THE 'LOST'

YEARS OF
JESUS
Among history's most
fascinating mysteries is
the Bible's silence
about Jesus Christ's
early life.
In the gospel of Mark, for
instance, Jesus springs into
the story as a thirty-year-old
man being baptized and
beginning His life's work of
preaching the gospel of the
Kingdom of God.
The apostle John's account is
not so abrupt, although he,
too, glosses over the first
three decades of Christ's life in
a matter of a few dozen—
albeit doctrinally rich—verses.
As his book opens, the beloved
disciple immediately hits the
reader with the astounding fact of
Jesus' identity as the Word of God,
the pre-incarnate Creator God,
who "became flesh and dwelt
among us" (John 1:14).
Then, like Mark, John
skips to the ministry
of John the Baptist
and Jesus' baptism.
Matthew and Luke,
however, tantalize us with
a scene or two of His early
years, but hardly enough
to satisfy enquiring minds.
Both of these gospel writers record
accounts of events surrounding His
birth, from the angel's announcement
to Mary that she would have a Son
conceived of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-
38) to the family's return from Egypt
after fleeing Herod's murderous anger
(Matthew 2:13-21).
At this point, both
Matthew and Luke
mention that
Nazareth became
His home.
But when [Joseph] heard
that Archelaus was reigning
over Judea instead of his
father Herod, he was afraid
to go there.
And being warned by
God in a dream, he
turned aside into the
region of Galilee.
And he came and dwelt in a city
called Nazareth, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophets, "He shall be called
a Nazarene." (Matthew 2:22-23)
Evidently, Joseph, knowing what the
angel had told him and Mary about
their divine Son, had considered
raising Jesus in Bethlehem, the
home city of David, but God warned
him that his residence in Nazareth
was a far safer alternative.
Besides, that Jesus would hail from this
tiny Galilean town fulfilled an
unwritten prophecy passed down from
ancient times that the Messiah would
be called a "Nazarene," that is, an
inhabitant of Nazareth (as opposed to
a "Nazirite," a person who has taken a
vow of separation to God).
Luke mentions in Luke
2:40, "And the Child
grew and became strong
in spirit, filled with
wisdom; and the grace of
God was upon Him."
His intention here is to show
that Jesus, unlike the gods and
demigods of paganism,
experienced the normal
process of growth—both
physically and mentally—that
every human does.
In other words, He did
not suddenly appear out
of heaven as a mature
individual.
Also, Luke's pointing out that
He was "filled with wisdom"
suggests that young Jesus spoke
and behaved properly in
everything—which is utterly
miraculous in a little child.
He did, though, have the favor
of God from the first instant of
human life, so His maturity
was certainly noteworthy,
especially as it centered on His
spiritual development.
Only one other scene of His early
years is recorded: the occasion
when, at twelve years old, He
remained behind at the Temple in
Jerusalem to listen to and
question the teachers there (Luke
2:41-50).
The large company of His
relatives travel for a
whole day before Joseph
and Mary realize Jesus is
not among them.
They hurry back to Jerusalem,
and once they find Him, scold
Him for scaring them. "And He
said to them, ‘Why did you seek
Me? Did you not know that I
must be about My Father's
business?'" (verse 49).
And Jesus increased in
wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God
and men" (Luke 2:51-
52).
Observing His perfection,
His mother cherished
these episodes and
patiently waited to see
where they would lead
her Son.
In the next verse,
Luke notes again that
Jesus continued to
mature.
It is as if he is telling us, "Despite
confounding the rabbis at age
twelve, Jesus only became
smarter, wiser, bigger, and
stronger, and on top of all that,
everyone—and I mean
everyone—loved Him!"
The beloved physician leaves
us with the sense that Jesus'
early years were pleasant,
exciting, and full of
experiences designed to bring
Him to maturity in every facet
of life.