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The Early Life of Jesus Christ

Scott Smith, Sacrament Meeting Talk, November 2013

Jesus Christ is the reason we gather here at church; he is the focus of our worship; He is the example for our love and charity. As John wrote, we love [God] because he first loved us.i Jesus is given many names and titles that describe His mission and qualities. He is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Highest, Prophet, Priest, and King. Handles music, Messiah, has made us familiar with Isaiahs prophecy which says, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.ii I am grateful for Jesus Christ and for the blessing He is in my life.
Agenda

My talk today will focus on the early life of Jesus Christ. I will start by recognizing that all the prophets of God before Jesus birth looked forward to the coming of the Christ. Next, I will talk about His birth and first night on earth, the gifts of the wise men; and then finish with young Jesus as he taught in the temple.
Body All the Holy Prophets

All the holy prophets of God have testified of the Messiahthe Son of Godthat would come to earth and save His people. It was, and is the mission of a prophet to be a special witness of God. Here is one example of the testimony of a prophet who lived before the Lords birth: he said, ...I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world... And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name;iii
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His Holy Name and Lineage

When it came time for Jesus to be born on this earth, angels added their witness about the Son of God. Angels visited Mary and Joseph.iv An angel told Mary, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest.v The angel identified the childs name, Jesus, which means Savior; and also the childs lineage as the Son of the Highest.vi

God made flesh

Then, Jesus was born. From the Gospel of John we read, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...vii
His birth and early life

Swaddling Clothes When Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in the fields and said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.viii God, the King of kings left his glorious heavenly robes and came down to earth and put on mortal clothing; the earthly swaddling clothes represent His taking on a mortal body and also point forward to the time when the Son of God would sacrifice His mortal body, so that we might live. Church leader, Russell M. Nelson has said, Why was reference made twice in Luke 2 to His being wrapped in swaddling clothes? What is the meaning of those five words wrapped him in swaddling clothes? I
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sense a significance beyond the use of an ordinary diaper and receiving blanket. Instead of those five words in the English text, only one word is needed in the Greek New Testament. That word means to envelop a newborn child with special cloth... The cloth would probably bear unique family identification. That procedure was especially applicable to the birth of a firstborn son.ix Jesus is sometimes called the First Born. He came to earth and was wrapped in swaddling clothes as a sign to all who came to Him. The First Born of God is now on earth. Wise men and their gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh Sometime after Jesus was born, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.x The wise men knew whom they sought and found. They were familiar with prophecies and brought expensive gifts fit for a king. And when [the wise men] were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.xi I think these gifts are more than the modern equivalent of a gift card to our favorite store and even more than simply really nice gifts for a king. These items were full of symbolism in their religious use among the Jews. Each gift itemgold, frankincense, and myrrhwas used in the ancient temples of the Jews and symbolizes Jesus godly nature and his saving work. Gold: The holiest places in the temple (which represent heaven) were furnished only with gold: the lamp [menorah] the ark, the mercy seat and the cherubim were all gold. Outside in the temple court, the vessels and furnishings were made of bronze.xii The wise men who

gave gold to Jesus knew that His true house is in the heavens, the Holy of Holies; and yet He came down to live among His people. Frankincense: This was part of the good smelling incense that was burnt in the temple and brought into the holy of holies by the High Priest.xiii Again, the holy of holies is the most sacred space of the temple and represents heaven and the presence of God. The gift of frankincense reminds us, as Paul wrote, that Jesus is the great high priest, that is passed into the heavens...xiv Just as the burning frankincense was brought by the High Priest in to the holies of the temple, Jesus would sacrifice Himself for His people and then return back to heaven. The ministry and sacrifice of Jesus allow those who love God and keep his commandments to return to presence of God.xv Myrrh: mixed into olive oil to create anointing oil.xvi This oil was used to consecrate and anoint the prophets,xvii priests,xviii and kings of Israel.xix Jesus is the Messiahxx and the Christ; those two words both mean the anointed one. The gift of myrrh by the wise men reminds us that Jesus was anointed in heaven as the Prophet, Priest, and King for the Kingdom of Israel and for the whole world.xxi Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh are gifts fit for the King of Kings. After the Magi left the young Jesus, the scripture record tells us that the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.xxii Jesus Teaching In The Temple As a 12 year old youth, Jesus family went to Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph went looking for Jesus and found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them
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questions.xxiii That a 12 year old boy would listen to and ask questions of the teachers in the temple is not unusual. What is unusual is that, as the scripture records, all that heard [Jesus] were astonished at his understanding and answers.xxiv Jesus is the Law Giver. As a mortal youth he dedicated himself to understanding the scriptures and proved to the most learned religious men of his time that he not only understood but could expertly teach the Laws of God. Jesus is the Great Law Giver and Teacher.
Conclusion

Jesus is the Savior of the world. He is the Son of God, the Word of God. And the Word was made flesh. He came down from heaven and took upon Himself a mortal body, wrapped in swaddling clothes. He is the Prophet, Priest and King; the Law Giver and Teacher. The work and sacrifice of Jesus allow those who love God and keep his commandments to return to presence of God.

1 Jn. 4:19 Isaiah 9:6 iii Alma 34:8b, 10, 14, 15a (Amulek speaking); cf. 2 Nephi 25:24-25; Jacob 4:4-5 iv Matt. 1:21; Luke 1:31-32 v Luke 1:31-32a vi Matt. 1:1 and Mark 1:1 both identify that the book is testifying of Jesus Christ. Matt. 1:1, 16 Jesus Christ, the son of David identifying Jesus Royal heritage as the son of Israels King David through Joseph the husband of Mary. Luke 1:27 also identifies Joseph as of the house of David. Mary, it seems, was also a descendent of David (see Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8; Acts 2:30; Acts 13:23; compare Ps. 132:11 and Luke 1:32). Mark 1:1 identifies Jesus as Jesus Christ, the Son of God, identifying his divine character and lineage. vii John 1:1, 14 viii Luke 2:10-12 ix Russell M. Nelson, BYU Speeches 2002, Christ the Savior Is Born, p. 3. http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=187 x Matt. 2:1-2 xi Matt. 2:11 xii Barker, Margaret, Fragrance in the Making of Sacred Space: Jewish Temple Paradigms of Christian Worship, 2004, p. 3. http://www.margaretbarker.com/Papers/FragranceintheMakingofSacredSpace.pdf xiii Day of Atonement xiv Hebrews 4:14, cf. Heb. 9:11-12
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In connection with burning the frankincense incense mixture, the Lord gave to Aaron, the priest, the words of a blessing in Numbers 6:22-27. The blessing requests that God bless the covenant people and guide them into the Lords presence to receive His name and be blessed by Him. The congregation is to be praying in the temple court as the priest burns incense at the altar, cf. Sirach 50:17-21. xvi Ex. 30-31 xvii 1 Kings 19:16; cf. Isa 61:1 xviii Ex. 28:1, 30:30, 40:12-15, 29:4-7; Lev. 4:3, 5, 16; Sir. 45:15-16; Heb. 5:4 xix Judg. 9:8-15; 2 Sam. 5:3; 1 Kings 1:39; Ps. 89:20; Sir. 46:13 xx Dan. 9:25-26 xxi See Matt. 16:16; Luke 24:21, 26, 27; John 4:25-26; Acts 3:18; 8:32-25; 17:3; 26:23. xxii Luke 2:40 xxiii see Luke 2:41-51 xxiv Luke 2:47