The Childhood Of Jesus

From the gospels we can glean very little about the childhood of Jesus. After the return from the flight into Egypt to the baptism by John the narrative is silent save for that one incident when the boy Jesus went to Jerusalem, probably for the first time since his circumcision, at the age of twelve. We can say only that the record shows that even at this young age Jesus had an insight in the ways of God and His nature that belied his age and astounded his hearers. The Old Testament, too, whilst mapping out the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is also silent about his formative years. 

Luke ends the account of the visit to Jerusalem with the statement “

and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (2:52).

This verse sums up for us the way in which Jesus grew; but it doesn’t tell us how. 

It was once said to me by an older brother that this verse reveals the foursquare man – the complete man – bringing together the relationship between God and man in a harmony and understanding that we strive for all our lives, yet fail to achieve, or achieve in measure only. I don’t know that I fully understand what that brother meant by foursquare; it sounds right, stable, firm, four facets which meet and make the whole man – favourable to God first, but also to man; mature in wisdom first, but also in stature. A whole man and we are left asking the question, How was this achieved? 

We have some help here, for Luke is quoting from Proverbs ch.3:4, where we read,

“So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man”.

‘So’ means that there is a way, and it is given in the three preceding verses (and the following verses to v.10; but we will concentrate on v.1-3). 

v.1-2 “Forget not my law (R.V.marg. teaching); but let thine heart keep my commandments.” God’s teaching and commandments constitute what is the only true and worthwhile code for life; in contrast, man’s are lies and worthless. Hence “length of days, and years of life (R.V.), and peace” shall the keeping of God’s teaching add unto thee. 

V.3 is an expansion of the statement. It constitutes the ‘how’ in keeping God’s commandments; so we read: 

“Let not mercy (R.V. marg. kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.”

This leads to v.4 already quoted. 

Kindness and truth are the things we must cling to, hold on to; but more than this, we must bind them about our necks where they can be seen by all. The record shows that the two go hand-in-hand. We cannot separate them and achieve the goal. Truth without kindness is not real truth; kindness without truth is not real kindness. 

Now John in his gospel takes up the theme, for he tells us,

“We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:14).

Jesus had grown, and when he came to John to be baptized he was full-grown, to the extent that, when put to the test, he was made perfect. His maturity triumphed when tried and was made perfect. 

The word ‘grace’ has many uses. Cruden’s concordance gives 15 ways in which it can be understood, depending on the context in which it is used. These merit a study in themselves, and I give here only my conclusions. as to what the word is used to convey here, and admit it may be only scratching the surf ace. 

“Grace” in this connection appears to be that which describes God’s Jove and mercy to us in the ultimate.form in sending His Son to redeem us when we were helpless. It is that self-sacrificing love, the free favour and pardon of God toward helpless sinners. 

This is the glory we behold in Jesus, the love and the mercy and truth as of one truly begotten of the Father. 

Kindness, love and mercy were balanced perfectly by truth – tempered together, given added meaning by the truth that was upheld in displaying and divesting these qualities to others. 

This, then, is how the child grew into the perfect, complete man, in being kind, in sharing mercy and love whilst upholding truth. 

When problems arise in our lives truth cannot, and must not be compromised, but it must not be exercised without kindness, mercy and love, for to do so is to fall short of the glory of God.