The Truly Obedient Son

Luke 2:41-52 - Riley Boggs

One of the questions that I have heard several times, and I once asked myself, was, “Why isn’t Jesus’ childhood recorded in the Bible?” And I think that’s a fair question, think about this. Last week we read the story of Mary and Jospeh bringing infant Jesus to the temple, this week we read of story of Jesus when he was 12, and next week we will look story where Jesus is 30. His birth, to one-month old, to 12-years-old, to 30-years-old. And that’s the total, 3 stories from birth until Jesus begins His ministry at the age of 30. Why is this? Why don’t we have Gospels full of stories of Jesus’ entire life, including his childhood years?

Well before I tell you why, let me say this. It isn’t that stories of Jesus’ childhood were recorded and then lost overtime, and we just simply don’t have them. That’s not the case. There are no recordings of Jesus’ childhood, other than what we have, because His childhood simply wasn’t recorded. And so the question we have to ask is, why didn’t they record it?

The reason that the life of Jesus is recorded as it is, without His childhood, is because that is simply how ancient biographies were written. When we think of biographies now, we think of them as having tons of details from every part of someone’s life. They’ll include details about their childhood home and upbringing, what their school experience was like, and so on. Full of details. And while that is true of modern biographies, ancient biographies were not written like this.

Instead, ancient biographies sort of followed the rule you should only include what is truly important. In fact, there were works written outlining how one should write a biography, and in them they say, “Don’t add fluff”. They didn’t say it like that, but you know what I mean. These ancient biographies were difficult and expensive to write; you couldn’t simply open your laptop and start recording. And so the style of the time was not to include every single detail, but rather make sure you get what is the most important, and don’t add unnecessary fluff.

And so, this is part of the reason we don’t have the childhood of Jesus recorded. Jesus’ childhood wasn’t particularly noteworthy. He was a boy, growing up, obedient in every way, and simply living life. Luke makes statements at the end of these passages implying this very thing. In chapter 2 verse 40 he says, “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” And then in the last verse of our passage today, verse 52, he says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” In other words, Jesus was growing up. 

I said that is part of the reason, because the other part, or maybe the overarching reason, why we don’t have the childhood of Jesus recorded is because God didn’t have it recorded for us. If the Lord wanted it to be recorded and carried throughout history for us to read, then He would have. And as we know, He didn’t do that, so we don’t have to worry about not having enough or anything like that.

Okay, now why am I bringing all this up? What does this have to do with our passage this morning? Well, think about this with me. If we know that ancient biographers only included what was truly important, no fluff, and we know that we only have one story of Jesus between his infancy and when He is 30 years old. Then we ought to pay close attention to the one story that is recorded, when Jesus is 12, which is the passage we find ourselves in this morning. Luke is the only Gospel writer to include this story, we know that His purpose in writing is to help us have certainty about the truths we have been taught, and we know that this met the criteria of being important enough to be included. So, what is it that we are supposed to learn here? What is it that we are supposed to see? Well let’s look at the story. 

We start off by reading, in verse 41, it was typical for Mary and Joseph to travel to Jerusalem each year at the Feast of the Passover. And so, when Jesus was 12, they did what they had always done, and traveled to Jerusalem. They stayed there for the feast, like normal, and then began their journey back home. Nothing out of the ordinary, or so they thought. What they didn’t realize is that Jesus had not left with them, but instead had stayed in Jersualem. 

Now you might be thinking, how could that happen? Well, I think it could happen rather easily, especially because it wasn’t just Mary, Jospeh, and Jesus traveling. This would have been a very large group of people traveling and each parent likely thought that Jesus was with other friends or family in the group. And often times the women would walk in the front of the group and the men at the back, so each parent could have also assumed that Jesus was with the other parent. But regardless, they assume Jesus is in the group for about a day’s journey, until they realize what has happened. They start looking for Jesus within the group, they can’t find him, and so they decide to go back to Jerusalem and look for him.

And they do just that, they travel back to Jersualem, and begin to search for him. Now the text reads like they got back to Jerusalem and had to search for 3 days before they found him, but I don’t think that is what is being conveyed here. I think what Luke is saying is that 3 days have passed from the time they left Jersualem to the time they find Jesus. That is, one day of travel away, a day of travel back, and then on that third day they arrive at the temple and find Jesus.

But it’s not just that they find Jesus that makes this story so amazing. It is what they find Jesus doing and what He says. They walk into the temple, and they see Jesus sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. Verse 47 says that everyone who heard him was amazed at his understand and his answers. Mary and Jospeh were astonished at what they were seeing, and then in verse 48 we read that Mary speaks to Jesus and says, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” In other words, Mary and Jospeh has been incredibly worried that something had happened to their son and they don’t understand why He stayed in Jerusalem.

Jesus responds and says, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” His parents didn’t understand what this meant. Then Jesus leaves with them and goes back to Nazareth. And Luke adds that Mary, “treasured up all these things in her heart.” What this means is that she thought on them, sought to remember them, and then at some point, she understood more fully.

Now let’s ask that initial question again. Why did Luke include this story? What is it that we are supposed to see and learn? I think there are 3 things. The first one is this.

1.) Jesus was, and is, fully God and fully man

Often times, when we think of Jesus, we are prone to think of Him more so as a man or more so as God. And I think each person does this differently. Some of you here, when you think about Jesus, you think of Him primarily in regard to Him being a man. You think of Him walking the Earth just like us, undergoing temptation and resisting. You think of His bodily suffering, Him calling on God in prayer, and so on. Others here, when you think about Jesus, you think of Him primarily in regard to Him being God. You think of Him being altogether different than all other humans. You think of Him as the eternal Son of God, the one who reigns on the throne, and the one who above all.

The truth is that Jesus is all of this. He clothed Himself in humanity and underwent all that it means to be human, except sinning. He was born, hungered, thirsted, felt pain, felt joy, and all the rest. He was, and is, fully human. And yet, at the same time, He was, and is, fully God. He is the sinless Son of God, who has always existed, and is the King of the World. All of that is true, and I think we get a glimpse of this amazing reality here in this passage.

As a 12-year-old boy, there is a clear sense that He is fully man. What I mean by that is that when read this story, there is no reason for us to think that Jesus isn’t fully human. He has all that it means to be human. That’s especially clear in the verse I noted earlier, verse 52, where Luke says that Jesus increases in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man. In other words, Jesus is growing and maturing intellectually, socially, and spiritually, just like each of us do. He’s fully human. And on the other hand, at the very same time, He is fully God. He has all that it means to be God. I think that’s also clear in this text. When you read this story, it is evident that this boy, Jesus, is different than everyone else. The way that he speaks, the way people are amazed by His knowledge and understanding, and so on. He’s fully God.

And it seems that Jesus, at the age of 12, understands who He is. I think we can see that in His response to Mary when He says, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” If Jesus said this while sitting in his home, one might think “Okay, I understand that. You mean that it makes sense for you to be found in your father Joseph’s home.” But he doesn’t say this from his childhood home, he’s says it in the temple. Jesus knows who His true Father is. He knows that He is the Son of God. And again, at the same time, we read that He leaves with His parents and, verse 51, was submissive to them. He knows that He is a true man, who must submit to His earthly parents.

I think this is one of the main reasons why Luke adds this story in His Gospel. We get a clear picture of a young Jesus sort of acknowledging who He is. And in that, it helps achieve the purpose for which Luke is writing, which is that it gives us more understanding, more certainty, about the fact that Jesus is fully man and fully God.

Before we move on to the second point, I want to add one thing about this. It is not just difficult, it is impossible to completely understand how Jesus can be both fully man and fully God. Our finite human minds simply cannot fathom it. And sometimes, when we can’t understand something, we have a hard time believing it. My encouragement is to stop trying to work out all these hypothetical questions in order to believe it. It’s fine to discuss these things and sort of marvel at who Jesus is, but we can’t base our belief in what the Bible says on our ability to understand it. Whether we understand or comprehend it or not, the Bible is clear that Jesus was, and is, fully God and fully man. And we can believe and trust that with certainty, not because we understand how it all works out, but because God has revealed it to us in His Word.

Alright, the second thing I want us to see in this passage this morning is this.

2.) Jesus was, and is, entirely sinless

There is a dangerous temptation that we might fall prey to whenever read this story. It’s the temptation to sort of overlay our experience as parents, or sons and daughters, over this story, and the interpret it through that lens. We think about how we would respond if we had a 12-year-old son who didn’t leave with his family, but chose to stay behind. If you haven’t thought about that, do so for just a moment. If you had a son who did something like this, how would you respond? Would you discipline them for not leaving when they were supposed to? Maybe so.

You probably see the issue with viewing the story in this way. If we think along those lines, sort of putting ourselves in Mary and Joseph’s position, and thinking about what would happen if we had a son who did this, then we might be tempted to think that Jesus did something wrong here. We might think that He disobeyed His parents by not leaving, or at least not telling them that He was staying. But obviously, there is no room for that kind of thinking. Jesus did absolutely nothing wrong here. Nort sort of, not kind of, not almost. He did exactly as He was supposed to.

I want to show you 2 things in the passage that show that this is the case, and then 1 broader theological reason. First, look at Jesus’ response in verse 49. He says, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Notice what word Jesus uses here. He doesn’t say I “want” to be in my Father’s house, He says I “must” be in my Father’s how. He must be where He is. He had to be there. We’ll look more at that truth for our final point.

The second thing in this text that shows us that Jesus did not do anything wrong is the detail that Luke adds in verse 51, that Jesus was submissive to His parents. I think Luke adds this details specifically to stomp out any temptation we might have of seeing Jesus as this rebellious child who didn’t do what His parents asked of Him. That isn’t the case at all, and Luke makes that clear by including that detail.

Alright, that’s the 2 things from this passage that show that. Now let me show you the broader theological reason. If Jesus, in this story, or at any other point in His childhood, disobeyed His parents just once, He is not able to save us. If there is a moment of sinful rebellion, in His thoughts or actions, then He cannot save us. Why? Because if there is any sin within Him at all, then He is just like us. He needs someone else, outside of Himself, to provide a way for His sinful self to be reconciled to a Holy God. If there is a hint of sin within Jesus, He is not the Christ.

But we know from the rest of the Scriptures, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He was, and is, entirely sinless, and that He had to be in order to save us. Paul tells us this in 2 Corinthians 5:21. He says, “For our sake he made him (that is Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.”  Or in 1 Peter 2, starting in verse 21. We read, “21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

In order for us to be saved, the spotless Lamb of God had to be slain. Why? Because the wrath of God towards sin had to be satisfied. It would have been unjust for God to simply overlook us our sin. There has to be a propitiation, a sacrifice. Jesus Christ was that propitiation, and He had to be entirely sinless. And thanks be to God; He was and is. Our Lord and Savior never sinned, so that those who are born in sin might be saved from the punishment of sin. That’s the good news of Jesus Christ, and I think Luke adds this story here so that we might see the sinless life of Jesus on full display.  

The last thing I want us to see this morning is this.

3.) Jesus’ ultimate purpose was fulfilled in His obedience to the Father

This point is sort of the outflow of the first 2 points put together. If Jesus is full God and fully man, and He is, and Jesus is entirely sinless, and He is, then we know that Jesus’ ultimate purpose was fulfilled in His obedience to the Father. R.C. Sproul said, “Already at twelve years old, Jesus is conscious of a spiritual relationship with His heavenly Father. Jesus’ gentle reminder (he’s talking about Jesus response to Mary) respectfully invites his mother to recognize that their parental claims are subordinate to those of God the Father.” In other words, when verse 50 says that Mary and Joseph didn’t understand what Jesus was saying to them, this is what they were not understanding. They didn’t realize that Jesus must obey His Father above all else, both now, and for the rest of His life. That’s His purpose for coming to Earth and taking on flesh. Yes, He is going to submit to parents and obey them, but that isn’t the complete reason He came. He came to bring salvation to a dying world full of dying people. And in order for Him to do that, He is going to have to submit to His Father.

And this submission to His Father is going to cause His earthly parents pain. In this story when Jesus submits to the Father by staying in the temple, it causes His parents to be in “great distress”. In last week’s story, when Simeon speaks to Mary about Jesus, what did he say? He said that Jesus is going to be opposed and that Mary will be pierced through her soul when all takes place. What was he talking about? He’s talking about in the future when Jesus, in complete submission to the Father, goes to the cross. And who will be there, watching her Son die? Mary.

Jesus’ obedience to the Father is going to hurt His parents more than they rightly realize here in this story. But, there will be a day, when Jesus raises from the dead to conquer sin and death once-for-all, where moments like this one will make sense. They’ll see the ultimate purpose for which Jesus came, and they’ll see that it demanded that Jesus submit His Father in all things.

One of the clearest pictures we have of this is in Jesus’ own prayer that Luke records in chapter 22 verse 42. He’s in the garden praying, about to be betrayed, knowing that He is about to be crucified, and He prays “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Complete submission, even unto death.

As I was thinking through how to apply this passage, 2 things came to mind. 2 ways that each one of here can apply the truths of this story to our own lives. The first one is that we simply believe, cling to, and proclaim, Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Word of God. And the Word of God reveals to us, in this passage, that Jesus is fully God, fully man, entirely sinless, and in His submission to the Father, saved us from our sins. Nothing more, nothing less, this is the Jesus who we gather to worship and tell the world about.

The second application is this. In the same way that Jesus’ ultimate purpose is fulfilled in His obedience to the Father, so is yours. Here’s what I mean. If you have a hard time seeing meaning or purpose in your life, a good way to begin to find it is simply by obeying what God has said. There is great fulfillment found in our obedience to God, because it is why we were made. We were made to glorify God, and we do that by obeying all that He has commanded. This is the life that Jesus lived, and it is the life that we have been called to replicate. 

Okay, but what does this look like practically? It means children, you should obey your parents unto the Lord. Parents, you raise your children unto the Lord, and sacrificially love one another. All of us, we seek to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, love the Lord our God, and love our neighbor as ourselves. We are people of the Word, who don’t forsake the gathering of the body, and trust Him in all things. If you do this, you’ll be fulfilling the very purpose for which you were created, you will be glorifying the very God who created you.

And listen, no one here is under the illusion that we will do this perfectly. You’re going to fail as a parent and as a son or daughter. You’re going to fail to the love the Lord in all things and fail to love your neighbor well. You’re going to fail, I promise. But the beauty of the Gospel is that Christ came not only to save us from our sins the first time, but to provide forgiveness for all our failings. And so we run the race, we see to obey God in all things, and when we fail, we run to the Father and receive the forgiveness that He readily pours out on us. And that in and of itself, that running to the Father for forgiveness, is glorifying Him. Why? Because it is seeing God for who He really is, a loving Father who delights in His children, and who wants us to obey Him and be quick to repent. Again, trusting that God will forgive us, like He has promised. This is the goodness of our God. Amen.