In the first part of his gospel (1:5-4:13), Luke goes back and forth between John the Baptist and Jesus (Krol). In 1:5-38, he presents us with the prediction of John’s birth in v. 5-25, and in v. 26-38 it’s the prediction of Jesus’ birth. Then there’s birth, circumcision, and naming of John (1:57-80) followed by the birth, circumcision, and naming of Jesus (2:1-20). The section we want to explore in v. 22-40 touches on some of the glorious repercussions of Jesus’ appearance of our planet.
In his paralleling the early years of John and Jesus, Luke compares and contrasts (Wallace). As we’ve seen, he documents their births, circumcisions, and speeches by Zechariah and Simeon/Anna. But there are differences as well and these serve to show the surpassing excellence of Christ. When Mary went to visit Elizabeth, her unborn baby leapt for joy within her womb. Zechariah’s first words were not about his son John, but about Jesus. The birth of Jesus was announced to shepherds who then visited Him. While we’re given a quick, staccato statement about John’s childhood (1:80), we have a much more detailed account of Jesus’ childhood with a special emphasis on his wisdom (v. 2:40, 46-47, 52).
The wisdom of Jesus is presented in two summary statements covering an indeterminate amount of time (v. 40, 52). Luke uses these kinds of statements throughout his gospel as well as in the book of Acts. They summarize, but in doing so, also point us to important themes of his gospel. Here, Luke wants Theophilus to appreciate the truth that from childhood Jesus acted in the ways of wisdom.
As we look at 1:22-40, here are some things we learn about Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.
They were not materially rich. Forty days after His birth, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to be presented to the Lord in accordance with the law (Exodus 13:2, 12). Mary was also completing her purification ritual (Leviticus 12). For her purification they were to bring a lamb for a burnt offering and a dove or pigeon for a sin offering (v. 6). However, the law made allowance for those who couldn’t afford a lamb—they could bring two doves or pigeons instead. By omitting the first part of Leviticus 12:8, Luke lets his readers know in a subtle, sensitive manner that the One who left the glories of heaven was born into humble circumstances.
Jesus had godly parents who observed God’s law. The three of them returned to Nazareth after “they had done everything required by the law of the Lord” (v. 39). And with this this we see the counterpoint to their material status—they were spiritually rich! Jesus had parents who didn’t dabble in following God—they were all in! Centuries before, the psalmist had written about God’s laws being “more precious than gold, than much pure gold” (19:10)—and Joseph and Mary lived that out!
In so many homes today children have everything to live with but nothing to live for because their parents do not put the Lord first. Parents, the best thing we can do for our children is to show them what it looks like to fully follow the Lord. We don’t have to be perfect—just fully committed. But if we’re not fully committed, we’re telling our children the Lord isn’t worthy of our best.
Jesus is the fulfiller of people’s dreams. An old man named Simeon was there at the temple when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus arrived. He had been told by God that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Messiah (v. 26). He saw Jesus and was ready to go home (v. 29)! An elderly woman named Anna, who was a prophetess and never left the temple saw Jesus and gave thanks to God (v. 38). Both had been waiting their entire life for Jesus and when they saw Him, they knew there was nothing that compared to Him. He was everything they had dreamed about and more. That’s the way it is with Jesus.
There’s an industry in this country which thrives on telling people from cradle to grave that their life’s purpose is to pursue their dreams. C. S. Lewis put his finger on the problem with this when he said, “If God had granted all the silly prayers I’ve made in my life, where should I be now?”
For Lewis and us the problem is we only think we know what we want. When Peter spoke in Acts 2 about young men seeing visions and old me dreaming dreams, he wasn’t talking about this narcissistic, self-fulfillment pipe dream people get caught up in—he was talking about the dreams of God.
Let me ask you a question, “Would you rather use your life to achieve your dreams or God’s dreams? Jesus is the fulfiller of, not our dreams for ourselves, but God’s dream for us. I’ve known plenty of people who got their dream and ended up disappointed. I’ve known no one who got God’s dream for them and ended up wishing they had anything else.
Luke then provides us with a summary statement of Jesus’ childhood.
He grew and became strong. What does that mean? It means Jesus was just like us in that He started at the beginning. We’ve already seen He wasn’t from materially rich family. Here we learn He wasn’t always strong. But by submitting to his parents who were submitted to God, He grew and became strong. He wasn’t satisfied to stay where He was, so He was committed to doing whatever it took to grow.
He was filled with wisdom. Now this is interesting because wisdom isn’t something that children typically have. That’s because wisdom is the result of experience and learning. We can gain wisdom by learning from the experiences of others, but it usually doesn’t work that way—we have to make our own mistakes and find out for ourselves. I think we’re being told here that Jesus was that rare person who gained wisdom through listening to and watching others. This would resonate with Theophilus because the wisdom was one of their cultural values (1 Corinthians 1:22).
The grace of God was on Him. How was the grace of God on Him? Because He submitted to His parents, grew and became strong, and was filled with wisdom. This was God’s dream for Him. Luke is showing us that Jesus is not just our idea of God, He is God’s idea of man!
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 