Luke 2

Chapter 2. The Holy ChildAnd the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40)And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)Luke lingers over the human picture and the home life of our blessed Lord. “The child grew” (Luke 2:40). How perfectly natural this is! How different from the story of the first creation! Adam sprang to life full grown and fell. The second Adam began as a helpless Babe and traversed every step of the pilgrimage of man from the cradle to the grave, and He has lifted up and redeemed the race.

Section I: His Childhood

Section I—His ChildhoodThere is a clear suggestion here of the threefold humanity of our Lord, and the perfectly natural development of each part. His Physical Life “The child grew.” This is the first thing for a child to do. The perfect physical development and health of your child should take precedence over all other things. Too often the body is stunted and depressed by over-ambitious parents in pushing the mere intellectual culture of their children. Our Lord Jesus had a sound physical life, and all through His earthly existence we find Him giving proper care to His body, and free from asceticism and extremes of every kind so that He even received the reproach from His enemies, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking” (Luke 7:34). While physical culture may be carried to an extreme, and no doubt is in many modern schools, yet a sound mind in a sound body is in perfect keeping with the principles of the common sense religion which Christ has taught us. His Spiritual Life Spiritual culture took the second place in the development of Jesus. It came before all educational processes for mere mental training. “The child… became strong” (Luke 2:40). The spirit is our higher nature, including conscience with its instinctive knowledge of right and wrong, and the faculty to know God, to pray to Him, to love Him and to obey Him. All this was carefully trained by the pious mother of our blessed Lord. Gradually He drank in from her lofty spirit those higher inspirations which formed the strength of her holy character. Filled with Wisdom Luke next tells us that He was “filled with wisdom” (Luke 2:40). This embraces the educational processes through which His mind was trained. But there was more than the mere acquisition of knowledge. His was a practical education which turned mere knowledge into wisdom, the power to utilize knowledge and bring things to pass. Too much of our modern education lacks this. The brain is crammed, the memory stored with facts and theories which are soon forgotten and have little value as actual forces in the formation of character or the accomplishment of the work of life. The Grace of God “The grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). The influence behind all, and over all His early life was the recognition of God and the spirit of piety. Of course, such a mother as Mary could not bring up her child in any other way. Happy for all children if their parents would recognize the capacity of even the youngest child to spiritual influences. It is but a short step to heaven from the instincts of the youngest child, and through the medium of a loving and holy mother it is not hard to mold the earliest conceptions and thoughts of life in a heavenly pattern. The synagogue at Nazareth no doubt was furnished like Hebrew synagogues with the regular scrolls containing the sacred volume, and also a plan of the tabernacle and temple. Once every day, and three times on the Sabbath, it was customary for pious households to gather for the worship of God. Under all these influences the childhood of Jesus developed, and His earnest spirit reached out after sacred truth in many a longing and perhaps many a question which led up to the next important incident in His young life, when the opportunity came in the temple to satisfy the deep desires and questionings which had already reached out beyond the light which even His mother was able to give. What a beautiful example for the Christian parent and the Christian child Luke has given us in this simple story of the “holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:27)! The Boyhood of Christ The age of 12 is a kind of turning point in the life of every boy, a narrow strait leading out from the harbor of childhood into the larger ocean of early manhood. How important to have a wise pilot to guide the little ship through the dangerous passage. It is then that the boy begins to awake to all the powers and possibilities of his being, and the world grows bigger to his eyes in response to that other world of inward consciousness, which he finds within his soul. It was at that time that the Hebrew law provided for the bringing of Jewish boys into the full recognition of their responsibilities as “sons of the law.” For this purpose Jesus was taken by His parents to Jerusalem to the Passover in His 12th year. Every year they had faithfully gone up since His birth, but now He accompanies them for the first time (Luke 2:41-51). It was a long, weary journey; even today on the strongest and swiftest of beasts of burden it takes two and a half days from Nazareth to Jerusalem. On the Way to Jerusalem The author of Ben Hur has given us an imaginary picture of that little caravan. Joseph, a man of middle age, is leading the party on foot. Mary, the modest mother, still a young woman, is seated on the donkey following close behind. And walking alongside is a lad of 12, perhaps with a face like that exquisite picture given us by Hoffman, thoughtful, pure and strangely earnest, the brow covered by the usual white handkerchief of the Bedouin, the corner turned in over the forehead, a white tunic covering His graceful frame below the knees, and His feet shod with rough sandals, while He holds in His hand a long staff higher than His own stature. At length they reach the city, crowded at this time in the early Spring with a population six times its ordinary size, and with others they camp out on the hillsides round about and prepare for the solemn services of the Passover. Preparation for the Passover With what intense interest He must have watched them as they selected the lamb and kept it apart for three days, typical of the three years of the Messiah’s earthly ministry, and then on the fourth day offered up its life at the appointed hour with solemn sacrificial services, sprinkling its blood upon the doorposts and then roasting its flesh for the Paschal meal. The very form in which it was prepared was significant. Two skewers were passed through the lamb crosswise, and thus it was hung above the fire and slowly roasted, presenting the perfect symbol of His own cross. At the appointed time the Passover meal began with the purging out of every speck of leaven. Then followed the cup of wine, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs and the flesh of the lamb. At a certain point in the feast some child in the household would ask the question, “What does this service mean?” No doubt on this occasion it would be the lad Jesus Himself, and from His lips what intense pathos that question had. In reply Joseph would tell the story of that night in ancient Egypt when the destroying angel passed by and the sprinkled blood saved Israel’s firstborn from the curse of sin. And doubtless he would also tell of the coming Messiah in whom all this was to be fulfilled, and Mary’s face and falling tears would bear witness to how much it meant for her and her precious child. With the Doctors of the Law Influences such as these naturally worked up His mind to the most intense interest in the scenes that were all around Him, and the services of that wondrous temple which for the first time He beheld. Little wonder that He soon found His way to the classroom where aged Hillel and other doctors of the law were discussing the deep questions of their national faith. As the hours flew by He took no note of time, but became intensely absorbed in hearing and asking questions, while they in turn were as much amazed at the wonderful answers which he often gave. The Search for Jesus “Why were you searching for me?” (Luke 2:49). Hours passed into days and already Joseph and Mary had turned homeward with the large caravan containing many of the kinsfolk. It was not until the evening she discovered that her precious child was missing. “A lost child!” How the words stir our hearts and set in motion the bells of the town, the wires of the telephone and the hearts of anxious mothers. But, oh, what a child was this that was lost that day! One can faintly imagine the suspense and anguish of Mary’s heart as they eagerly retraced their steps and sought for Him through all the city. Three days of anxiety and despair passed before at length they found Him still absorbed in the Bible class of the temple. One can almost imagine the accents with which she cried as she embraced Him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you” (Luke 2:48). But what elocution or rhetoric can give full weight to the wondrous answer that came so simply and spontaneously from His lips, “Why were you searching for me?… Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). This incident gives us only one glimpse of all those early years. But, oh, how much it tells of the deep unfolding of His mind and heart, and the perfectly human yet superhuman development of the character of Jesus. How beautiful to think that this blessed Christ is the Savior and Friend of every boy and girl. Edmund of Canterbury tells how once in a dream, when a lad of 12, he met a beautiful Boy of the same age, and followed Him long, charmed with His face and conversation. As He seemed about to leave him Edmund said, “Oh, that I could be with you always.” And the Boy turned and said, “Why, I am with you always. When you sit at your class in school, lo, I am there helping you. When you lie down upon your bed at home, I am there protecting you. In your work and in your prayer I am ever with you.” And Edmund looked up and saw the name of Jesus upon His brow. And the Boy said, “Just whisper this name and you will always find Me by your side.” This blessed Christ is yours. Whatever your age, He was once just as old and just as young. Whatever your circumstances He was there, and if you, too, will breathe that sweet name you will hear a gentle voice reply, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And for us men and women of larger growth, the message of the holy Child is just as timely. Your Father’s business, are you about it? Is your life as earnest and as consecrated as His? Is there a must controlling and constraining every power of your being and every moment of your existence for highest service and holiest usefulness? A simple workman whose daily toil was inscribed with “HOLINESS UNTO THE Lord,” was once asked what his business was, and his answer deserves to be written over every shop and factory and office and calling, “My business is to serve the Lord, but 1 make shoes for a living.” Are you about your Father’s business? No time for trifling in this life of mine, Not this the path the blessed Master trod; But strenuous toil, each hour and power employed Always and all for God.

Section II: His Early Manhood

Section II—His Early Manhood"Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them" (Luke 2:51). This is all we know about 18 long years of the Master’s life. But how much it embraces. Obedient This is just another word for discipline. Our excessive liberty has degenerated into license, and we are growing weary of God’s old-fashioned methods of training. But it is still true, as has been wisely and wittily said, “One of life’s chief missions is not foreign missions nor home missions, but submission.” If we are not willing to learn our lesson at home, we will have to have it taught us in harder fashion between the millstones of life’s trials. No character can be strong without learning to yield, to suffer and to obey. Toil The sentence passed upon the first Adam, “By the sweat of your brow” (Genesis 3:19), must be literally fulfilled by the second Adam, and by all His followers who expect to pass with Him first through the downward progression of humiliation and suffering, and then through His exaltation and glory. A luxurious age is trying to get away from the law of labor. But to do this we must leave our Lord behind us. Idleness is the twin brother of crime, and someone has truly said of toil, Blest toil, if thou were cursed of God, What must His blessing be! The Shadow of the CrossHolman Hunt has left us the vivid painting of the toiling Christ returning at sunset from His carpenter’s bench and stretching His arms horizontally in a momentary paroxysm of weariness, while the sun caught His figure and threw His shadow across the opposite wall in the form of the cross. Under that shadow He always walked, and we, too, should be willing to walk with Him. Probably their lot was extremely poor. Possibly He was the breadwinner of the family as the eldest if not the only Son, and if, as has been suggested, Joseph had died during his childhood and left Him with His mother leaning upon His care. The wages of a carpenter would not exceed at the very highest 25 cents a day, and the hours were from sunrise to sunset. On this pittance He supported His loved ones and lived in a humble home which was half a cave, a stranger to all the comforts of luxuries which a modern tradesman’s family can enjoy. Someone has told us of another beautiful dream in which he seemed to be standing just outside their cottage door at Nazareth with the carpenter’s shop nearby. As he watched he saw a middle-aged man working at a carpenter’s bench and a Lad picking up the chips. Then a maiden came and called them into the cottage for their evening meal, and all they had was coarse bread and milk. Before they tasted, the Boy, with a face all beaming with love, looked toward the stranger at the door and said, “Why does the stranger stand outside? Let him come in and eat with us.” Blessed Christ! Blessed heart of human tenderness and divine love! Oh, that our childhood, our manhood and our latest years may be so linked with You and so filled with Your gentle Spirit that we, too, will leave behind us upon every path of life through which we pass some of the light which You have left upon the home of Nazareth and the path of life.