Jesus at Twelve: Wisdom, Mission, and Divine Calling
Summary
In today's exploration of the work of Christ, we delve into a lesser-discussed episode from His early life: His visit to the Temple in Jerusalem at the age of twelve. This passage, found in Luke's Gospel, offers a rare glimpse into the so-called "lost years" of Jesus, a period between His birth and the start of His public ministry. During this visit, Jesus astonished the Temple teachers with His profound understanding and questions, highlighting His unique knowledge and wisdom even as a child. This episode underscores the absence of the noetic effects of sin in Jesus, meaning His mind was not clouded by sin, allowing Him to think with unparalleled clarity and insight.
The narrative also touches on the relationship between Jesus' divine and human natures. While He was God incarnate, His human nature did not possess divine omniscience. Instead, His understanding was a result of His sinless human intellect and the divine nature's communication of knowledge. This visit to the Temple was part of His preparation for His future mission, a mission He was increasingly aware of even at this young age.
The story also reveals the dynamics within the Holy Family. Mary and Joseph, unaware of Jesus' whereabouts, were anxious until they found Him in the Temple. Jesus' response to their concern, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?" indicates His growing awareness of His divine mission. This episode foreshadows His future ministry and the fulfillment of His role as the Son of God.
Key Takeaways:
- Jesus' visit to the Temple at twelve years old highlights His unique wisdom and understanding, free from the noetic effects of sin. This absence of sin allowed Him to think with clarity and insight, setting Him apart from others. His ability to confound the learned teachers of His time underscores the profound nature of His knowledge. [06:20]
- The relationship between Jesus' divine and human natures is complex. While He was God incarnate, His human nature did not possess divine omniscience. Instead, His understanding was a result of His sinless human intellect and the divine nature's communication of knowledge. This balance maintained His true humanity. [15:09]
- Jesus' response to Mary and Joseph, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?" reveals His growing awareness of His divine mission. Even at a young age, He was conscious of His role and purpose, foreshadowing His future ministry. This awareness was part of His preparation for the work He was sent to accomplish. [19:47]
- The episode in the Temple also highlights the importance of understanding and embracing one's divine calling. Jesus' focus on His Father's business serves as a reminder of the significance of aligning our lives with God's purpose for us. It challenges us to seek clarity and direction in our spiritual journey. [21:21]
- The narrative underscores the role of family and community in spiritual growth. Mary and Joseph's search for Jesus and their subsequent conversation reflect the importance of guidance and support in nurturing one's faith. This episode encourages us to engage with our spiritual communities for growth and understanding. [23:03]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:36] - Introduction to Jesus' Temple Visit
[01:21] - The Lost Years of Jesus
[02:16] - Apocryphal Gospels and Their Rejection
[03:08] - Fanciful Stories of Jesus' Childhood
[03:49] - Jesus' Growth in Wisdom
[04:41] - The Temple Visit Account
[05:26] - Jesus' Astonishing Knowledge
[06:20] - The Noetic Effects of Sin
[08:19] - Sin's Impact on Human Reason
[09:15] - Disagreements and Biases
[11:06] - Tradition and Doctrinal Bias
[12:46] - Logical Fallacies and Human Error
[14:16] - Jesus' Sinless Intellect
[15:09] - Divine and Human Natures of Jesus
[16:45] - The Family's Search for Jesus
[18:07] - Jesus' Response to Mary and Joseph
[19:47] - Jesus' Awareness of His Mission
[21:21] - Subordination in the Trinity
[23:03] - Reflection on the Temple Episode
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Jesus' Visit to the Temple
Bible Reading:
- Luke 2:41-52
Observation Questions:
1. What was the reaction of the Temple teachers to Jesus' understanding and questions during His visit? [06:20]
2. How did Mary and Joseph react when they realized Jesus was not with them, and what did they do? [04:41]
3. What was Jesus' response to Mary and Joseph when they found Him in the Temple, and what does this indicate about His awareness of His mission? [18:59]
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does Jesus' ability to confound the Temple teachers at such a young age highlight the absence of the noetic effects of sin in Him? [06:20]
2. In what ways does the narrative of Jesus' visit to the Temple illustrate the relationship between His divine and human natures? [15:09]
3. What does Jesus' statement, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?" reveal about His understanding of His divine mission? [19:47]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt a strong sense of purpose or calling. How did you respond to it, and what steps did you take to align your life with that purpose? [21:21]
2. Jesus demonstrated profound wisdom and understanding at a young age. How can you cultivate a deeper understanding of your faith and Scripture in your daily life? [06:20]
3. Consider the role of family and community in your spiritual growth. How can you engage more actively with your spiritual community to nurture your faith? [23:03]
4. Jesus was aware of His mission even as a child. How can you seek clarity and direction in your spiritual journey, and what practices might help you discern your divine calling? [19:47]
5. Reflect on the importance of balancing divine calling with everyday responsibilities. How do you manage to fulfill your spiritual duties while attending to your daily tasks? [20:32]
6. Jesus' response to His parents shows a gentle rebuke. How do you handle misunderstandings or conflicts with loved ones, and what can you learn from Jesus' approach? [19:47]
7. How can you apply the lesson of seeking God's purpose in your life, especially when faced with uncertainty or anxiety about the future? [18:59]
Devotional
Day 1: Jesus' Sinless Wisdom and Understanding
Jesus' visit to the Temple at the age of twelve is a profound moment that highlights His unique wisdom and understanding, free from the noetic effects of sin. Unlike others, Jesus' mind was not clouded by sin, allowing Him to think with unparalleled clarity and insight. This clarity enabled Him to astonish the learned teachers of His time with His profound questions and understanding. His ability to confound the scholars underscores the divine nature of His knowledge and sets Him apart as a figure of divine wisdom even in His youth. This episode invites us to reflect on the purity and clarity of Jesus' intellect and how it was a testament to His divine nature. [06:20]
Luke 2:46-47 (ESV): "After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers."
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to seek clarity and wisdom from God, free from the clouding effects of sin?
Day 2: The Balance of Jesus' Divine and Human Natures
The relationship between Jesus' divine and human natures is a complex and profound mystery. While He was God incarnate, His human nature did not possess divine omniscience. Instead, His understanding was a result of His sinless human intellect and the divine nature's communication of knowledge. This balance maintained His true humanity, allowing Him to grow and learn as any human would, yet without the hindrance of sin. This dual nature of Christ is a cornerstone of Christian theology, emphasizing both His divinity and His humanity. It challenges us to appreciate the mystery of the Incarnation and the way Jesus lived fully as both God and man. [15:09]
Philippians 2:6-7 (ESV): "Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
Reflection: How does understanding the dual nature of Christ impact your view of His life and teachings?
Day 3: Jesus' Awareness of His Divine Mission
Jesus' response to Mary and Joseph, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?" reveals His growing awareness of His divine mission. Even at a young age, He was conscious of His role and purpose, foreshadowing His future ministry. This awareness was part of His preparation for the work He was sent to accomplish. It serves as a reminder of the importance of being aware of and committed to our own divine callings and purposes in life. Jesus' focus on His mission challenges us to seek clarity and direction in our spiritual journeys and to align our lives with God's purpose for us. [19:47]
John 4:34 (ESV): "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.'"
Reflection: What steps can you take today to become more aware of and committed to your divine calling?
Day 4: Embracing One's Divine Calling
The episode in the Temple highlights the importance of understanding and embracing one's divine calling. Jesus' focus on His Father's business serves as a reminder of the significance of aligning our lives with God's purpose for us. It challenges us to seek clarity and direction in our spiritual journey, ensuring that our actions and decisions are in line with God's will. This narrative encourages us to reflect on our own lives and consider how we can better align ourselves with the divine purpose God has for each of us. [21:21]
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV): "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Reflection: What is one specific area of your life where you can better align with God's purpose today?
Day 5: The Role of Family and Community in Spiritual Growth
The narrative underscores the role of family and community in spiritual growth. Mary and Joseph's search for Jesus and their subsequent conversation reflect the importance of guidance and support in nurturing one's faith. This episode encourages us to engage with our spiritual communities for growth and understanding. It reminds us that we are not alone in our spiritual journeys and that the support and guidance of others can be invaluable in helping us grow in faith and understanding. [23:03]
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
Reflection: How can you actively engage with your spiritual community this week to foster mutual growth and encouragement?
Quotes
Now, one of the things that’s so fascinating about this text is this episode accentuates and emphasizes the response of the theologians of Jesus’ day to this twelve year old boy who appears in the Temple as an incredible child prodigy, having mastered so much knowledge of the Scriptures and of theology that He was confounding them both by the answers to the questions that He heard and by the questions He was posing to them. [00:05:51]
When we look at our doctrine of sin, when we look at the Biblical teaching of the fall of the human race, we realize that in that fall the effects of sin permeates the whole human person. It not only exposes the body to physical maladies, to diseases, to death, and to other infirmities, whereby the body is weakened severely by the fallen condition, but the fall also had a significant impact upon the minds of human beings. [00:06:44]
And that impact we call in theology the noetic effects of sin -- the noetic effects of sin. That’s a concept that’s usually not articulated everyday in the life of the church. But the concept comes from the Greek word, nous, which is the word in Greek for “mind.” And so “noetic” means “of or pertaining to the nous” or “of or pertaining to the human mind.” [00:07:37]
Now, we are still left after the fall with a capacity for reason. We can still, even in our sinfulness, add two and two and come to the conclusion that they mean four. Or we can still work syllogisms and other philosophical problems. Yet at the same time, each one of us is given to making mistakes in our thinking, and at times very serious and costly mistakes. [00:08:53]
Not only that, in our sinful condition we come to the text with certain biases, and the biased person can often miss the forest for the trees because his mind is held in captivity by that bias. If you were raised in a particular tradition, and went to a particular church, and were taught the doctrine of that particular church, you may have received doctrinal teaching that was incorrect, but it came to you from people you trusted, maybe from your parents, maybe from your pastor, and that’s the way you were taught to think. [00:11:26]
Now, can you imagine a human being functioning mentally without any of the noetic effects of sin? Up until this point, the world had never seen a sinless human being. So Jesus in His sinlessness in that He did not participate in original sin was not weakened by these same problems that I’ve just been talking about, so that His thinking was crystal clear. His acumen was without parallel. [00:13:03]
And as a twelve year old child, He could think more profoundly, more consistently, more acutely than the most learned theologians of His day. Now, He didn’t come there to show off. He came there to learn because that is what He had been doing for the first twelve years of His life. [00:14:26]
Yes, He was God incarnate, and yes, God is omniscient, but touching His human nature, Jesus was not given a divine brain. He was not endowed in His human nature with a divine attribute of omniscience. Now, the divine nature could communicate information to the human Jesus, and we would see from time to time Jesus astonishing people with the supernatural knowledge that was at His disposal. [00:15:14]
But the human nature did not communicate the divine attribute… excuse me… the divine nature did not communicate the divine attribute of omniscience to the human nature as some have tried to argue throughout church history. That would have been a violation of His true humanity. [00:15:55]
And so the record tells us that after three days, they found Him in the Temple in the midst of the teachers. And we read, “And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have you done this to us?’” [00:18:07]
And Jesus said, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you seeking me? You should know where I was. You should know what I was doing.” “Do you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” But they didn’t understand this statement which He spoke to them. And so there’s a problem of knowledge here. Mary and Joseph didn’t know where He was or why He was doing what He was doing. [00:19:12]
Here even at age twelve in His growing awareness, in His growing self-consciousness of what His task is on this earth, at least He knows this much, that He has a job to perform for His Father, and that job has to do somehow with the Temple and the things that are being discussed there in the Temple. [00:21:14]
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