months...
And had taught himself Latin, Greek, French, Russian, German, Hebrew, Turkish, and Armenian by the time he was eight.
At eleven he entered Harvard, where he lectured the Harvard Mathematical Society on four-dimensional bodies.
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As Pastor John MacArthur says...
“All the accomplishments of these and all other child prodigies combined pale into insignificance compared to one twelve-year-old boy named Jesus.
No human genius, no IQ in excess of 200, no precocious feats of learning can compare with the infinite mind and capabilities of the child who was God incarnate.
In a dramatic and moving account of the only recorded incident of Jesus’ childhood, Luke revealed from His own words that the child was God.”
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 2 and focus on verses 39 through 52.
Our message this morning is called, “I Must Be In My Father’s House”
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As you are finding your place in God’s Word...
I would like to share that this message will focus on the very first words Jesus speaks in Luke’s Gospel...
Words that He spoke as a twelve year old.
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Our passage today has three main points...
The Child’s Growth
The Child Gone Missing
And...
The Child Speaks
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
Holy is your Name!
You are set apart from all creation...
You are the only one who deserves all glory and honor!
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Help us and guide us...
We are lost without You.
Open our minds and hearts to understand and cherish Your words and commands.
May your followers meditate on Your words of life every day and night.
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Show us the error of our ways and be patient as You shepherd us on the narrow road...
We need Your rod to guide us...
We need Your light to show us the way...
We need Your Spirit in us...
We need Your Scriptures to stand on...
We need Your Son to save us!
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Thank you for who You are Father.
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.
43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.
51 And 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.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Child’s Growth
1) The Child’s Growth
Verses 39-40: And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
The last time we were in our study on the Gospel of Luke we covered the event of the baby Jesus being brought to the Temple as a dedication to the Lord...
So, as we open our passage...
If we are familiar with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life...
We quickly notice that Luke leaves out the visit of the wise men, the escape into Egypt, and return home to Nazareth.
The reason for this is that these events did not fit Luke’s theme for his Gospel account.
Each Gospel writer had a different audience and a different focus...
Simply mentioning every detail was not practical or an option.
Remember how John ends his Gospel account?
Lets look at John 21:25 and see what he said:
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
So, the theme of early rejection that was so prominent in Matthew’s Gospel account was not where Luke focused his attention and that is why he skips over this.
What is significant in Luke’s account is that Jesus’ parents were faithful to the Jewish law and that the child grew normally, the object of God’s grace.
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For our purposes in this study lets quickly review what is covered in Matthew’s account...
Luke’s audience may well have been aware of these events given that Matthew’s Gospel looks to have been written earlier...
So lets start by looking at Matthew 2:1-12 to make sure we are all on the same page:
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Next Matthew shares with us what lead Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to escape into Egypt as covered in Matthew 2:13-21 which says:
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.
Where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus finally settled again had to due with God’s plan and sovereign choice...
This is always the case with even the smallest of events that happen in our life...
But hear we see the miraculous events that God was using to make sure Jesus was right were He needed to be at the right time.
Matthew 2:22-23 says:
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
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Now that we have caught up with the other events in Jesus’ life that transpired...
Let’s dive into our passage.
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Now please notice what Luke writes about the boy Jesus…
He says, “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.”
Now compare this to what Luke previously wrote of John the Baptist in Luke 1:80 which says:
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
So, the fourfold description of Jesus’ growth parallels the twofold description of John...
Jesus is described as: growing, getting stronger, gaining wisdom, and having God’s favor...
John is described as: growing and getting stronger...
So, as Luke has been constantly doing in his Gospel account...
He shows...
Very intentionally...
That Jesus is greater.
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Consider too this note from the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke regarding verse 40:
“In this short verse the history of twelve years of the life of Jesus is told.
As a true human Child He passed through a process of physical and spiritual growth and increase.
This verse expressly tells us that the intellectual, moral and spiritual growth of Jesus as a Child was just as real as His physical growth.
He was completely subject to the ordinary laws of physical and intellectual development, except that in His case there was nothing of the influence of sin or shortcoming.
Physically and spiritually He grew up perfectly as no one before or after Him.
He was truly Man, but a perfect Man, even in childhood.
“His was a perfect humanity developing perfectly, unimpeded by hereditary or acquired defects.
It was the first instance of such a growth in history.
For the first time a human infant was realizing the ideal of humanity.”
His physical and spiritual development was the most beautiful of all time, because it was perfect.”
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Next, Luke presents us with a shocking ordeal...
One of the greatest fear of any loving parent...
Finding out that their precious child is missing.
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Well, that is the situation Mary and Joseph find themselves in...
And that takes us to our next point.
2) The Child Gone Missing
2) The Child Gone Missing
Verses 41-45: Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
So, Passover was a one-day feast, followed immediately by the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread.
It was celebrated on the fifteenth day of Nisan on the Jewish calendar.
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Additionally, the Passover is one of three feasts (Pentecost and Tabernacles being the other two) that has to be observed in Jerusalem.
It is considered the most important feast of the Jewish calendar.
Passover commemorates God’s deliverance or exodus of his people out of Egypt and the death angel’s passing over Israel’s firstborn.
In this last plague the death angel visited Egypt’s firstborn.
However, when he came upon the households of Israel, he observed the blood of the Passover lamb smeared on the door lintels and “passed over” those homes.
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To celebrate Passover, Jews were to travel to Jerusalem and offer a lamb as a sacrifice.
Then the meal began at sunset which was the time of Israel’s departure from Egypt.
We know this based on what we see written in passages like Exodus 12:24–27:
24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.
25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service.
26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ ” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
Take a look with me too at Exodus 23:14–19 which shows that all males were to travel to Jerusalem for these three main feasts:
14 “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me.
15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed.
16 You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.
17 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.
18 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.
19 “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Additionally, Deuteronomy 16:1–8 has some more details on how the Passover was celebrated:
1 “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
2 And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there.
3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.
4 No leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the flesh that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain all night until morning.
5 You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you,
6 but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt.
7 And you shall cook it and eat it at the place that the Lord your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents.
8 For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God. You shall do no work on it.
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With that understanding of Passover...
Let’s dive back into our text.
Luke says, “And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.”
So, Jesus may have made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem with His parents every year...
The text doesn’t say...
But what is certain is that Jewish custom specified that a boy should be taken to the Passover feast a year or two before he was thirteen...
You see church, Jewish boys became accountable to the law of God at the age of thirteen...
This is also one of the places where we get our age of accountability...
The is the point at which a child becomes personally responsible for his or her actions before God.
In the Old Testament when God punishes the nation of Isreal for their disobedience in the wilderness...
He skips over the ones who have not reached this age of accountability...
We see this in Deuteronomy 1:34-40 which says:
34 “And the Lord heard your words and was angered, and he swore,
35 ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers,
36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’
37 Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there.
38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
40 But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’
Likewise look at what Isaiah 7:15 says:
15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
So, for Jews...
At the age of thirteen...
That was understood as the age when a male would be made a “son of the commandment” “son of the law” or “covenant”...
Or in Hebrew it is know as the “Bar Mitzvah” and that is when a young boy officially becomes an adult member of the Jewish religious community.
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Next Luke records that “the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem” and “His parents did not know it...and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.”
The MacArthur Study Bible has this great note for us to consider to see how Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus:
“Obviously Joseph and Mary were traveling with a large caravan of friends and relatives from Nazareth.
No doubt hundreds of people from their community went together to the feast.
Men and women in such a group might have been separated by some distance, and it appears each parent thought He was with the other.”
So, at this time, traveling in groups was common because it offered protection from bandits and allowed people to distribute resources.
In fact, Jesus being at the age of twelve may have caused further some confusion as to which parent He was with...
If later custom was followed during Jesus’ time...
Then the women and small children went ahead in the caravan while the men followed...
So, you can see how each parent might think that a twelve-year-old boy was with the other as Jesus was right at the age when He would soon go from being a boy to a man in the Jewish culture.
Given the communal nature of rural first-century Palestine...
Joseph and Mary were right to assume that their son was in the group...
So this passage is not intended to reflect poorly on them as parents.
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Finally, the parents will find Jesus...
And the statements Jesus makes are quite profound and the main focus of this passage...
So, let’s continue in our study and look our our third and final point.
3) The Child Speaks
3) The Child Speaks
Verses 46-52: After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And 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. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
The “three days” that is mentioned in our passage probably does not mean that Mary and Joseph searched Jerusalem for three days.
They would have realized that Jesus was missing at the end of a full day’s travel.
So, then that required another full day’s journey back to Jerusalem...
That was about twenty to twenty-five miles...
After that they would have spent the better part of the third day in search of Jesus.
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Jesus was eventually found in the temple as our passage says...
Now keep this in mind...
When the Gospels and the book of Acts refer to entering the temple or teaching in the temple...
It is often not a reference to the sanctuary proper itself also know as Herod’s temple (which was Israel’s third temple following the temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel)...
Rather this is a reference to the whole entire temple complex...
This included many buildings along with a synagogue and a number of courts and chambers that surrounded the temple.
Additionally, the temple courts were commonly used for teaching...
And that is were we find Jesus in our narrative.
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Notice what Luke records...
Regarding the teachers Jesus was, “listening to them and asking them questions.”
This shows that Jesus as a boy was completely respectful...
Although, He was and is and will forever be God, He humbly takes the role of the student here.
However, even at that the age of twelve, Christ put forth questions that showed an incredible degree of wisdom to the point that the teachers “amazed at His understanding and His answers.”
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This is a common reaction as we see throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry...
Luke 4:22 for example records:
22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
They could not believe a carpenter who was the son of a carpenter from Nazareth could speak with greater faithfulness than any of the religious teachers.
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Again, we see this in Matthew 7:28–29 as the Word of God says:
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
When Jesus taught...
It was very different from the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees.
You see Church in order to show their authority...
The religious elite would quote the sayings of the rabbis of old...
The older the better!
They appealed to their precious “Tradition of the Elders”...
Laws that they burdened the people to follow and claiming these were oral traditions directly passed down from the hands of Moses...
Even if those laws were not in Scripture.
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Sound familiar?
Catholics and Orthodox are notorious for teaching in an identical matter...
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Yet Christ didn’t play that game!
Jesus would often say “You have heard it said...” which was a reference to these made and man-made laws...
And He would counter them with Scripture...
“It is written” He would say and prove that the religious elite and their false teachings were just a paper tiger...
Teaching from Scripture is were the real authority comes from...
And who else to better model this than Jesus who was God Himself...
Fully man and fully God!
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Next in our passage...
Mary says, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
Please note the Greek word for “great distress” which other translations may render a “anxious” is “odynan” which means “to cause pain, torment, anguish.”
So, we see here that Mary’s distress is just the beginning of the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy...
The prophecy when he said that a “sword will pierce her soul.”
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Notice how Jesus responds to His mothers words...
There is a contrast with her refereed to Joseph as “your father” in which He replies in a way that shows amazement that His parents did not know where to look for Him.
He says, “Why were you looking for me?”
Which carries the meaning “Didn’t you know I would be in the temple?”
And then He says, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
Jesus reminds them of who He really is...
He is the Son of God!
Where else would one expect a child to be but at their father’s house...
So, Christ, when His parents accidentally left Him went to His Father’s house.
Keep in mind too that the Jews do not customarily speak of God as their Father...
They did not speak in this personal manner and it was not until Jesus started His earthy ministry that we see He shifts our mentality on how we are to view God.
So, Jesus’ gentle reminder was ment to respectfully invite His mother...
Whose comments contained reproach in her words...
To recognize that their parental claims are valid but are subordinate to those of God the Father.
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New Testament Scholar James R. Edwards makes a wonderful observation:
“The first and last words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke refer to God as his Father.
[The first words being Luke 2:49 which says:]
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
[And the last words being Luke 24:49 which says:]
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Jesus’ intimate and filial relation to God as Father is the center and sum of his life and ministry.”
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In fact, one of Jesus’ titles is Son of God...
In the English language we loose a little bit of the meaning that would be understood in the Jewish culture.
Consider this from John MacArthur:
“The full, rich meaning of the title Son of God is not evident from the English concept of sonship.
In Jewish culture ‘son’ denoted more than just a male offspring.
A young, underage child was considered a boy;
Only when that boy had become an adult was he a son in the fullest sense.
It was then that he became equal to his father under the law and in terms of adult responsibility, and received the privileges his father had reserved for him.
‘Son,’ in this more technical sense, came to mean ‘equal to’ or ‘one with.’
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There are a number of examples in Scripture where ‘son’ identifies a person’s nature.
Barnabas’s name means ‘son of encouragement’;
He was so much an encourager that he was identified with encouragement.
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Jesus called James and John ‘Sons of thunder’, identifying them with that term because of their bombastic personalities.
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Similarly, He described some people as ‘sons of hell’ because they had the characteristics of those who are hell bound.
In much the same way, both Judas and the Antichrist are called sons of perdition or destruction...
(the same Greek word is used to describe both individuals),...
Identifying them with their eternal destiny.
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Ephesians 2:2 calls unbelievers ‘sons of disobedience,’ while Matthew 13:38 describes them as ‘sons of the evil one’.
Luke 16:8 and John 12:36 call believers ‘sons of light;’ and Luke 20:36 calls them ‘sons of the resurrection.’
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‘Son’ in the [mentioned] examples does not refer to origin, but to nature.
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The term is used to refer to Jesus Christ to establish His being of the same essence and nature, with the same rights and privileges, as God Himself.
As noted above, the Jewish leaders understood perfectly that by claiming to be the Son of God, Jesus was claiming deity and full equality with the Father.”
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But, we must keep in mind that Jesus’ relationship with His Heavenly Father did not override or nullify His duty to His earthly parents.
His obedience to the fifth commandment as recorded in Exodus 20:12 says:
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
It was essential for Jesus to be in perfect legal obedience to the Law and He was...
As Philippians 2:8 puts it:
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
So, although Jesus was obedient to His earthly father, Joseph and Mary...
He was making a point that His true Father is God the Father.
This in turn reveals that even at the young age of twelve, Jesus had a clear consciousness of His identity...
He knew full well His purpose and mission on this earth.
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Next Luke records in reference to Joseph and Mary that “they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.”
Unfortunately, that too would be a constant them found in the Scriptures.
Mark 3:20–21 says:
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.
21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
Jesus’ own family thought He was crazy...
And they did not believe His claims as it says in John 7:2–5:
2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand.
3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing.
4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
5 For not even his brothers believed in him.
Even His disciples at many times did not initially understand Him...
Just look at what it says in John 12:16:
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.
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Yet Jesus was faith to His Father...
God the Father...
And volunteraly became a humble servant in order to save us...
As Christ Himself said in John 6:38:
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
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Luke ends this passage with the phrase “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
This is very similar to what is said in 1 Samuel 2:26:
26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.
We must understand that Jesus did not at any time ever cease being God or divest Himself of divine attributes in order to become man.
Rather, Jesus took on a human nature which is an addition and not a subtraction...
He was humble and submitted the use of His divine attributes for the glory and will of the God Father...
As Philippians 2:6-8 says:
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
So, any time we see instances where Jesus’ omniscience was on display or at other times when that omniscience seemed to be veiled by His humanity...
We must understand that all these events happened in perfect accordance with the Father’s will.
Therefore Christ was subject to the normal process of human growth...
That being intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.
Again, Jesus was both fully God and fully human.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
As this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this:
In the classic film, “Home Alone” we are introduced to the young 8-year-old, Kevin McCallister...
He lives with his wealthy family in a large house in Chicago.
.......
For Christmas, the family is taking a vacation in Europe.
As all the relatives show up, there is a lot of chaos and confusion in the house, and Kevin, causes a ton of trouble.
When things get out of control, he is sent to the attic bedroom to sleep.
.......
In the midst of this tantrum, Kevin tells his mother who punished him that he hated her and that he wished he’d never have to see his family ever again.
.......
Then...
The next morning arrives...
And everyone wakes up late.
.......
In all the hustle and bustle and chaos of trying to get out the door and make it to the airport on time,...
Kevin is forgotten,...
Left sleeping in the attic.
All the while, his parents believe Kevin is with them, hanging out with his cousins.
.......
It is amazing how we can loose sight of the things that are supposed to be so important in our lives.
The McCallisters left their son...
And Joseph and Mary lost track of the twelve year old Jesus...
Both families nearly even made it to their destination until they realized something precious to them was missing.
This reality should serve as a warning for us.
.......
I came across this note in my Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke and I would like to share it...
As I see great value in taking this thought seriously:
“How easy for moral people, religiously observant people, even his own family, to suppose Jesus is with them.
This story is a reminder that moral and religious rectitude do not equate to fellowship with Jesus.
Mary and Joseph have observed all the law requires, but they have left Jesus behind.”
So, Beloved...
Let us not lose our focus...
Let us not foolishly think Jesus is with us...
When the reality of the matter is that He is a great distance form us.
.......
As Matthew 7:21-23 says:
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Evaluate yourselves...
See if you have real true genuine saving faith...
For if you do...
Then you have an unbreakable relationship with Him...
And then you will never have to fear the Lord ever being away from you.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.