Luke 2
Joseph brings family to Bethlehem verse 1- 5
And it came to pass in those days
that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus
that all the world should be taxed
(AND this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria)
All went to be taxed – every one into his own city
and Joseph also went up from Galilee
out of the city of Nazareth – into Judea
to the city of David – which is called Bethlehem
(BECAUSE he was of the house and lineage of David)
to be taxed with Mary
his espoused wife being great with child
Jesus was born verse 6- 7
AND so it was – that – while they were there
the days were accomplished that she should be delivered
AND she brought forth her firstborn SON
and wrapped HIM in swaddling clothes
and laid HIM in a manger
BECAUSE there was no room for them in the inn
Angels announce birth to shepherds verse 8- 12
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field
keeping watch over their flocks by night
And – lo – the angel of the Lord came on them
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them
and they were sore afraid
AND the angel said to them – Fear not – FOR – BEHOLD
I bring you good tidings of great joy – which shall be to all people
FOR unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior
which is Christ the Lord
AND this shall be a sign unto you
You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
lying in a manger
Angels sing song of praise verse 13- 14
AND suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God and saying
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace – good will toward men
Shepherds go to Bethlehem verse 15
AND it came to pass – as the angels were gone away from them into heaven
the shepherds said one to another
Let us now go even unto Bethlehem
and see this thing which is come to pass
which the Lord has made known unto us
Shepherds announce birth of Jesus verse 16- 20
AND they came with haste – and found Mary and Joseph
and the babe lying in a manger and when they had seen it
they made known abroad the saying which was told
them concerning the child
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them
by the shepherds
BUT Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart
Jesus circumcised verse 21
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child
HIS name was called JESUS
which was so named of the angel before HE
was conceived in the womb
Sacrifice offered by parent in accord
with Law of Moses verse 22- 24
And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses
were accomplished they brought HIM to Jerusalem
to present HIM to the Lord (as it is written
in the law of the Lord
Every male that opens the womb shall be
called holy to the Lord)
AND to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said
in the law of the Lord
A pair of turtledoves – or two young pigeons
Simeon prophesied about Jesus verse 25- 35
And BEHOLD – there was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon
and the same man was just and devout
waiting for the consolation of Israel
and the Holy Ghost was on him
AND it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s Christ
AND he came by the Spirit into the temple
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to do for HIM after the custom of the law
THEN took he HIM up in his arms – and blessed God and said
Lord – now let you YOUR servant depart in peace
according to YOUR word
FOR mine eyes have seen YOUR salvation
which you hast prepared BEFORE the face of all people
A light to lighten the Gentiles
and the glory of YOUR people Israel
and Joseph and his mother marveled
at those things which were
spoken of HIM
AND Simeon blessed them – and said unto Mary HIS mother
BEHOLD
this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel
AND for a sign which shall be spoken against
(Yea – a sword shall pierce through your own soul also)
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed
Prophecy of Anna verse 36- 38
AND there was one Anna – a prophetess – the daughter of Phanuel
of the tribe of Asher – she was of a great age
and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity
and she was a widow of about fourscore (80) and four years
which departed not from the temple
BUT served God with fastings and prayers night and day
and she come in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord
and she spoke of HIM to all them that looked for redemption
in Jerusalem
Parents take Jesus home verse 39- 40
AND when they had performed all things
according to the law of the Lord
they returned into Galilee
to their own city Nazareth
AND the child grew – and waxed strong in spirit
filled with wisdom and the grace of God
was upon HIM
Jesus at twelve verse 41- 50
Now 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
after the custom of the feast
AND when they had fulfilled the days – as they returned
the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem
and Joseph and HIS mother knew not of it
BUT they – supposing HIM to have been in the company
went a day’s journey
and they sought HIM among their kinsfolk
and acquaintance
AND when they found HIM not
they turned back again to Jerusalem – seeking HIM
AND it came to pass – that after THREE DAYS
they found HIM in the temple
sitting in the midst of the doctors – both hearing them
and asking them questions
AND all that heard HIM were astonished at HIS understanding and answers
and when they saw HIM – they were amazed
and HIS mother said unto HIM
Son – Why have YOU thus dealt with us? BEHOLD
YOUR father and I have sought YOU sorrowing
AND HE said to them – How is it that you sought ME?
Wist you not that I must be about MY Father’s business?
AND they understood not the saying which HE spoke unto them
Jesus returns to Nazareth verse 51- 52
AND HE went down with them – and came to Nazareth
and was subject to them
BUT HIS mother kept all these sayings
in her heart
AND Jesus increased in wisdom and stature
and in favor with God and man
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped HIM in swaddling clothes, and laid HIM in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (4416 “firstborn” [prototokos] means first begotten, birthright, existing before, or superior)
DEVOTION: Have you ever given it any thought that Jesus was in heaven before HIS birth. HE was ruling and reign over the universe with the Father and Holy Spirit. HE was listening to the angels sing praise. HE was involved in the creation of the world. HE owned the cattle on a thousand hills. Heaven is mentioned to have precious jewels and a golden street. Money was no problem.
Now HE comes to earth as a little baby and where does HE stay? HE stays in a stable. HE is born around animals. HE doesn’t have clothes made by a famous designer. HE was reaped in strips of cloth.
What did the LORD give up to come to this world as a baby? HE gave up heaven. HE limited HIS attributes. HE emptied HIMSELF to come to this world. HE was no longer omnipresent. HE no longer was omniscient. HE no longer was omnipotent. HE set them aside when HE took on a human form. HE was still God and man. HE was sinless. HE was in direct communication with the Father. HE knew what HIS message was to be to those who followed HIM.
Can we fully understand how HE could be fully God and fully man? Not really. HE did it and we need to believe it. Were the attributes still available to HIM? YES!! The mount of transfiguration showed this possibility.
HE is coming again to take HIS own into heaven before the Tribulation. HE is coming back after that seven years to rule and reign on this earth for a thousand years.
CHALLENGE: WE need to believe that HE is still on the throne no matter what is going on in our world.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. (3708 “known” [horao] means take heed, perceive, to see, to perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight, pay attention to, concern oneself with, understanding, or cause to happen.)
DEVOTION: The shepherds were minding their own business when the angels appeared to tell them the news of the birth of Jesus. They were giving information and singing the praise of the birth of the Savior of the World.
The shepherds were amazed. They didn’t understand fully what was happening. They were used to their quiet evenings next to a fire. What a amazing sight it had to be to see the angels and hear their voices.
Once they had left they went to see if something had really happened in Bethlehem. They went to the sable and saw Jesus. They worshiped HIM and then.
Then they went out and told everyone they saw about what had happened. Some didn’t believe them. Others went to see if it was true. What would you have done? We could do nothing about announcing our Savior’s birth. We could just tell close friend. Or we could tell the world about what was happening.
The choice is ours each day. If we truly believe that Jesus came to save the world we would want to do something if we are a follower of HIM. The shepherd told all they met.
CHALLENGE: Once we are introduced to Jesus we need to make a commitment to HIM and tell others about HIM.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. (3000 “served” [latreuo] means worship, minister to, to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to devote, or homage.
DEVOTION: Here is a woman who lived eighty-four years serving the LORD in the Temple. Once her husband died, after seven years of marriage, this is what she dedicated her life to. During those years she was regularly fasting and praying. The Pharisees fasted twice a week. She seemed to do it more.
She was used of the LORD to as a prophetess. She knew who Jesus was. She came at the same time that Simeon was making his statements about finally seeing the child who was set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel.
Her message was that Jesus was going to redeem the children of Israel. The LORD blessed her ministry with the knowledge of who Jesus was and what HE was going to do for Israel.
As you read this account of a woman who was serving the LORD she set a standard for those who want to dedicate their life to service. She was willing to be alone. She was willing to put food and drink aside to service. She wanted to gain understanding in the work of the LORD. It took a long time but she was honored for her ministry. She never gave up.
She was there when Jesus came into the Temple to be dedicated to the LORD. Jesus had opened the womb of Mary and the firstborn child was always to be dedicated to the LORD for service.
Commitment is what the LORD honors. We have two examples of that we met at the Temple. Simeon and Anna were honored for their years of service with an answer to their prayers. They saw the Messiah.
We have to have the same commitment to our service to the LORD. It is not just a pray that we say or attendance at church or baptism or giving of our money. It is a combination of them all but more. It is yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit and being available to serve no matter what comes along. Total commitment gives glory to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Our sacred services are to be given to the LORD each day. If we live to be an hundred we can serve the LORD. No retirement age allowed.
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: 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. (5293 “subject” [hupotasso] means to arrange under, to subordinate, to put in subjection, obey, to submit to one’s control, or to yield to one’s admonition or advice)
DEVOTION: The hypostatic union of Christ is an interesting study. Here we have God and man in one person. Yet this God/man is without sin. HE is sinless. No other human was sinless except Adam and Eve before the fall. Now every human being is sinful. Without exception all have sinned and come short of the GLORY of God. Some think they have not sinned too much. Those individuals think that everyone else is a worse sinner than them. They are wrong because they are guilty of the sin of Satan – Pride.
In this chapter we have the birth of Christ until HE becomes a man. During this time period HE never sinned. HIS mother and Joseph left HIM behind in Jerusalem but then they found HIM three days later in the Temple asking questions and giving answers at the age of twelve. All the doctors or scholars were amazed at HIS knowledge.
HE went home with Joseph and Mary submitting to them. HE worked in the carpenter shop with Joseph. Everyone in Nazareth saw HIM grow up but didn’t think about how obedient HE was. They didn’t see how different HE was from the other children. They probably thought HE was just a good kid.
But we need to think about this word that is used. This word is used in relation to the second person of the Godhead. HE had come to earth as a baby. HE had grown up in a household. HE turned twelve years old and was able to question the leading scholars of HIS day regarding the law of Moses and the teachings of the Old Testament.
Yet, when his mother and Joseph came to the temple to get HIM, he willing followed them home. HE stayed in Nazareth in the shop of Joseph until HE started HIS ministry at age thirty. So for eighteen years HE worked in the carpenter shop. When HE was in HIS ministry, the people of Nazareth didn’t want to listen to HIM because HE was from their hometown and they saw HIM grow up. They didn’t want to believe that HE was the Son of God.
The people that we grow up with or around have their faults. If we know them well, we know that they are sinners. Then comes a time that they want to be a teacher of the Word of God and we say “that’s only ____, we know him and all the things he has done in his life, why should we listen to him.” The problem is that if God is using him we should be listening.
We need to be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives and sometimes that means listening to those we know the best and worst about. What is the LORD saying to us through them? Are we willing listeners? Are we submitting to those in our family that the LORD is using?
Jesus was submitting to his mother and Joseph until he reached the age of maturity in Jewish eyes. HE was also submitting to the Father in heaven. Can we even think that thought? Jesus was submitting to human beings during HIS lifetime here on earth.
Has anyone in our families reached the age of maturity in God’s eyes and are we willing to listen to them? We are sinners. Christ never sinned. Yet, God uses sinners to reach all of us for HIM.
CHALLENGE: Be willing to listen to those who love the LORD, even if, we know all their faults. IF the LORD is speaking through them – we need to hear!!!
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Anna fasting and praying in temple verse 37
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Anna fasting and praying in temple verse 37
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sacrifice verse 24
Temple verse 27, 37, 46
Feast of Passover verse 41
Doctors verse 46
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Law of Moses verse 22
Law of the LORD verse 23, 24, 39
Custom of the law verse 27
According to God’s word verse 29
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord verse 9, 15, 22-24, 26, 29, 38, 39
Glory of the Lord verse 10
Glory to God verse 14
God verse 20, 28, 37, 40
Lord’s Christ verse 26
Father verse 49
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Firstborn verse 7
Son verse 7, 48
Savior verse 11
Christ verse 11, 26
Lord verse 11, 22
Christ the Lord verse 11
Babe verse 12, 16
Child verse 17, 21, 27, 34, 40, 43
JESUS verse 21, 43, 52
Present to the Lord verse 22
Holy unto the LORD verse 23
Lord’s Christ verse 26
Child Jesus verse 27, 43
Salvation verse 30
Light to the Gentiles verse 32
Child grew verse 40
Waxed strong in spirit verse 40
Filled with wisdom verse 40
Grace of God was upon verse 40
Sitting in midst of the doctors verse 46
Hearing doctors verse 46
Asking questions verse 46
Doctors astonished at understanding verse 47
Doctors astonished at answers verse 47
About Father’s business verse 49
Subject to HIS parents verse 51
Increased in wisdom verse 52
Increased in stature verse 52
Increased in favor with God verse 52
Increased in favor with man verse 52
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Ghost verse 25, 26
Holy Ghost was upon Simeon verse 25
Spirit verse 27
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Angel of the Lord verse 9- 15
Multitude of heavenly host verse 13
Praising God verse 13
Angels verse 15
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Caesar Augustus verse 1
Cyrenius (governor of Syria) verse 2
Shepherds verse 18
All people verse 31
Gentiles verse 32
Thoughts of many hearts verse 35
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Fear not verse 10
Good tiding verse 10
Great joy verse 10
Praising God verse 13, 20
Peace verse 14
Glorifying God verse 20
Sacrifice verse 24
Just verse 25
Devout verse 25
Waiting for the consolation of Israel verse 25
Blessed verse 28, 34
Depart in peace verse 29
Salvation verse 30
Serve verse 37
Gave thanks verse 38
Redemption verse 38
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Joseph verse 4, 33, 41, 43, 48
Galilee verse 4, 39
Nazareth verse 4, 39, 51
Judaea verse 4
City of David verse 4, 11
Bethlehem verse 4
David verse 4
Mary verse 5, 19, 33, 34, 41, 43, 48- 51
Shepherds verse 8, 20
Circumcising verse 21
Days of purification verse 22
Law of Moses verse 22
Jerusalem verse 22, 25, 38, 41- 43, 45
Present child to the Lord verse 22
Simeon verse 25- 34
God’s people Israel verse 32, 34
Anna – prophetess verse 36- 38
Daughter of Phanuel
Tribe of Asher
Great age
Widow for 84 years
Serve with fasting and prayers
Looking for redemption
Parents didn’t understand verse 50
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Heaven verse 15
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QUOTES regarding passage
FIRST-BEGOTTEN, FIRSTBORN
prototokos (πρωτοτόκος, 4416), “firstborn” (from protos, “first,” and tikto, “to beget”), is used of Christ as born of the Virgin Mary, Luke 2:7; further, in His relationship to the Father, expressing His priority to, and preeminence over, creation, not in the sense of being the “first” to be born. It is used occasionally of superiority of position in the OT, see Exod. 4:22; Deut. 21:16, 17, the prohibition being against the evil of assigning the privileged position of the “firstborn” to one born subsequently to the “first” child.
The five passages in the NT relating to Christ may be set forth chronologically thus: (a) Col. 1:15, where His eternal relationship with the Father is in view, and the clause means both that He was the “Firstborn” before all creation and that He Himself produced creation (the genitive case being objective, as v. 16 makes clear); (b) Col. 1:18 and Rev. 1:5, in reference to His resurrection; (c) Rom. 8:29, His position in relationship to the church; (d) Heb. 1:6, rv, His second advent (the rv “when He again bringeth in,” puts “again” in the right place, the contrast to His first advent, at His birth, being implied); cf. Ps. 89:27. The word is used in the plural, in Heb. 11:28, of the firstborn sons in the families of the Egyptians, and in 12:23, of the members of the Church.¶
Note: With (a) cf. John 1:30, “He was before me,” lit., “He was first (protos) of me,” i.e., “in regard to me,” expressing all that is involved in His preexistence and priority. (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, pp. 240–241). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
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43–47 At this intermediate age, Jesus might have been either with the women and children or with the men and older boys, if the families were grouped this way in the caravan. Each parent might have supposed he was with the other (v. 43). We need not assume that his parents neglected him. It was after a day of travel that they missed Jesus (v. 44); another day would have been required for the trip back (v. 45), and on the next day (“after three days,” v. 46) the successful search was made.
The questions Jesus put to the teachers (v. 46) were probably not merely boyish inquiries but the kind of probing questions used in ancient academies and similar discussions. He also gave answers (v. 47). J.W. Doeve suggests that Jesus engaged in a midrashic discussion of biblical texts: “Their amazement must relate to his deducing things from Scripture which they had never found before” (Jewish Hermeneutics in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts [Assen: Van Gorcum, 4], p. 105) (Leifeld, W. L. (1984). Luke. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 852). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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On the return home from their trip to Jerusalem, His parents did not realize He was not with them until they had gone some distance. After three days they found Him in the temple courts. The “three days” refer to the time since they had left the city. They had traveled one day’s journey away from the city (Luke 2:44); it took them a second day to get back; they found Him on the following day. When Jesus was found, He was interacting with the teachers of the Law, listening and asking intelligent questions. Everyone … was amazed (existanto, “beside themselves in amazement”; cf. 8:56) at His understanding and His answers. When Mary and Joseph saw Him, they were astonished (exeplagēsan, “struck out of their senses,” perhaps with joy; cf. 4:32; 9:43). In response to Mary’s question about why He had treated them in this manner, Jesus drew a sharp distinction between them and God, His true Father (2:49). His statement confirmed that He knew His mission and that His parents also should have known about His mission. However, His parents did not understand this. (Martin, J. A. (1985). Luke. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 210). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Having obeyed the Law in everything, Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth, which would be our Lord’s home until He started His official ministry. There were many Jewish men with the name Jesus (Joshua), so He would be known as “Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 2:22); and His followers would be called “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5; see Matt. 2:23). His enemies used the name scornfully and Pilate even hung it on the cross (Matt. 21:11), but Jesus was not ashamed to use it when He spoke from heaven (Acts 22:8). That which men scorned (John 1:46), Jesus Christ took to heaven and made glorious!
What did Jesus do during the “hidden years” at Nazareth? Dr. Luke reports that the lad developed physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually (Luke 2:40, 52). In His incarnation, the Son of God set aside the independent use of His own divine attributes and submitted Himself wholly to the Father (Phil. 2:1–11). There are deep mysteries here that no one can fully understand or explain, but we have no problem accepting them by faith.
Jesus did not perform any miracles as a Boy, traditions notwithstanding, because the turning of water into wine was the beginning of His miracles (John 2:1–11). He worked with Joseph in the carpenter shop (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3) and apparently ran the business after Joseph died. Joseph and Mary had other children during those years (Matt. 13:55–56; John 7:1–10), for the “until” of Matthew 1:25 indicates that the couple eventually had normal marital relations.
Luke gives us only one story from our Lord’s youthful years. Joseph and Mary were devout Jews who observed Passover in Jerusalem every year. Three times a year the Jewish men were required to go to Jerusalem to worship (Deut. 16:16), but not all of them could afford to do so. If they chose one feast, it was usually the Passover; and they tried to take their family with them, for it was the most important feast on the Jewish calendar.
People traveled to the feasts in caravans, the women and children leading the way and setting the pace, and the men and young men following behind. Relatives and whole villages often traveled together and kept an eye on each other’s children. At the age of twelve, Jesus could easily have gone from one group to another and not been missed. Joseph would think Jesus was with Mary and the other children, while Mary would suppose He was with Joseph and the men, or perhaps with one of their relatives.
They had gone a day’s journey from Jerusalem when they discovered that Jesus was missing. It took a day to return to the city and another day for them to find Him. During those three days, Joseph and Mary had been “greatly distressed” (Luke 2:48, “sorrowing”). This word is used to describe Paul’s concern for lost Israel (Rom. 9:2) as well as the pain of lost souls in hades (Luke 16:24–25).
It is worth noting that Luke’s phrase “Joseph and His mother” (Luke 2:43) suggests the Virgin Birth, while the phrase “Thy father and I” (Luke 2:48) indicates that Joseph was accepted as the legal father of Jesus (see Luke 3:23). To use Luke 2:48 to disprove the Virgin Birth is stretching a point.
Whether Jesus had spent the entire time in the temple, we don’t know. It certainly would have been safe there and the Heavenly Father was watching over Him. We do know that when Joseph and Mary found Him, He was in the midst of the teachers, asking them questions and listening to their answers; and the teachers were amazed at both His questions and His answers.
Mary’s loving rebuke brought a respectful but astonished reply from Jesus: “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49, nasb) It can also be translated “in the things of My Father” (nasb margin), but the idea is the same. Jesus was affirming His divine sonship and His mission to do the will of the Father.
The word must was often on our Lord’s lips: “I must preach” (Luke 4:43); “The Son of man must suffer” (Luke 9:22); the Son of man “must be lifted up” (John 3:14). Even at the age of twelve, Jesus was moved by a divine compulsion to do the Father’s will.
Since Jesus “increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52), we wonder how much He understood God’s divine plan at that time. We must not assume that at the age of twelve He was omniscient. Certainly He grew in His comprehension of those mysteries as He communed with His Father and was taught by the Spirit.
One thing is sure: Joseph and Mary didn’t understand! This was a part of the pain from “the sword” that Simeon had promised her (Luke 2:35), and no doubt it happened again and again as the boy matured. Years later, during His ministry, our Lord’s family didn’t understand Him (Luke 8:19–21; John 7:1–5).
Jesus is a wonderful example for all young people to follow. He grew in a balanced way (Luke 2:52) without neglecting any part of life, and His priority was to do the will of His Father (see Matt. 6:33). He knew how to listen (Luke 2:46) and how to ask the right questions. He learned how to work, and He was obedient to His parents.
The Boy Jesus grew up in a large family, in a despised city, nurtured by parents who were probably poor. The Jewish religion was at an all-time low, the Roman government was in control, and society was in a state of fear and change. Yet when Jesus emerged from Nazareth, eighteen years later, the Father was able to say of Him, “Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).
May the Father be able to say that about us! (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 179–180). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Ver. 46. And it came to pass, that after three days, &c.] From their first setting out from Jerusalem, when Jesus tarried behind; or on the third day, which may be reckoned thus; the first day was spent in journeying, and the second in coming back the same journey, and the third day they sought all Jerusalem for him, when they found him in the temple; his father’s house, the house of God, a figure of a Gospel church, where the word and ordinances are duly administered, and where Christ is to be found. What part of the temple Christ was in, is not easy to say; it was not in the holy of holies, for none but the high-priest went into that, and that only on the day of atonement; nor in the court of the priests, for he was not among them, but the doctors; nor in the court of the Israelites, where the common people worshipped: it may be best judged of, by observing where their several consistories, or courts of judicature were; the grand sanhedrim sat in the sanctuary, in the room Gazith; the lesser sanhedrim, which consisted of twenty-three persons, and the bench of three; the one sat in the gate of the court (of the Israelites); and the other in the gate of the mountain of the house (or court of the Gentiles); it seems most likely, that he was in the room Gazith, where the grand sanhedrim sat; for here was the largest number of doctors; and it was the more amazing to his parents, to find him here; unless it should be rather thought, that he was in the synagogue in the temple, for such an one thereb was there; where, after service was over, he might be admitted to a conversation with the learned doctors that belonged to it: it follows, sitting in the midst of the doctors: the principal doctors in being at this time, were Hillell ana Shammai, the one the president, and the other vice-president of the council; and Rabban Simeon, the son of Hillell, who succeeded him in his office; and R. Judah, and R. Joshua, the sons of Bethira; Jonathan ben Uzziel, the author of the Chaldee paraphrase; and R. Jochanan ben Zaccai. The sanhedrim sat in a semicircular form, like the half of a round corn-floor; so that they could see one another, and the prince, and the father of the court, could see them all; and before them sat three rows of the disciples of the wise men, or scholars; and in each row there were three-and-twenty men: the first row was next to the sanhedrim, and the second row below that, and the third row below that; and in every row they sat according to their superiority in wisdom: on a seat, in one of these rows, I think, Christ eat among the scholars; and this may be called sitting among the doctors, because these seats were just before them, and were in a semicircular form; at least he might be here at first; when upon the questions he put, and the answers he made, he was taken particular notice of by the doctors, who might call him up, and place him between them; for this, in some cases, was done to scholars. Thus, ’tis said, “if one of the disciples, or scholars, say, I have something to say in favour of him, (one that is on his trial,) they bring him up, and cause him to sit in the midst of them; and he does not go down from thence all the whole day.” Both hearing them; their debates and decisions about points in the law of Moses: and asking them questions; upon those points. Had this been a Midrash, or school, there would be no difficulty of producing instances of putting questions to the doctors there; but there was no such place in the temple, or synagogue, where teachers were interrogated by their hearers; for which reason I think the passages, produced by Dr. Lightfoot, are not so pertinent, since they refer to such a place: it is very likely, since there were such a number of scholars admitted to sit before the sanhedrim to hear their controversies, and determinations, and were allowed, in some cases, to speak; so they might be suffered to put questions, in order to gain knowledge.
Ver. 47. And all that heard him were astonished, &c.] All in the sanhedrim, both the doctors, and their disciples, were amazed, at his understanding; in the knowledge of the law, and of the Scriptures: and his answers; which he returned to the questions the doctors put to him, which were made with so much wisdom and judgment, that it was surprising in one of his years. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 1, pp. 533–534). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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Luke now has a delightful story to tell, a story that gives us one glimpse of the Lord Jesus between His birth and His baptism. He was twelve, the age in Jewish culture when a boy begins to assume the responsibilities of a man. He was ready for His first Passover.
His education had been thorough enough, first at His mother’s knee and then in the local rabbinical school. The weekly Sabbath observance would have been His joy. The Scripture written on the doorposts (Deut. 11:20) of the house had a word for Him every time He left home and whenever He came home. He soon knew His Bible by heart, and, given His flawless memory and His brilliant mind, He doubtless knew it in both Hebrew and Greek. He came to know all of the people who crowd the Old Testament page, all of the precepts of the ritual law, and all of the principles of such books as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. He knew and understood the full significance of all of the prophecies and promises that God had given to the Hebrew people.
From the age of five until He was ten, His only textbook was the Bible. From ten to fifteen, He was exposed to the Mishna, the traditions of the elders, what came to be known as “the oral law” supposedly given to Moses at Sinai. His keen mind would soon sort out the good from the bad in all of that. Not until He was fifteen would He enter an academy and be taught the endless harangues of the rabbis.
So with a full heart Jesus joined the pilgrims marching to Zion to keep the feast. To date this particular event, Luke mentions in passing the names of some of the great people of the time. The depraved Tiberius was on the throne in Rome. It was his fifteenth year. Pontius Pilate was governor with his seat in the Roman city of Caesarea. Herod Antipas was ruler of Galilee. The infamous Annas was the Rome—appointed high priest. Our history books tell us what a collection of rogues and ruffians they were! Their dark shadows lay across the little land where Jesus would soon exercise His ministry and be put to death. Those men had another eighteen years to get their house in order. Meanwhile, we see the Lord heading joyfully to Jerusalem in the company of crowds of pilgrims singing “the songs of degrees” (Pss. 120–134).
As the Lord entered Jerusalem, His thoughts must have been mixed indeed. Here was a city that Abraham had visited thousands of years earlier, a city where David had reigned, a city that murdered the prophets and that one day would crucify Him. And crowning Mount Moriah and dominating everything was the temple. Tens of thousands of people could find room within its courts. The Lord’s eyes would constantly be drawn to it. He called it “my Father’s house,” although it was, in fact, being built by the Herods.
The crowds kept Passover, and then Joseph and Mary prepared to head for home. Jesus stayed behind. They went a day’s journey “supposing” Him to be in the company (2:43–44). If Joseph and Mary took the direct route, their first halting place would have been Shechem. That was when Mary and Joseph discovered their loss. They were frantic. A hasty roll call of relatives and friends confirmed the disaster: Jesus was gone.
Back they went, beating the countryside for some scrap of news. Back to their lodgings. All around the markets and bazaars, not once thinking of the temple—surely the obvious place for them to look for such a one as He. Finally, they went to the temple, and there He was sitting amid the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions and astounding everyone who was present with His understanding and His answers to their questions.
In Jesus’ day, two schools dominated rabbinic thought, and they seemed to delight in contradicting one another. Hillel was the more liberal of the two, but he was a philosopher with little regard for the people—“this people who know not the law” was his sneer. His rival, Shammai, had a smaller following and was intensely national and exclusive and frowned on any dealings with Gentiles. Between them, these two schools held Israel in bondage. Jesus, however, knew full well who He was and why He was there. He was not intimidated by those learned men. Nor was He forward, precocious, or impolite. He already knew His Bible thoroughly and doubtless could see through their legalistic traditions. He amazed them. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring the Gospel of Luke: An Expository Commentary (Lk 2:41–47). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)
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FROM MY READING:
Old Testament WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe
The king did not believe that the words of the prophet were God’s words or that they had any personal message to him. Some of the king’s officers heard the scroll read and trembled in fear, but the king paid no attention. (p. 154)
Those in authority may ignore the Scriptures and even want to destroy them, but God’s people have the privileged obligation to love God’s Word, read and study it, and then obey it. (p. 155)
It isn’t enough just to believe the Bible; we must receive it into our very being as we do our food and drink. Are we taking advantage of this privilege? (p. 155)
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TOZERSPEAKS (volume two) by A. W. Tozer
I find myself indignant concerning much preaching and teaching which portrays the Christ as a soft and pliant friend of everybody, a painted, plastic figure without any spine and involved in no way with justice. (p. 613)
There is a basic concept of judgment, a simple concept, held by practically all of the religious people that have ever lived anywhere, with variations in the details. This is the belief that human beings are morally accountable because they are not self-created beings, nor self-sustaining. Their life is derived from another and not from themselves. (p. 613)
It is not inconsistent for us to believe that men are free to decide their own moral choices while believing at the same time that they are also under the necessity to account to God for those choices. (p. 614)
This gets directly into the infamous relativity of morals now being taught so widely in our educational processes. (p. 616)
Among those earlier leaders was Daniel Webster whose blazing eyes and fiery oratory often held the Senate spellbound. In those days the Congress was composed of strong, noble statesmen who carried the weight of the nation in their hearts and minds. (p. 618)
There is another point involved here: the judge has to be disinterested. He must have no personal interest or bias. The motives and actions of some judges in this life may be brought into question, but the Son of God is able to say: “I judge as one who seeks not his own glory but the glory of God alone.” (p. 620)
In that great day still to come, there will be no dodging, no whimpering, no whining. No one will be able to charge Him, saying, “But Lord, you did not understand!” (p. 620)
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The RADICAL PURSUIT of REST by John Koessler
Worship is not a feast we lay out for God. It is the table on which God spreads his feast for us. Worship is not an exercise in conjuring God for the sake of a congregational event. God’s presence is ontological. He is present. The reality of that presence is part of what it means to be the church. If we are the dwelling place of god by his Spirit, then his presence is essential to our identity whenever we come together. We don’t compel God to appear by our words or our actions. He has voluntarily and generously identified himself with us. Although we are more aware of him at some moments than we are at others, it can always be said of the worshiping church, “God is surely in your midst.” (p. 107-8)
Pursuing rest in the realm of worship means that I must be open to the possibility that God is doing something that goes beyond what is happening to me personally. (p. 108)
Rather than attempting to draw heaven down to earth, the church’s worship is a way of acknowledging that we have already taken our place before the heavenly throne. (p. 110)
Earthly worship is an exercise in sustained attention that requires us to train our vision to see reality as God describes it. (p. 110)
When at last I am willing to admit that the root problem is not with the music or the worship leader or the congregation but that it is in me, I remind myself that on this side of heaven the church always worships as a company of sinners. (p. 110)
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Christ is the image of the invisible God and the Head of the church.
INSIGHT
On the surface, it is pretty difficult to explain why you believe in God. No one has seen Him face-to-face, touched Him, or smelled Him, yet His fingerprints are everywhere. You must get beneath the surface where the intangible becomes tangible. God is made visible through Jesus Christ. Paul writes that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (v. 15). If you want to know about God, learn about Jesus. If you want to see God, look at Jesus. If you want to please God, follow Jesus. He is God in the flesh! (Quiet Walk)
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WHAT IS PRAYER?
And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1 John 3:19
What is prayer? Well, I cannot think of a better way of describing it than these two words that we have at the end of 1 John 3:19: “Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.” That is prayer; prayer is coming before Him. Now we are always in the presence of God—“in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28)—and we are always under His eye. But prayer is something still more special. Prayer is having a special audience and going immediately and directly to Him—“before him.” Prayer is something in which we turn our back upon everything else, excluding everything else, while, for the time being, we find ourselves face to face with God alone. There is a sense in which one cannot expound it further; it is just that.
We have to realize that is exactly and precisely what we do when we pray. Obviously, therefore, in a sense the most vital thing in prayer is the realization that we are before Him. And you will find that the saints have always talked a great deal about this. That is the difficulty; thoughts will keep on obtruding themselves, and our imaginations will wander all over the world, and certain ideas and proposals and wants and needs will intrude. But all that must be dismissed, and we must just start by realizing that we are actually and literally in the presence of the living God. “Before him.”
Now, says John, this whole question of brotherly love is of importance because of that. It is when you come there, when you are before Him, that you begin to realize the importance of what you are doing with the rest of your life and with the rest of your time. It is when you come there that you begin to see the relevance of this.
A Thought to Ponder: We must just start by realizing that we are actually and literally in the presence of the living God. (From Children of God, p. 122, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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For Ever and Ever…
“The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.” (Exodus 15:18)
The Bible is a book of eternity, its words “for ever . . . settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). The theme of eternity is prominent throughout; in fact, the words “for ever,” “everlasting,” and the like occur more than 600 times. Many occurrences (49, to be exact) seem to make the concept even more complete, being combined either as “for ever and ever” or “from everlasting to everlasting.”
The first of these is in our text: “The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.” He is the eternal King of all creation! How beautiful and appropriate it is, then, to find that the last (the 49th) of these occurrences tells us that we—His redeemed saints—also “shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).
To note just a few of the other truths that will last for ever and ever, consider first of all the creation: “Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. . . . For he commanded, and they were created. He that also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass” (Psalm 148:3, 5-6). Not only the world of God but also the Word of God shall endure eternally. “All his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. . . . So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever” (Psalm 111:7-8; 119:44).
On the other hand, those who reject God and His Word will endure forever but will be forgotten forever. “Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever” (Psalm 9:5). “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever” (Revelation 14:11).
“But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him” (Psalm 103:17). “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). (
(HMM, The Instituted for Creation Research)
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To summarize: Progressive revelation views the Bible not as a textbook on theology but as the continually unfolding revelation of God give by various means throughout the successive ages. In this unfolding there are distinguishable stages of revelation when God introduces new things for which man becomes responsible. These stages are the economies, stewardships, or dispensations in the unfolding of His purposes and the diversity in the unfolding of it. Covenant theology emphasizes the to the point of forcing unwarranted, inconsistent, and contradictory interpretations of the Scripture. Only dispensationalism can maintain unity and diversity at the same time and offer a consistent system of interpretation. (p. 39) (Dispensationalism by Charles C. Ryrie)
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DAILY HOPE
Today’s Scripture
Numbers 16-17
No matter what business, organization, or ministry, leadership is essential. Leadership can take a small work and turn it into an international business, or an international business can become obsolete, all as a result of management decisions. Often the key to ascension or decline is organizational relationships.
Moses and Aaron had been selected by God to be the leaders of Israel. They were then told to select others who would assist them and together they would lead the people of God. The tribe of Levi was selected to be the priests and the workers of the tabernacle. Each clan was given specific duties and responsibilities by God as instructed through Moses.
Korah, a Levite of the clan of Kohath, was responsible for the most sacred elements of the tabernacle (Numbers 4). He apparently was grieved that Moses and Aaron had too much authority over the nation of Israel. His position and ability to communicate his grievances led him to become the leader of a group of princes which numbered 250 strong.
This group rejected Moses and Aaron as the primary leaders of Israel and insisted a more democratic form of government be implemented. The problem with this assumption, it was God Himself who ordained and placed each of the leaders in their positions of authority. Korah was not challenging Moses but God Himself by seeking to ascend to a position that God had not appointed him to serve.
God rejects false leadership. Whether leadership is man appointed or self-appointed, it will not receive God’s blessings. Korah was talented and gifted, yet he was severely punished by attempting to go beyond his appointed position of leadership.
God reiterated his calling of Moses and Aaron, ensuring to the people of Israel His choice of leaders and their roles. The budding of Aaron’s rod and the subsequent submission on the part of the other priests and leaders allowed the nation to continue their journey.
Instances of personal ambition and the desire for greater authority will challenge
every company, church, or family at different times. Submission and understanding of authority will allow godly leaders to meet these challenges and respond in a Christ like manner. Pray for and support your leaders as they seek to train and develop new leaders for the roles God has for them in the days ahead.
Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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