From His miraculous birth to His teachings during His ministry, we treasure every recorded moment of Jesus’ life. Have you ever considered what is not detailed?
Scripture presents us with two pivotal snapshots of Jesus: Jesus as a baby and Jesus as a 30-year-old man. In between, there are only whispers of His childhood and nothing about His teenage and young adult years.
The Bible pulls back the curtain on Jesus’ childhood only once, in Luke 2:41-50. At 12 years old, He stayed behind in the temple, astonishing the teachers with His understanding. But why does Scripture remain silent on Jesus’ teenage and young adult years? Perhaps it is a deliberate reminder that God values the mundane as much as the miraculous? I don’t know, but the Bible tells us that that Jesus lived as we do, navigating the joys and challenges of growing up, yet without sin.
These hidden years also emphasize Jesus’ full humanity. He was not just the Savior who died for us; He was the carpenter who built tables, the son who honored His parents, and the neighbor who lived among the people He came to save. He was a sibling and somebody’s nephew. He understands every stage of life because He lived them all.
I heard something not too long ago, that I had never considered (I love moments like these!) Imagine the young Jesus, sitting on the floor at his mother’s knee, gazing up at her with wonder-filled eyes as she lovingly taught Him the very words He had spoken to Moses over 1,400 years earlier! Mary recited the Scripture to Him. She taught Him the pre-incarnate Word of God, and yet here He was, humbly sitting at His mother’s knee, learning, as a child, what He had authored as a God. Just wow!
Philippians 2:6-8 tells us that Jesus “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant… being born in the likeness of men.”
That is incredible my friend! That the Creator of the universe, willingly subjected Himself to the limitations of childhood, learning to walk, speak, and read; that He experienced life just as we do, growing, questioning, and discovering; it is all so incredible. And why? Why would any God; any Creator do this for his subjects? Love. Love is the easy answer. Jesus did it all out of love. He did it for love for humanity and a desire to reconcile us to God.
His entire life, from His miraculous birth to His sacrificial death and resurrection, was part of Their redemptive plan. Humanity was separated from God because of sin and Jesus came to pay the price Himself as the perfect sacrifice so we could be forgiven and restored to God. His very life on earth demonstrated God’s immeasurable love for us!
By humbling Himself, living as one of us, and dying for us, He revealed the depths of God’s compassion and grace. By living a fully human life, Jesus understands our struggles, temptations, and pain.
He became our perfect mediator, able to sympathize with our weaknesses. Most importantly, through His resurrection, Jesus conquered death, sin, and the powers of darkness, giving us the hope of eternal life.
by Jeanette Stark – Friday, December 27, 2024
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