“Walking With Jesus”

Lesson Commentary

LOC – 010The CHILDHOOD OF JESUS!
How to Be the Kind of Parent God Uses

I grew up in Council Grove, Kansas. I played in the woods with my brother and the neighbor kids. Mom & Dad couldn’t always know see where I was. But I always knew how to be home in time to eat!

We have an amber alert. A child is missing! What kind of parent would lose their child? This is not just any child, but a very special child, the Son of God. Did you ever lose a child in a store? Did you ever get lost from your parents? Can you remember how you felt or what you thought about the incident? How can we be the kind of parent God would use?

Our study comes from Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:39-52.

Understand the Legacy You Leave – Matthew 2:19

After Herod “the Great” dies an ugly and horrible death, an angel tells Joseph in a dream (this is the third of four times an angel has appeared in the life of Jesus) to take Jesus and Mary and go back to their homeland. This time, the urgency isn’t an issue. They have time to pack, organize and say goodbye to their friends before setting out. Jesus is between two and four years of age. As parents, you are building your legacy through your children. How you raise them is important!

Be Responsive to God’s Call and Command – Matthew 2:20

Joseph obeys God and heads home to Judea and learns that Herod’s son is now in power. Archelaus is worse than his father. He is noted for tyranny, murder and instability. He is later deposed by Rome in AD 6 to Vienna in Gaul. When we truly trust God, obedience is not a problem. The challenge is to know when God is speaking to us.

You are Responsible for Your Child’s Spiritual Development – Matthew 2:21-23; Luke 2:39b-42

Joseph is afraid of Archelaus and for the safety of Jesus and Mary, so the angel appears one last time telling him to take the family to Nazareth.This fulfills another Old Testament prophecy! Joseph and Mary have now come full circle and are back to Nazareth from where they had started!

God often reveals His will no a “need to know as you go” basis. God also trusts you with the spiritual development of your children. How are you being responsible for your children’s physical and spiritual development?

God’s Training will cover your mistakes – Luke 2:43-51

Luke is the only writer to tell us anything about Jesus as He is grown up. This story is when Jesus is 12 years old. The family is going to the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem as all Jews are supposed to do. This is relevant to Luke’s Greek audience to show that Jesus is human, yet Godly minded! According to the Mosaical Law, Jewish boys become “Sons of the Law” at age 12 and are required to attend the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. That is in contrast to our voluntary involvement in worship every SONday! This is not Jesus’ first visit to the Temple, but it is special and will be a significant event before it is through.

At the end of the feast, Joseph & Mary head for home with a caravan of other Jews from Nazareth and Galilee. They assume that Jesus is playing in the caravan with the other Jewish boys and are not worried about Him. He has always been a very obedient and trustworthy child. After traveling for a full day, they look for Jesus and realize that He is not anywhere with the crowd. Naturally alarmed, they search frantically. Failing to find Him, and it being too late to travel, they get a night’s rest. Then, after a day to travel up the Jericho Road to Jerusalem to see if they can find their son. They arrive in Jerusalem too late to search more than one or two places. Another night of rest and they can have the full day to search for him – the third day!

God has entrusted you with the job of raising your children in a way that will honor Him. What kind of anxieties would you be feeling if you had lost a child and traveled a day’s journey before you realized it?

Joseph and Mary finally find the Son that God has entrusted them to raise! Can you imagine their relief at finding Him safe and sound and their astonishment to see what He is doing? Jesus has spent the last three days involved in an intellectual/theological conversation with the teachers (priests).What is the reaction of the priests to have a youth asking such challenging questions and posing answers beyond their level of learning! People are amazed at His level of understanding and the answers that He poses to those who are supposed to be the “teachers!” They confront Jesus, but He replies that He was only being obedient to His true Father! Already, Jesus has a sense that His life on this earth has a very important and special mission. He is eager, willing and diligent to seek it out and complete it! How does Joseph feel hearing his son refer to God as His “Father”?

Isn’t it good to know that you aren’t the only parents who make a mistake? If God can trust Joseph and Mary with Jesus, in spite of their mistake, could He not also trust you to raise your children in a way that will please Him? How are you helping your children to fulfill their purpose in life?

Godly parenting produces balanced growth – Luke 2:52

Jesus grows strong in wisdom, stature and favor with God and man! He will do well in school, be healthy and respected by all. A worthy goal for all of us!

How much would it mean to you to know in advance that your child is never going to suffer serious harm mentally, physically?We assume our child will not die before becoming an adult, but we have no promise. How would you feel if you could know without a doubt that your child will grow strong, healthy and smart and do something great for God and mankind?

CONCLUSION

God also trusts you with the spiritual development of your children. Are you helping your children fulfill their purpose?

NEXT WEEK, we are going to look into the life and preaching of John the Baptist as he prepares the world for the Messiah.Who is this man in the wilderness?