Today’s message summary of March 24, 2019 from Assistant Pastor Travis Jackson:
Luke 2:39-40 ESV
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.
This passage, along with verses 41 through 52, reflect Jesus’ childhood. Luke is the only New Testament writer that refers to His childhood.
In the movie, Young Messiah, there were many representations of the young Jesus performing miracles, but because it is a movie there were many dramatic scenes that were mere conjecture; yet, the portrayal of the Roman soldiers’ efforts to assassinate the young Jesus were truthful in that Herod did set out to kill all of the Jewish first born children.
Matthew 2:13-15
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.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 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.”
The phrase Hypostatic Union refers to the union of Christ’s humanity and divinity in one individual existence. He was 100% human and 100% God.
Jesus became fully aware of His own identity as He grew up with wisdom and strength.
Jesus was filled with wisdom. He is the personification of wisdom.
Proverbs 8:22-23 CSB
“The Lord acquired me at the beginning of his creation, before his works of long ago. I was formed before ancient times, from the beginning, before the earth began.”
Proverbs 8 is referring to Christ. He was always present. When Luke refers to Christ growing in wisdom, we must note that his humanity was becoming more aware of His divine nature (at around age 12), because the wisdom in His divine nature was always present.
Jesus had to learn and mature in this wisdom. He still had to remain obedient to God and learned more about this wisdom.
Hebrews 5:7-8 CSB
During his earthly life, he offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.
Luke 4:1-2a CSB
Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by the devil.
This favor of God had everything to do with Jesus’ obedience to Him in that He was tempted and remained without sin.
When we look at Jesus, we can’t pass off on Him that because He is God He didn’t sin. He was also fully human, and it is a lesson for us to walk fully in obedience.
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