Luke 2:41-52
The Human Experience
I have mentioned before and repeat tonight that the gospels were
never intended to give us the life of Jesus. For whatever the
reason, God chose to give us only limited information to Jesus’ early
life—perhaps because the more He gave us, the more there would be
for us to misunderstand and even to pervert.
Luke gives us the birth of Jesus, then moves to the circumcision of
Jesus when He was eight days old. Matthew gives us the account of
the wise men coming which was probably when Jesus was months older.
Then we go to this account, when Jesus was twelve. And then the
beginning of His ministry when Jesus was around 30 years old.
Let’s do two things tonight:
1. Let’s consider what it was like for God to be man.
For those who think about the Bible, you will have questions that the
Bible won’t answer. Most of them would likely be questions that would
not bring glory to God and so fall into the category of the
forbidden \\#1Tim 1:4\\. Even so tonight, we will consider a few
of them.
1Tim 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless
genealogies, which minister questions, rather
than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
2. Let’s consider what it was like for Jesus to be a boy.
This account is given of Jesus as a Child. One account of an incident
that happened in the young earthly life of Jesus. Why? I do not know
for certain, but I suspect it was to help us to understand just how
far Jesus went to experience humanity.
Together, let’s consider the Human Experience.
I. What was it like to be God to be a man?
A. We don’t know, can’t understand, and should not waste our time
speculating too far into that topic.
B. However, a few questions might need to be considered.
1. When did Jesus first know that He was God?
a. The Bible does not tell us how this worked so we can
only guess.
b. However, the question itself seems to me to start with
some suppositions.
(1) It supposes that Jesus did not know that He was
God.
(2) To get at that supposition, it seems to me that
one would also have to suppose that the divine
relationship of the Father and the Son was
broken at the incarnation.
(3) Let me explain the relationship of those two.
c. There are some things that I do not recall realizing.
(1) That I was a human.
(2) That I was a male.
(3) Maybe that is because from before I could recall
anything my mom and dad picked me up and said,
"What a cute boy you are!"
(4) Having that relationship with my parents, no
doubt helped me to identify who I was.
(5) I believe Jesus never lost His identity because
He never lost His relationship to the Father—
at least not until the cross.
d. We must always remember that Jesus gave up His
abilities but…
(1) He never gave up His relationship to the Father.
(a) While Jesus stayed 9 months in the womb, the
Father was still His Father.
(b) Here at the age of twelve, Jesus knew who
His Father was.
(c) Why wouldn’t He? The relationship of the
any father to his son is not contingent on
the son or the son’s abilities, but on the
father and the father’s abilities.
(2) And since there is nothing to indicate that Jesus
ever gave us His relationship, there is no
reason to suppose Jesus ever gave up His
identity.
(3) As long as Jesus had His relationship to the
Father, He would also have His identity.
2. Did Jesus do miracles as a Child?
a. No.
b. There is an old manuscript from ancient days called
the "Infancy Gospel of Thomas." It is fiction but
some believe it to be true. It has the story of
Jesus at five years of age making 12 sparrows out of
clay and bringing them to life, but it is not true.
c. How do I know it is not true?
Joh 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus
in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his
glory; and his disciples believed on him.
d. Since this is the account of Jesus beginning to do
miracles then He did not do any before and this
manuscript is fiction.
3. Did Jesus ever do anything wrong growing up?
a. I saw a post on Facebook that said, "I am glad I was
an 80’s child. I was able to do a lot of stupid
stuff and there is no record of it anywhere!"
b. Jesus did not do ANY STUPID STUFF, but the
question is, "Did Jesus do any WRONG stuff?"
c. If by "wrong" you mean sin, the Bible gives us the
answer as well.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin.
d. The word "sin" means "offense." Jesus never offended
God. He never did wrong to the Law or the even the
spirit of the law.
e. That is not the same as saying that Jesus never failed
to accomplish something in His earthly form.
(1) I believe Jesus was the smartest, wisest,
strongest, most thoughtful Man since Adam.
(2) However, Jesus had an earthly body and mind and
Jesus chose to limit Himself to what they could
do.
(3) Jesus did not do miracles and, as far as we know,
there were no exceptions.
(4) This might have led to some failures.
(5) For example, Joseph was a carpenter
\\#Mt 13:55\\. Jesus was the eldest Child and
probably helped Joseph in his trade. It is
possible that Jesus hit a nail wrong, bending
it? Is it possible that Jesus dropped an object
and broke it. Is it possible that something He
wanted to build did not work as He thought it
might?
(6) Yes. These things are possible but none of them
are "sins," AND I THINK that anything
Jesus did was always BETER than what any
one else could do—probably even the most
skilled adult.
II. What was like for Jesus to be a boy.
A. Jesus experiences some things He had never experience before.
1. This text is describing several.
a. God experienced accountability.
Luke 2:48 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.
(1) God never had to give an account to anyone or any
thing before, but here, God must give an account
to His parents.
(2) You talk about whacky situations! Here, God must
explain to man what He has been doing.
(3) Was this difficult for God? No. God would not
be much of an Authority if He could not follow
authority—especially that which He Himself had
ordained.
(4) I do not image the difficulty was for Jesus but
for His parents and siblings!
b. God experienced obedience.
Luke 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to
Nazareth, and was subject unto them…
(1) Yet, I do not think Jesus ever made things any
more difficult that what life made them to be.
(2) Jesus excelled at everything—including obeying.
2. But there are other things that God experienced for the
first time in human form.
a. Darkness - God is glorious. God created darkness, but
God had never experienced darkness until God put on
flesh!
1Jo 1:5 This then is the message which we have
heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is
light, and in him is no darkness at all.
b. Ignorance
Matt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only.
c. Weakness, inability, need, helplessness, hunger, pain
d. Death
B. Jesus did learn.
1. Some wrongly conclude that the reason Jesus stayed at the
temple was to learn about God.
a. I do not think so. Why?
(1) First, what Jesus learned about the Father, He
learned from the Father.
(2) Remember, the relationship of the Father and the
Son was never broken.
(a) Jesus did not need to learn of the Father
from MEN!
(b) That does not even work for men!
(c) Paul did not learn of God from men. Indeed,
what he had learned was largely incorrect
and had to be re-learned.
Gal 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his
grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach
him among the heathen; immediately I conferred
not with flesh and blood:
17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which
were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia,
and returned again unto Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem
to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
b. So what did Jesus stay at the temple to do? To teach!
Luke 2:47 And all that heard him were astonished
at his understanding and answers.
c. They were not astonished at Jesus’ questions, but at
His answers! Jesus didn’t stay to ask them
questions. Jesus stayed to answer their questions!
2. But the text does teach us that Jesus learned.
Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man.
a. Remember, Jesus limited Himself to the things of a
human, including the mind of a human.
(1) Jesus had to learn to sit up, to stand, to walk,
to talk, and all of the things we must learn to
do.
(2) These things had to be programed into His brain.
b. Jesus increased in wisdom.
(1) Wisdom is different in that wisdom is not a
primarily a product of the mind but of the
spirit.
(2) Wisdom is the ability to see things as God sees
things.
(3) The fact that Jesus COULD increase in wisdom
means that for the human, the mind does play
some part in our comprehension of God even
though the actual work is done in our spirit.
(4) What that part is, I do not know; but I suspect
that…
(a) Wisdom must be built on truth and truth
comes through the mind.
(b) Therefore the more truth your mind knows,
the more wisdom your spirit can discern.
c. This verse is telling us that with the many truths
Jesus learned, He perceived more and more of the
things of God.
d. Even so, since wisdom is a product of the spirit, let
us not think that Jesus was ever as foolish as we!
C. Jesus had a mission.
Luke 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that
ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my
Father’s business?
1. I am always amazed at how some want to portray our Lord.
a. Some criticized Jesus as too mission oriented for He
frightened His parents.
b. For myself, I am sure that this isn’t the first time
Jesus conveyed this truth to His parents!
2. From birth, Jesus was not like others. He had a heavenly
Father and an earthly mission and was determined to
complete that mission from the first.
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