Jesus as a Young Lad sermon tells us of the life of Jesus from manger to ministry. He is our example to follow, and He is our Savior.

Key verses:
Luke 2:21-52

I invite you to take your Bible if you will and turn to the Gospel of Luke chapter two. We’ve been in that range recently, brother Chris and I, and that’s appropriate for this time of year. I want to talk to you this morning on Jesus as a young lad.

We talked about Jesus’ birth, and we should. But sometimes people get the impression that that is all there is to the story. A child was born, we celebrate His coming and that’s it. Well, that’s far from it. What about Jesus as a young child after birth? What happened next?

You know, the whole book of Acts is really the book of what happened next. It begins with Jesus returning to Heaven and then what happened after that? Well, if you read the book, you’ll read about what happened next. It is very exciting if you read it that way and it’s very informative. That’s the same writer as the Gospel of Luke and he is going to tell us after the birth, the Wise Men, and all of the things we talk about and sing about. What happened next? That’s where we are going this morning. So, in Luke chapter two we want to begin at verse 21:

Luke 2:21: “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.”

The Years In Between

So, we celebrated the entry of our Lord into this world and commemorated His birth. It is such a wonderful thing to celebrate. It’s such a wonderful thing that the Savior came into this world. We love to read about His teachings, and His works during approximately 3-1/2 years of public ministry, leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. And then as we said, we get into the book of Acts and the story continues. It continues with His return to Heaven and the birth of the church. But what about those years in between? What about those years between His birth and the time He began His public ministry? There is quite a bit of time in there.

There are stories about that. But what about the eight years between the time we read about Jesus’ birth and the time when the same writer, Luke, tells us in Luke 3:23, “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.” Well, there are 30 years to account for in there, isn’t there?

And the truth is there are, as we said a moment ago, stories about the childhood of Jesus and His life as a young adult. But some of those are just that, stories and legends. When we were in Israel many years ago, a young man said to us, “See those two mountains up there?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “That’s where Jesus jumped from one mountain to the other.” I said, “Really?” He said, “Yes.” I don’t remember reading that in the Bible. I don’t think that happened; that’s just a story. But apparently, it was a local story that they told.

There are such things. Sometimes you read that Jesus as a young person went over to Egypt, maybe over to India, He went to other places so He could learn. Folks, there is no verification of that whatsoever. There is nothing biblically and nothing historically that indicates any of that. Again, these are just stories.

Well, what’s the truth? Stories and legends are interesting and sometimes helpful, but we need an authoritative source. We need something that tells us what really happened. That’s why, as we always do, go back to God’s inspired Word. The truth is the Bible doesn’t tell us a great deal. Maybe not as much as we would like about Jesus, but it’s not absent either. What the Bible does tell us about His time on earth is beyond interesting. Jesus gave us a wonderful example in the story of His childhood and youth. While the Bible does not tell us about Joseph using Jesus in the carpenter shop, it is a pretty safe assumption that he did so.

New to the World

But Paul wrote to Timothy:

1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Now, if Timothy was to live an example as a young man, let’s see what Jesus gives us as an example as a young man. What we do know about Jesus’ life from birth to His public ministry is that He was a perfect example for us.

So, we are going to look at part of verse 21 again in Luke, “And when eight days were accomplished” – this is eight days after Jesus’ birth, so, the child is eight days old at this point. “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child” – not that it is not just a tradition, but that was a commandment of the law that a male child who was born would be circumcised on the eighth day. I have read and heard that there are medical reasons for that. God would certainly know all about that, He gave the commandment. And so, we find that Joseph and Mary are following the Word of God. Now, what does it say?

Leviticus 12:2: “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.”

To be unclean means she could not enter into the temple or tabernacle in the days of the giving of the law.

Leviticus 12:3: “And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.”

Leviticus 12:4: “And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.”

“And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying” – now, that’s Leviticus 12:2-3. Now let’s go to Leviticus 12:4 to give us some insight on verse 22.

Leviticus 12:4: “And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.”

So, look at Luke 2:22: “And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished” – so now how old is Jesus? 33 days old. They brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. So, Jesus is 33 days old, and they bring Him in for a dedication. We do that in our church and in many Baptist churches, we do have a dedication of an infant. We do not Baptize infants. There are many reasons for that, let me give you just a couple.

Number one, baptism in the scriptures is for believers only. A person should be baptized after they’ve trusted the Lord Jesus as their Savior and then they follow him in believers’ baptism. Where do you get that? Well, I get that in the New Testament is where we get it and many places, but notably in Acts chapter two and Acts chapter eight and other places. But the baptism is for believers only. A little one that’s just been born hasn’t made a decision to trust the Lord or not to trust the Lord. They have not made decisions period. They are just new in the world and learning the world, finding out what it’s all about, and it takes them some time. They haven’t made any decisions. So, it’s not biblical and it’s not logical to baptize babies.

But to dedicate a child is both biblical and logical. Think of the example of Hannah in 1 Samuel, who brings little Samuel to the tabernacle to dedicate him to the Lord. Now, she’s not the only person who did that. Many did that in those days and the Bible basis for it is what we just read here in verse 22, let’s read it again.

Luke 2:22: “And when the days of her [Mary’s] purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him [Jesus] to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;”

A Time of Dedication

Then in verse 23:

Luke 2:23: “(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)”

Luke 2:24: “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.”

Now this tells us something else about this family, Joseph, Mary, and their child, Jesus. What does it tell us? Well, it tells us about the offering that’s given here.

Leviticus 12:6: “And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:”

Now, I want you to pay close attention to that. When the new mother after 33 days came to worship the Lord, she was to bring an offering of a lamb and a pigeon or a turtledove. Now, look at verse 24 again:

Luke 2:24: “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.”

Well, that must be one of those famous contradictions in the Bible we hear about because the law said a lamb and a pigeon or a lamb and a turtle dove. And here it says they brought two doves or two pigeons. No, that’s not a contradiction. The law did say the mother should bring a lamb and a turtledove or a pigeon. But I did not read you all of it. It goes on to say:

Leviticus 12:7: “Who [the priest] shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.”

Leviticus 12:8: “And if she be not able to bring a lamb [that’s a key statement], then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”

So, Joseph and Mary don’t bring a lamb. They bring two turtledoves and why is that? Because they couldn’t afford a lamb. You understand that Joseph at this point in his life had been out of work for quite a while, coming from Nazareth down to Bethlehem and he’s not established at this point in Bethlehem, and they probably did not have much money. They probably couldn’t afford a lamb.

“So, are you saying, preacher, that Jesus was born into a poor family?” Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying. Joseph was a hard-working man, an honest man, but he hadn’t been able to work for a while to be able to earn a living. So, they offer the offering of one who cannot offer a lamb.

They Will Live to See Messiah

Now, look at verse 25:

Luke 2:25: “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 [that is waiting for the Messiah to come]: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”

Luke 2:16: “And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

So, he had a promise that he would see the Messiah before he died.

Luke 2:27: “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,”

Luke 2:28: “Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,”

Luke 2:29: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:”

Luke 2:30: “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,”

Luke 2:31: “Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;”

Now, he goes on but let’s stop a moment and think about what he said. We know that this man, Simeon, was waiting for the Savior to come. But evidently, he was an elderly man. But God had given him a promise that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.

And on this particular day, the Holy Spirit led Simeon to go to the temple just as Joseph and Mary are bringing their baby, Jesus, just over a month old, 33 days old, to dedicate Him to the Lord and for her offering of purification. So, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, promised Simeon that he was going to live to see the Messiah and his coming at the same time as the family came was not a coincidence, God is working.

So, Simeon takes the child and offers the prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord, and as he prays, he realizes that God keeps all His promises, and He does. God keeps all His promises. Sometimes, He keeps His promises whether we like it or not. He keeps all of His promises. He kept His promise to Simeon. But Simeon makes reference in his prayer in verses 31 and 32 we read a moment ago:

Luke 2:31: “Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;”

Luke 2:32: “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

He makes reference to the prophecy given in Isaiah 42:6-7, and he sees and understands that prophecy has been fulfilled. Jesus came to the people of Israel, of that there is no doubt. But Jesus also came to all people. He is “a light to lighten the Gentiles” – so those who are not of the house of Israel could believe as well.

You know, in our day and time, sometimes in churches and our church, many churches, if a Jewish person comes in and professes faith in the Lord Jesus, we think it’s a wonderful thing. And you know what? It is a wonderful thing, it is. We think that is so highly unusual. We forget that in the beginning, it was exactly the opposite. What was so highly unusual was for someone who is not Israeli or not Jewish, to come to the Lord – for someone who was not of that nation put faith in the Messiah and be saved.

As a matter of fact, it was so unusual that in the early church we read in the book of Acts it was a point of controversy. Should they even let these people in the church? Quite obviously they did, and you and I need to thank God for it. But we also need to not get caught up in our own pride, thinking that we are better than somebody else because God calls us all the same.

So, Joseph and Mary are caught up in the words of Simeon and then he speaks directly to them.

Luke 2:33: “And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.”

Luke 2:34: “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;”

It is not what a new mother wants to hear about her son – He’s going to be spoken against. And you might want to hear that He is going to be for the rise of many but do you want to hear that He is going to be for the fall of many? Simeon goes on in verse 35:

Luke 2:35: “(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

In John 3:35-36, John the Baptist said this:

John 35:35: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.”

John 35:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” – now that’s an extremely important statement. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life.” – how tragic. Those who do not believe in the Son don’t see life. “But,” John said, “the wrath of God abideth on him.”

“Wrath” is hot anger. And to abide, it says “abideth”, means to dwell continually. The anger of God dwells continually on those who object to the gift of His Son.

So, Mary’s heart will be pierced as she stands at the foot of the cross. She sees her own son crucified after having been beaten terribly, having been mocked, and now, nailed to that cross. A sword pierces through her own soul also, as Simeon said.

It is also at the foot of the cross that the rest of Simeon’s prophecies were fulfilled. The hearts, the thoughts of many hearts are revealed. For it is there at the cross that we find out who is a believer and who isn’t. It is there at the cross where people find out whether they trust the Lord or they reject the Lord. It’s there at the cross that souls are saved, or people make a decision to be saved or not be saved.

If you remember the story of the crucifixion, you’ll remember that some of the soldiers there took Jesus’ clothes and gambled for them right at the foot of the cross. Can you imagine that? They gambled for the clothes of Jesus at the foot of the cross but from that day forward into our day people come to the foot of the cross and gamble with their own souls. I think it is a great tragedy, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Because as John said, the Father loves the Son and has given all things to Him, saying, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” and that is all He asks us to do – to be forgiven.

There was another witness that day. In verse 36 it says:

Luke 2:36: “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;”

Luke 2:37: “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.”

Luke 2:38: “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

She came at the same time as when Simeon, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were there. So, she was looking for the Messiah to come also. And she is allowed to see Him. These are witnesses and for the rest of their days – Simeon seems to be an older man and Anna an older lady – for the rest of their days they gave witness that they had seen the Lord’s Christ, they had seen the Messiah. But what happened next? That was a wonderful day. They all go up from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, to the temple.

What Happened Next?

Well, let’s look at verse 39:

Luke 2:39: “And when they [that is Joseph and Mary] had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.”

Now, what it says is they had done all the things of the Lord that were required. They followed the law of God. They followed the Word of God step by step. And they had done all the things the Word of God required them to do. As we read the story of going up to Jerusalem – we said this several times already – the child, Jesus, is already 33 days old. Then we have in Matthew’s gospel more of the story. Look again at verse 39 if you will:

Luke 2:39: “And when they [that is Joseph and Mary] had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.”

But it was not on the 33rd day that they did that. It was after that. How do we know that? Because of the gospels, we have four gospels. We mentioned this on Christmas Eve, the reason we have four gospels is that they are told, the same story is told from four different points of view. And some of them tell us some things that the others don’t and that is not to contradict each other, it is to fill in the story.

So, if we come to Matthew’s account, Matthew 2:13-15:

Matthew 2:13: “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”

“And when they” – the Wise Men – “were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream” – before I go any farther, let’s get a little backdrop on what was happening. You know the story of the Wise Men coming and so often we picture that story as all happening on the same night, the night of Jesus’ birth – the shepherds come and about the time they leave or maybe while they’re still there, the WiseMen come.

I don’t want to ruin anybody’s picture of Christmas but that’s probably not the order in which it happened. Those shepherds did come that night we know that. Those Wise Men came later. Many theorize it may have been as much as two years later. I’m going to tell you it was at least 33 days later that they came to see Jesus.

But when they come, they go to Jerusalem. They were following this star and they knew to do that from Daniel’s prophecy. So, they are following this star and they came from what we would call today, Iraq. And they come down and they don’t know where to go once they got into Israel, so they do the logical thing, they go to the government, and they go to the king’s house.

They said [paraphrasing], “Where is this new king being born?” And Herod thinks not only is he the only king of Israel, he thinks he’s the only king who ever lived and will live, the only king who should have lived or should live now. What are you saying? Is he a vain man? That’s putting it mildly. And his attitude is, “A new king? There can’t be a new king.” It appears he thought he was going to live forever. He did not do so. He says [paraphrasing], “No, I don’t know about this.” So, he calls for the priests to come up and they say [paraphrasing], “Yes, this is their Messiah. This is the king.” And where was he to be born? In Bethlehem.

So, these Wise Men make that journey down to Bethlehem. That is not a terribly far journey. Even on foot, they could have done it all on the same day. So, they go down to Bethlehem and they offer their gifts and then they leave. But at this point, it doesn’t say they came in where the manger was as we often picture it. It says they came into the house where the young child was. That was Matthew’s narrative.

So again, some time has passed. Yes, Jesus was born, the baby laid in the manger, some time has passed, and now they are in a house. We are not told if it was their house or perhaps the house of a relative or someone else, we’re not told.

Matthew 2:13: “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream [according to Matthew], saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”

Now that Herod heard there’s a new king, he’s going to kill him. And so, Joseph was obedient.

Matthew 2:14: “When he [Joseph] arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:”

Matthew 2:15: “And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

So, in Luke 2:39, it says:

Luke 2:39: “And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.”

They did but there was a time span between there. And Matthew fills in that gap for us. Now, look at verse 40. Once they get back to Nazareth, what happens next?

Jesus as a Young Boy

Luke 2:40: “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”

Jesus grew. He began to grow in spirit – that phrase indicates that he was brave and of notable character. He was filled with wisdom; you would expect that. In verses 46 and 47, we’ll look at in a moment, tells us more about that. But the grace of God was upon Him. The grace of God is defined for us in the book of Titus as “the love and kindness of God our Savior toward man.” The grace of God was evident in Him even as a child growing up.

Verses 42 through 45 we learn more about the family. Jesus is now 12 years old. But that’s not all we learn. Look at verse 41:

Luke 2:41: “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.”

Now, that is interesting. Every year they made that journey. So, for at least 12 years now, they’ve been making that journey from Nazareth down to Jerusalem in the spring of the year at Passover. And depending on the route that they took and there’s a couple of ways they could have gone, that was a journey of 70 to 90 miles approximately.

So, it took them a while to travel, and it tells us something about this family. It tells us that they loved the Lord and they wanted to worship Him at His temple, and they wanted to be there at Passover. Now, that was not unusual in their day. They weren’t the only ones in Nazareth to do that. That or anywhere else for that matter. But it tells us something about their dedication and their love for the Lord.

Luke 2:42: “And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.”

So again, it is Passover time. And once again, Joseph and Mary are taking Jesus to the temple, and they are taking Him at Passover. And again, verse 41 tells us they did that every year. So, while they were there they apparently traveled with a number of other relatives. It’s probable these were Joseph’s relatives, Mary’s relatives, along with others who maybe didn’t have a blood relation then. But they all came together as a group to Jerusalem. It’s good to travel in groups. There’s safety in numbers. But when the feast of the Passover has ended and it’s time to go home, they did just that. They started to make that 70- to 90-mile journey back to Nazareth.

Luke 2:43: “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.”

Now, that might strike you as strange. How did they not know that he was with them? Listen, if you are traveling with a large group of your family, it is easy to think, as they thought and we’ll confirm this in a moment, that Jesus was with the group. They didn’t see Him that first day. Surely, He was with the group, maybe with cousins or with an aunt and uncle.

Did He have cousins? Well, John the Baptist was His cousin. Was he in this group? Well, we are not told that, so we are not going to assume it. But it is logical to assume that He had other cousins as well. And then, Mary and Joseph had other children. I know people don’t like to think that and don’t like to hear that. They did. After the birth of Jesus, there were James, Joseph, and Judas, and at least two sisters. They were probably in this group. So, verse 44:

Luke 2:44: “But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.”

There were relatives and others with them.

Luke 2:45: “And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.”

So, they’ve gone a day out and now it’s another day to get back, and they are searching for Him. Joseph and Mary sought the Lord Jesus and they searched for three days. It took them at least a day to get back and they are searching for Him for three days. So, this has been going on for quite a while now.

Luke 2:46: “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.”

Now, the “doctors” here probably does not mean physicians. It means those who were doctors in the law; those who were scholars in the scriptures. He is discussing the Word of God with these men. These men were experts. Probably some of them were scribes, those who expertly copied the scriptures. Others of them were teachers of the law and that would be who those doctors were. And as these scribes and teachers are there and this 12-year-old boy is talking to them, He’s not only discussing things with them on their level, He’s above their level. Well, how do you know that? Well, I read the next verse:

Luke 2:47: “And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.”

They were not only amazed that a 12-year-old boy would know what they know, they were amazed that He knew more than they did. And His understanding surpassed theirs. So, they are amazed, astonished at the understanding that He has and His answers to their questions. Think about this. Jesus is 12, He is talking in the temple with the religious scholars of that day.

Hold on to that thought because two decades later, He’s going to be in the same place talking to the same type of men and possibly the same men. They were amazed, at age 12, by His understanding and His answers. And when He was 33, they were amazed again at His understanding and His answers, so much so, that they came to a point that they didn’t dare ask Him any more questions.

Luke 2:48: “And when they [that is Joseph and Mary] 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.”

Well, you understand it’s been days since they’ve seen Him, and they’ve missed Him, and they’ve looked for Him, and they finally found Him. And Mary says [paraphrasing], “Why did you do this without telling us? We were so concerned about you. We were so worried about you. And we’ve been searching and seeking.” Now, before we go any farther, Mary was concerned that He was missing, and He didn’t tell them. But do not think that Jesus violated the commandment to honor His father and His mother. Verse 49, take note of how He answered Mary’s question.

“And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me?” – [paraphrasing] “Why did you have a hard time finding me?” – is what He’s saying. “Didn’t you know where I’d be?” Again, verse 49:

Luke 2:49: “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not [did you not know] that I must be about my Father’s business?”

What’s He talking about? He’s not talking about carpentry. He would have gone to a carpenter shop. He’s talking about being about His heavenly Father’s business. And where are you going to find Him doing His heavenly Father’s business? In His Father’s house. Jesus is saying [paraphrasing], “You should have known I would be in the temple. You should have looked there first.” Let’s not be hard on Joseph and Mary. I think all of us can identify with what they were feeling and going through at that point.

Luke 2:50: “And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.”

Luke 2:51: “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.”

“And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth” – watch the next phrase carefully, “and was subject unto them” – Jesus did obey His earthly father and mother. He was not disobedient to them. He left Jerusalem with them, “and He was subject unto them.” That means He obeyed them and according to His own commandment, He honored His father and His mother. Respectful child. We ought to take from that example.

Mary never forgot His words. At the end of verse 49, it says, “but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.” She never forgot, a mother doesn’t. A mother holds on to what their children say, which leads me to say be careful how you speak to your mother.

Jesus, Our Example

One last verse in this chapter and we’re going to close with that and that gives us a picture of Jesus as a teenager and a young man – that time between when He was 12 and the time when He was 30 and began His public ministry – it tells us in the next chapter. So, those teenage years through His twenties, what was He like? Well, Luke doesn’t give us a long description, but he tells us what we need to know. This passage that we looked at today gives us the only information we have regarding Jesus and His time of growth from a baby in Jerusalem to the man that we read about in Luke 3:23. But it says in verse 52:

“And Jesus increased” – that means He grew, and He grew in four important areas, and I want to close with this. He grew in four important areas, and we need to understand this and get hold of it. Young people need to understand this and get a hold of it. But older people will be helped by it as well because we never stop growing. We never stop learning.

You reach your full height. I reached my full height when I was 15 years old. Well, that was a blessing but then it wasn’t. Why do you say that? Well, in the ninth grade I was never the tallest, but I was one of the taller fellows in the class and in the tenth grade I wasn’t because I stopped growing and the others didn’t. So, I got passed up.

But the fact that I am trying to share with you is this. We continue to grow spiritually. You’ve heard the old saying, “You learn something new every day.” Well, if you don’t, you’re not trying. I’ll tell you that because there is always more to learn. Always more to learn. So, it says that Jesus increased, He grew in wisdom; He grew mentally. The human part of Him developed mentally and He grew in wisdom. And it is quite obvious that a lot of that had to do with the reading of the scriptures.

We’re told many times and I heard it recently that people of that date and time who lived in Nazareth couldn’t speak Hebrew. They spoke Aramaic and they would have had trouble talking to anybody who spoke Hebrew, so that is simply not true. Let me share that with you. Did they speak Aramaic? Probably. If you go to that part of the world today, you are going to find most of the people there are multilingual. They can speak several languages. And if you go to Jerusalem in particular, you are going to find all the signs are in five or six languages. It’s an international city. You would expect that.

So, did the people of the region of Galilea speak Aramaic? I’m sure they did. That would have been the language of many of the people of that region. But these children went to synagogue, and they went to synagogue regularly. And Jesus went to synagogue regularly. Well, how do you know that? That’s in Luke chapter 4 that tells us plainly that He went to synagogue every week. It was His custom, His routine.

In the synagogue, they didn’t conduct service in the synagogue in Aramaic. So, the children were taught Hebrew, and they would learn the Hebrew language. Do you know what is amazing about that? Jewish children today go to synagogue and learn Hebrew so they can understand the scriptures. When the rabbi reads in Hebrew, they don’t all sit there and think, “Well, I don’t know what that’s about.” They do know what it’s about. It was the same at that time. So, they learned how to read and write Hebrew.

Greek was another language spoken in that area at that time as was Latin. So, it’s a multi-lingual area and the people spoke many different languages. You may remember in the book of Acts where a Roman officer asked the Apostle Paul, “Can you speak Greek?” And he could. So, what language did that officer have that asked that question? Probably Latin; probably asked him in Latin, “Can you speak Greek?” Paul could speak in Latin and Greek, Hebrew, he did it all. Don’t misunderstand that.

Jesus grew mentally. Other than the synagogue, He probably did not have a school that He went to, but He would have gone to synagogue. So, He grew in wisdom and stature. That means He grew physically. We don’t know how tall Jesus came to be. Some legends say He was taller than the average man of His day, but the Bible doesn’t say that. We don’t know that for sure.

If, and there is a great big “if” you can imagine as tall as this roof here. If the Shroud of Turin is a genuine image of Jesus, again, that’s a pretty big if, that image is about 5’11”. That’s about what people think how tall Jesus was, but we don’t know that. There is no way to say that authoritatively. But what we know is this, that He grew physically. And having grown up in a carpenter’s shop and carpenters in those days were also, in most cases, stonemasons. It would have been a lot of hard work. One would develop physically and gain great strength.

So, young people should grow in wisdom, they should be educated, they should gain knowledge, they should gain wisdom. And you naturally grow physically but we ought to work to develop ourselves physically.

And then it says that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God” – and, that is to say, He grew spiritually. Now, how could the Son of God grow spiritually? Well, it says He grew in favor with God. He always had God’s favor, but He grew in favor with God. That means the child, Jesus, grew up as a godly young man. Now you would expect that, but Luke confirms He grew. But also, Luke gives it to us as an example. We should strive to be like Jesus and then finally it says:

Luke 2:52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

That means He grew socially. He knew how to get along with people. He knew how to talk to people. He wasn’t shy and retiring, but He wasn’t overbearing either. He knew how to talk with people and relate to them. And that’s the kind of growth we all need to grow mentally and physically and spiritually and socially.

Jesus, Our Savior

But to conclude it all, in John 14:6, Jesus is our Savior:

John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Jesus is a great example but much more than a great example, He is our Savior. But He is an example as Howard B. Grose wrote many years ago:

Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service.
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you shall be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.

Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle for truth.

That’s what it was like for Jesus as a young lad, as He grew from that baby in the manger to that man we see coming around, as the Bible says, He went about doing good. He healed those who were sick. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf. He made the lame to walk, and He returned sons to their mothers after they had tasted death and a daughter to her father. He did all of that. So, we find Jesus as our Savior. We find Him as our example.

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Let us pray. Thank you, Father, so much for blessing us. Thank you for this time we have together, time to look into your Word, time to hear, time to grow. Father, we pray that you’d just forgive us, anything that would stand in our way of being the people you would have us to be. Lord, help us to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man. Help us, Father.

Lord, as always, we pray if there is anyone listening this day, either in person or electronically, who doesn’t know you as their Savior may they open their heart, and may they trust you. May they come to believe and be saved. May they call upon you. The Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” May they call you and say, “Lord Jesus, I do believe. I believe that you paid for my sins at the cross. I believe that you are alive today and I’m trusting you here and now to forgive my sins, to save my soul, and to give me everlasting life. Thank you, Lord Jesus.”

Perhaps you prayed that prayer or maybe you didn’t. But if you want to have that matter settled, that’s why we’re here. We’re here to help you. We don’t know all the answers, but we know the one who does, and we can point you to Him. We can help you to come and put your trust in Him if you want to do that.

But I imagine, most people listening today can say, “Preacher, I’ve already done that.” So, it is my prayer that you help us to follow the example of life that He has given to us in the Lord Jesus. We are to grow to be more like Him. Now, Father, bless us as we move into the invitation time. We pray in Jesus’s name. Amen.

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