I have always had a degree of curiosity about Jesus' youth. I suppose if God would have wanted us to know more about Jesus' youth, it would have been recorded for us. Luke ch. 2 (Jesus remaining in Jerusalem for THREE DAYS with the doctors of the law), is the only reference I am aware of outside of some dubious apocryphal writings where Jesus touches a dead bird and it comes to life and so forth.
I am more curious about whether in his youth he had a clear understanding of His redemptive work or whether it was a progressive revelation throughout his life. Luke 2:52 states, "And Jesus increased in WISDOM and stature, and in favour with God and man" (emphasis mine).
Verses from his ministry, of course, indicate that Jesus knew what lay ahead (the death, the resurrection, and the glory that He would share with His Father).
As far as his young life, I guess he was like other boys, running, playing, burping, etc.
But I am confident he was a good kid, to say the least.
The scriptures are scant on Jesus' youth, but I wonder when it was that the Father began to reveal the plan.....or did Jesus realize it clearly from His youth?
He was a human. I've recently come to the conclusion that we are humans, and so we will ALWAYS be imperfect without a glorified body. I've also come to the conclusion however, that our imperfection has nothing to do with our sin. We can live sinless, and still be imperfect. How, you ask? Glad ya did. We can burn the beans, fall down from riding a bike, accidentally wreck in a car, and still not be sinful. We can know little, and mess up a lot, without sinning.
ReplyDeleteWhile this does not answer the question at hand, it does help us understand that Jesus could very well have had lack of knowledge, and lack of ability or talent, yet still been sinless. And since sinless is all He had to be to be the Son of God, I see no reason why He couldn't have had to learn about His work.
I do believe, however, he probably studied harder and worked more to learn than any of the other kids of His day.
Perhaps a silly example, but Jesus sitting down a little hard on a piece of furniture and breaking it would be an accident, not a sin.
ReplyDeleteSo you say, with regards to redemption's plan and His specific role, a progressive revelation to his young mind?
If so, I would tend to agree unless someone shoots us out of the water or provides a different angle :)
Well, I'm not saying one way or the other as to the "revelation". Perhaps the revelation was similar to how it happens today, in that as he studied the O.T. and what His mother told Him about the prophecies of His birth, He learned more and more about it. Or, as you suggest, God could have progressively revealed it to Him, as he progressively revealed His Word through the ages. Or, God could have at one point (before the temple scene you pointed out) given Him direct revelation of it all.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I'm just pointing out that I don't see any Biblical reason or contradictions with it being POSSIBLE the way you said it. I honestly don't know how it happened, but I don't know any reason your view could not be plausible.
I believe Jesus knew God's plan at 12 years old when He amazed the doctors of the law in the temple. He said, "I must be about my father's business.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought....the scriptures say "the Word was made flesh" of course this is speaking of Jesus, also "in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." John 1:1. So how could He not know God's plan all along?
ReplyDeletePerhaps we need a doctor of theology to shed some light on this? Is there a Dr. Reese or a Dr. Wilkes in the house?
ReplyDeleteDr. Wilkes probably needs a doctor himself from overeating my husband's food he sent over today!
ReplyDeleteI think he did not know it all along, b/c then He would not have been human. To be tempted in like fashion as we are, and for Him to truly be made flesh (meaning human), He would have to learn how to walk, talk, etc. Surely you don't think He knew how to talk and walk as soon as He was born? He, therefore, had to grow in wisdom as the Bible tells us, and therefore He had to learn the things of which we speak.
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference between our physical growth and our mental growth.
ReplyDeleteI was just pointing out that Jesus is God in the flesh. So what limitations were there in his knowledge? At what time was he not God?
"Jesus increased in wisdom and stature.."
ReplyDeleteJulie, that would seem to cover the physical and mental. How can you grow in wisdom unless there was some room for growth beforehand?
To me, this doesn't make Jesus any less God.
I would just allow for the likelihood that Jesus' mental or thinking capacity (as a small boy) developed over time.
Have no fear, I am here. My son, Hayden, is 10 years old and saved. In order for Jesus to be my son's "high priest which Can Be touched with the feelings of his infirmities", then Jesus would have to understand the mindset of a 10 year child. So, most definitely, Jesus did increase in His mental capacities.
ReplyDeleteAt what time did Jesus fully understood His spiritual responsibilities? Did you wake up one day and just understand you needed to be saved? Did the realization that God was calling you to preach just knock you out of the bed one night?
As the human intellect is exposed to God's desires, the process of comprehension begins. Most of the time this is a process of human rationalization vs. the Word. But eventually every human, who possesses the intellectual capacity, comes to a knowledge of the truth.
But Jesus did not have to deal with a sinful nature which is opposed to all things of God. But He did have to deal with an intellect which had to mature. Eventually, He did reach a point at which He fully understood who He was and what His purpose was. But to speculate on exactly what point in time that was is...nothing more than speculation.
I never said that Jesus didn't have to "grow up." I said that if the scriptures say He is the Word then he had to have the knowledge of His purpose here. That is the question here, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHe remained sinless, right? How could he, as a child, remain sinless -never lie, never be disobedient to his parents, etc, not having the knowledge of his purpose here. I find it very hard to believe that if you look at it from a human perspective that as a child he wouldn't have committed at least ONE of those sins if he didn't know his full purpose of his life here. Think about that gentlemen.
So when Jesus was 2 months old, He knew he was the Messiah?
ReplyDeleteyep.
ReplyDeleteLuke 1:44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
If John the Baptist knew in his mother's womb that his Saviour was about to be born, why is it so hard to believe Jesus knew He was the Messiah in the womb?
I didn't wake up one day and realize that I needed to be saved, but I'm not God. I had the mind of a “human” before I was saved, afterwards, God gave me a “spiritual mind” as well. Jesus had that all along.
To be the Redeemer, Jesus had to remain sinless, therefore he didn't sin. Yet, he could have sinned. Hence the reason I believe He already knew.
"human rationalization vs. the Word"
Jesus was both.