The Book of Luke: The Childhood of Christ (Luke 2:40-52)
We have a very unique story in Luke 2. It is the only story in the Bible that shows us the life of Jesus as a child. We have stories about his birth and his adulthood but this is the only one focused on him as a child.
Luke 2:40 “40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace 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 to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.”.
We are fast forwarding in his life to when he is 12 years old. There are many stories that you hear via Church history of Jesus and his childhood that are made up stories. They talk about him performing miracles and other things during his childhood. The Bible doesn’t speak to any of those things. Many of those things if you listen to them sound like fairy tales anyway. The only thing we can trust for sure is the Bible.
They had to go to Bethlehem for the census and taxing taking place. However, the law required men to go to Jerusalem multiple times per year for various things. Often poor people would not be able to afford it. However, the one thing you wanted to make sure to go to Jerusalem for was the feast of the Passover which is what they are doing in Luke 2. The feast of the Passover is a remembrance of when God brought them out of Egypt. This was a requirement but it was also in a way like a vacation or a time to spend with those that you care about.
Luke 2:42 “42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 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.”. Jesus tarried or stayed behind and Joseph and his mother are not aware of it.
Luke 2:44 “44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.”. You will notice that they were traveling with both family (kinsfolk) and friends (acquaintances). They assumed Jesus was with them when they traveled but he actually wasn’t.
Verse 45 “45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 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.”. It took them 3 days to find them. They took 1 day to get to the point they were and then it would be 1 more day to get back. Then on the 3rd day they find him.
Verse 46 “46 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. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”. “Wist ye not” means “Didn’t you know?”. Verse 50 “50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 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. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”.
We have this story of Jesus as a child and 1 of the big things we remember from this story is that Mary and Joseph lost Jesus. I want to give you 2 main points that we can takeaway from this story. I want you to notice some theological things that we can learn from this story about the word of God.
The first lesson that we can get from this story is of how to study the Bible. 2nd Timothy 2:15 “15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”. The Bible teaches that you and I need to know what the Bible says. One reason we should study the Bible is to get the approval of God. We need to know what the Bible says and do what the Bible says for his approval.
Why don’t people study the Bible? It takes work. 2nd Timothy 2:15 said “a workman”. It takes a lot of work to study the Bible for yourself as opposed to just watching YouTube. It also tells us in this verse that you will be ashamed if you don’t know what the Bible says. The things that you don’t know are going to hurt you and harm you. 2nd Timothy 2:15 “…rightly dividing the word of truth.”. There are some things that we need to rightly divide the word of God. Let me give you a couple examples of that so you can understand this.
A few weeks ago we were out soulwinning. This guy told us that he was a 7th Day Adventist. He was more interested in trying to convert us than to listen. He was trying to make a big deal to us of the importance of meeting for Church on the Sabbath. The problem is that this is a man who is not rightly dividing the word of truth. There are simply some things in the Bible that no longer apply to us.
#1 – Not all of the Bible is written in the same format. Some of the Bible is narrative or stories. There are other passages of scripture like the Epistles that are not a story. It’s just the Apostle Paul teaching us doctrine. Some of the Bible is written in poetic form. What we need to understand is that when there is a narrator, the human author is the narrator. For example, in the Book of Luke, Luke is the narrator. By the way, we don’t always know who the narrator is. What we need to understand though is that when there is a human narrator, the true narrator is the Holy Spirit of God. Luke is not just a story written by Luke but it’s the Holy Spirit of God guiding it.
Acts 1:16 “16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.”. In this verse, we are seeing about the fulfillment of an Old Testament scripture. We are seeing that the Holy Ghost gave this but David was the human author. When the men who wrote the Bible spoke, it was the Holy Spirit of God leading them to the exact words to say.
2nd Samuel 23:1-2 “Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, 2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.”. It was the Holy Spirit that spake through David and David himself is acknowledging that here. 2nd Peter 1:21 “21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”. The Bible tells us that the Holy Ghost would come upon people and they would speak.
With that said, let us go back to Luke 2. The narrator is the human author but it is really the Holy Spirit of God speaking through that narrator. When Luke is telling us these stories, it is the Holy Spirit speaking through him. We know that what he is saying is true. However, in the Bible narratives, sometimes we have characters who are speaking in that story who say things that are wrong. In these narratives, the characters are accurately quoted. Sometimes those characters though are wrong. What the Bible writes about these characters is accurate to what they said but what they said might not actually be true.
I’ll give you an example. In the book of Job, starting at chapter 3, we have the friends of Job make a lot of statements. Now what the Bible is writing about them is completely accurate. However, it doesn’t mean what they were saying was true. At the end of Job, God said that they were wrong for what they said to Job. How do we know if a character is saying the right thing? We have to see if it lines up with what the Bible says. With that said, let us go back to Luke 2 and look at the story.
Luke 2:42 “42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 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.”. Right here the narrator is speaking. The narrator is careful to never refer to Joseph as the father of Jesus. It says in verse 43 “Joseph and his mother”. Luke 2:33 “33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.”. We see that the narrator is careful not to say his father and mother or his parents.
Verse 44 “44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 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. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.”.
When Mary speaks, she says “thy father and I”. Was Joseph the father of Jesus? No. God the Father was the Father of Jesus. Here we see Mary making a mistake. This shows us also that Mary was a sinner. Mary was not infallible. She was a human being. The 12-year-old Jesus subtly corrects her for what she said. Mary is basically saying that they have been looking for him. Jesus subtly is saying “How could my Father be looking for me if I was doing my Father’s business.”. The statement by Mary is a true statement in the sense that it is accurate to what Mary said. However, it is false because it’s not actually true what she said. It’s like when the Devil is lying but he is quoted accurately. Characters say things that are not accurate sometimes. We need to learn to rightly divide the word of God correctly to be able to answer false things that people say.
Let me give you another example. People will point at a so-called contradiction in the Bible regarding the death of King Saul. We have 1 passage of scripture saying he died a certain way in 1st Samuel. Then in 2nd Samuel there is a different passage with a different method in which he died. What you need to understand is that 1 of those stories is the narrator which is speaking by the Holy Ghost directly saying what happened. Then a man claims that he saw Saul die a certain way but he is lying. The Bible tells us what that man said but it doesn’t say that what the man said was correct.
Another example is with the sin of polygamy. You have people trying to defend polygamy by bringing up characters in the Bible who had multiple wives. However, there are clear verses from the Holy Spirit of God condemning that sin and telling us it is wrong. What that shows us is those characters chose to commit that sin but it doesn’t mean that God approved of it.
We are going to shift gears and instead of how to study the Bible, we are going to talk about versions of the Bible. The Bible tells us that there is an attack on the word of God. 2nd Corinthians 2:17 “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”. Even in the life of Paul, there were already people corrupting the word of God. There has been an attack on the word of God since the very beginning.
Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”. The first time we see Satan speaking in the Bible, he is questioning the word of God. “hath God said”. Be very careful about people that question the Bible. Genesis 3:2 “2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”. First Satan questions the word of God and interprets it incorrectly. Now notice what he says in verse 4. Genesis 3:4 “4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:”. Satan added 1 word “not” and it completely changed the meaning. In today’s world, you talk to people about Bible versions and people, say “it’s just a small change”. Look, “ye shall surely die” vs “ye shall not surely die” is only 1 word different. However, it completely changes the meaning.
In Luke 2, Mary incorrectly refers to Joseph as the father of Jesus while the narrator does not refer to Joseph as his father. The narrator doesn’t correct what Mary said because the narrator is giving us an accurate statement of what Mary said. What’s interesting is that the modern versions don’t correct Mary’s incorrect statement but they actually change the statement of the narrator to being incorrect. In the NIV, ESV and the NRSV all say “his father and mother” in verse 33. This is an attack on the deity of Christ. The whole reason Jesus responds the way he does in Luke 2 is to correct the statement that Mary made.
Psalm 12:6-7 “6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”. It is God’s responsibility to preserve his word. We don’t believe that the word of God is only in the English language. However, we believe the word of God in the English language is the King James version. Matthew 4:4 “4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”. We need an “every word Bible”.
1st Peter 1:23 “23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”. The Bible tells us that the word of God is an incorruptible seed. 2nd Timothy 3:16 “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”. The scripture, the word of God, is God breathed. God spoke those words. We can trust our Bible and study and learn from our King James Bible.
Let’s go back to Luke 2 and learn a few lessons regarding parenting. From my experience, it seems like there are 2 extremes with parenting. 1 extreme is the “helicopter parent”. They want to protect their children from everything. Of course to an extent the kids do need that especially when they are young. What I say to parents like this is “Don’t bail, let them fail.”. We can’t protect our children from everything. Sometimes we have to let them fail. I will say though that when it comes to these 2 extremes, this is probably the one that I would be more likely to fall into. Children need to learn to deal with problems and hurt feelings.
The other extreme is not trying hard enough. This is what the Bible calls “The child left to himself”. With these parents we tell them that they need to spend time with their kids. Forget about your Facebook or other hobbies for a little while and spend time with your children. What’s interesting is that Jesus speaks to both extremes of parenting in this story.
Luke 2:44 “44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 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.”. This story is all about how Joseph and Mary lost the son of God. They lost Jesus. There is no such things as flawless parenting. We are all going to make mistakes and mess up. The 1 thing my wife and I probably spend the most time on talking about late at night is about our children and how we are raising them. As parents we should pray that God will guide us and help us. No matter how hard we try or how much effort we put in, we aren’t going to be perfect. We’re going to make mistakes.
Luke 2:51 “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. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”. When we go to the next chapter, 18 years have gone by and Jesus is 30. What happened in the teen years of Jesus? Jesus increased in wisdom, stature, favor with God and favor with man. For those of you parents who tend to be on the extreme of trying too hard, keep trying. Just realize there is no such thing as flawless parenting.
For those parents who aren’t trying hard enough, focus on these areas in verse 52. Spend time with your parents to make sure that they are growing in these areas. One thing it mentioned was growing in favor with God. We need to make sure that our children are growing spiritually and they are developing their own walk with God. One day they will wake up and leave the house and it won’t be their parents forcing them to do things. They must decide to serve God from their own heart.
It also says that he grew in favor with man. We need to make sure our children are growing in character. We need to have conversations with our children to let them know if they have a bad attitude, if they sound arrogant, if they are showing kindness and respect. If we don’t teach them then their Pastor one day will have to teach them when they are grown adults. We need to teach our children so they can grow in favor with man.
Let’s pray.