8/25/13 Where it all began: Jesus' early years

Where it all began

Lesson 2: Jesus’ Early Years

August 25, 2013

Sometimes people view youth as something negative—the idea that a 12-year-old or a 15-year-old or an 18-year-old can’t accomplish anything meaningful or lead a life of significance until they’re older. But as we’ll see today, being young isn’t a bad thing—and Jesus offers a great example for you as a teenager to follow.

Read LUKE 2:39-52 (NLT)

³⁹When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. ⁴⁰There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

⁴¹Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. ⁴²When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. ⁴³After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, ⁴⁴because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

⁴⁵When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. ⁴⁶Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. ⁴⁷All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

⁴⁸His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

⁴⁹“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they didn’t understand what he meant.

⁵¹Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

⁵²Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

Jesus was raised in a traditional, religious Jewish household, which meant the family participated in multiple Jewish festivals every year. Passover was the pinnacle of these festivals, held in the early spring as a celebration of deliverance from slavery from the Egyptians. Jesus’ family, together with a larger community, traveled by foot from Nazareth to Jerusalem—a distance of about 70 miles—to celebrate Passover. It was a big deal for Jews to participate in this annual celebration, which lasted about a week.

When Jesus wasn’t found in the entourage traveling back to Nazareth, Mary and Joseph were understandably anxious about their son’s safety and whereabouts. Though they also understood Jesus was the Son of God, as his parents they must have forgotten that in this moment—leading to the memorable conversation about his Father.

Jesus was perfect, even as a teenager—obeying his earthly parents but paying even closer attention to obeying his heavenly Father. I encourage you to follow Jesus’ example of growing in wisdom, stature, obedience, and favor.

Let’s explore this passage together and discover some truths we can learn from Jesus when he was 12 years old.

1. Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor

• Think about the lists your groups made a few minutes ago—which words or phrases would apply to 12-year-old Jesus, based on this passage?
• What made Jesus a typical 12-year-old? What made him different from the typical person that age?
• Verses 40 and 52 both talk about Jesus growing in wisdom. What does that mean—how does someone your age grow in wisdom?
• This passage says Jesus hung out in the Temple with religious leaders for three days. How does participating in God’s family help our wisdom to grow?
• Verse 52 says Jesus grew in stature—in other words, he grew up physically. But the best physical growth is accompanied by physical health. As a follower of Christ, what are some risks of placing lots of emphasis on spiritual health but little emphasis on physical health?
• What are some ways “favor” can be a positive and beneficial thing? When might it be viewed as something negative or unfairly preferential?

Even though the Bible reveals very little about Jesus’ teenage years, it clearly says that he grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and with other people. Perhaps God wanted us to just take notice that wisdom, stature, and favor are defining characteristics of the teenage years. Perhaps God wanted us to stay focused on just a few key goals and truths during adolescence.

2. Jesus obeyed his Father—and his parents

• When have you struggled to obey your parents? Think about a specific time and what you learned from that situation.
• When Jesus stayed behind at the temple, was that an act of disobedience toward his parents? Why or why not?
• What do you think Jesus meant in verse 49?

The religious leaders were amazed at his answers to their questions. His parents didn’t understand his answer to their question. And in all of this, Jesus understood that he had to be obedient to his heavenly Father—but that he also needed to obey his earthly parents. Just as Mary had been obedient to God in accepting the mission of birthing Jesus, we now see that Jesus displayed an obedient attitude, too. Obedience flows from love, honor, and respect.

3. Your teenage years are spiritual preparation for the rest of your life

• What are some specific ways your teenage years can shape the rest of your life?
• How are obedience and wisdom connected to your spiritual preparation?
• How can you balance the desire to enjoy your teenage years while also preparing for the rest of your life? Are these goals in conflict? Explain.
• This is the only passage of Scripture that talks about Jesus between his birth and infancy, and the start of his earthly ministry as an adult. Considering that fact, what makes these verses so remarkable or memorable or noteworthy?

We see in Luke 2 that Jesus was spiritually preparing for adulthood—including his earthly ministry. He had a long-term perspective on his life; he wasn’t just focusing on the “here and now.” It’s easy in our world to just focus on living for today, but living wisely as a follower of Christ requires a bigger view. Even as a 12-year-old, Jesus grasped the importance of wisdom, favor, and obedience.

ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION

• When you think about the fact that Jesus was a teenager and dealt with issues that ordinary teenagers face, is that encouraging or is it intimidating? Why?

• Read James 1:2-8. What does this passage reveal to you about the process of gaining wisdom?

• What do the illustrations about waves and wind reveal about developing wisdom and faith? What situations in your life have felt like waves and wind?

• Read Proverbs 2. What specific truths or insights about wisdom do you see in this passage? What situations from your life sound similar to the situations mentioned in this chapter?

APPLICATION

• What are some specific ways you as a teenager can grow in wisdom? in stature? in favor with God and with other people?

• Where do you need God’s wisdom in your life?

• How can we encourage and challenge each other in the journey of preparing spiritually, especially in wisdom?

SUMMARY

Jesus was the Son of God, but he also experienced life as an ordinary teenager. Even though Scripture doesn’t talk specifically about his teenage years, it does give clues for how Jesus lived those years in preparation for the rest of his life on Earth. This lesson will focus on encouraging students to follow Jesus’ example to use their teenage years to grow in wisdom and to prepare for the rest of life.

FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking (James 1:5 NLT).

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