528. Gospel of Luke - Chapter 2 (#3)- Jesus stays in the Temple while His parents leave. - April 10, 2024

[00:00:00] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast

[00:00:12] we will be exploring the book of Proverbs. Let's open in prayer. Father God, I thank

[00:00:24] you for anyone listening to this podcast today. I pray that you would open everyone's

[00:00:29] ears to hear and heart to receive everything you have in store for them in Jesus name, Amen.

[00:00:37] This is Proverbs 10 beginning in verse 1. The Proverbs of Solomon, a wise son makes

[00:00:45] a glad father but a foolish son is the grief of his mother. Treasures of wickedness profit

[00:00:54] nothing but righteousness delivers from death. The Lord will not allow the righteous soul

[00:01:01] to vanish but he casts away the desire of the wicked. He who has a slack hand becomes

[00:01:10] poor but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son.

[00:01:19] He who sleeps in hardest is a son who causes shame. Blessings are on the head of the righteous

[00:01:27] but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the righteous is blessed but

[00:01:34] the name of the wicked will rot. The wise in heart will receive commands but a prading

[00:01:42] fool will fall. He who walks with integrity walks securely but he who perverts his ways

[00:01:51] will become known. He who winks with the eye causes trouble but a prading fool will fall.

[00:02:00] The mouth of the righteous is a well of life but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

[00:02:08] Natureid stirs up strife but love covers all sins. Wisdom is found on the lips of him who

[00:02:18] has understanding but a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.

[00:02:26] Wise people store up knowledge but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. The rich man's

[00:02:34] wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty. The labor of the

[00:02:42] righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin. He who keeps instruction is in the way

[00:02:51] of life but he who refuses correction goes astray. Whoever hides hatred has lying lips and whoever

[00:03:02] spreads slander is a fool. In the multitude of words sin is not lacking but he who restrains his lips

[00:03:12] is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, the heart of the wicked is worth little.

[00:03:20] The lips of the righteous feed many but fools die for lack of wisdom. The blessing of the Lord

[00:03:30] makes one rich and he adds no sorrow with it. To do evil is like sport to a fool but a man of

[00:03:39] understanding has wisdom. The fear of the wicked will come upon him and the desire of the righteous

[00:03:48] will be granted. When the world wind passes by the wicked is no more but the righteous has an

[00:03:56] everlasting foundation. As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes so is the lazy man to those who

[00:04:06] send him. The fear of the Lord prolongs days but the years of the wicked will be shortened.

[00:04:15] The hope of the righteous will be gladness but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

[00:04:23] The way of the Lord is strength for the upright but destruction will come to the workers of

[00:04:31] iniquity. The righteous will never be removed but the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

[00:04:39] The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom but the perverse tongue will be cut out.

[00:04:47] The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

[00:04:56] Friends, today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 1, Part B and also verse 5

[00:05:07] and they go together. So let's begin verse 1, Part B. A wise son makes a glad father but a foolish

[00:05:18] son is the grief of his mother. Now let's look at verse 5. He who gathers in summer is a wise son.

[00:05:28] He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame. Friends, we will come back and visit those

[00:05:36] two verses prior to closing today but what I'd like to do is to continue our study on the gospel

[00:05:45] according to Luke and we are in chapter 2 and on Monday's podcast we left off ending on verse 40.

[00:05:55] So let's begin chapter 2 beginning in verse 41. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast

[00:06:06] of the Passover. Now friends, the first point I would like to bring up is that Jesus' family

[00:06:14] goes to Jerusalem. Now friends, I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible and what I'd like

[00:06:22] to do is read the commentary in my Bible for verse 41. It says the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem

[00:06:32] was customary for many who lived outside the city. The law commanded three pilgrimages for the men

[00:06:42] each year. For Passover and this is what we're talking about now, they went for the feast of

[00:06:50] the Passover for Pentecost and the feast of Tabernacles. By the first century most Jewish men

[00:07:00] made annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem because of the distance many had to travel due to the dispersion

[00:07:09] of the Israelites across Asia Minor. Let's go to verse 42 and when he was 12 years old they went up

[00:07:19] to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days as they returned

[00:07:28] the boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem and Joseph and his mother did not know it but supposing

[00:07:38] him to have been in the company they went a day's journey and sought him among their relatives

[00:07:46] and acquaintances. So friends the second point I'd like to bring up today is that Jesus stays in

[00:07:54] the temple when his family leaves after they celebrated Passover. Now this is very interesting

[00:08:05] to me. As you're reading this part of the story in today's time you simply cannot understand how this

[00:08:14] could possibly happen but what this is telling us is how different times wore back then and I think

[00:08:23] sometimes people would move in groups of 30 or 50 or even 75 people and it might not just be your

[00:08:33] immediate family. It could be distant relatives as well as neighbors and friends going on this annual

[00:08:42] pilgrimage but I find it fascinating that they weren't even concerned about Jesus as they left this

[00:08:52] large city of Jerusalem and you know a day later they're looking for him and I'm sitting there

[00:09:00] thinking what do you mean a day later? As I'm saying this would not happen today but obviously

[00:09:08] this was pretty commonplace for that time period. Let's go on so when they did not find him

[00:09:17] they returned to Jerusalem seeking him now so it was that after three days they found him in the

[00:09:28] temple sitting in the midst of the teachers both listening to them and asking them questions.

[00:09:38] Now friends I want to break this down just a little bit. What this is telling me is that they had no

[00:09:46] idea where Jesus was and I find this fascinating because Mary had been told by the angel that he

[00:09:56] would be the son of God. I believe she knew that he was going to be different and yet she had no

[00:10:05] idea that he would be in the temple. What I'd like to do is read the commentary for verse 46.

[00:10:15] The teachers mentioned in this verse were Jewish rabbis. Note that Jesus was not lecturing but engaging

[00:10:26] the rabbis in theological discussion. I find that fascinating. He was not the teacher, he wasn't

[00:10:37] preaching to anybody all he was doing was talking to the rabbis and asking them questions.

[00:10:46] I just think that's marvelous and all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers

[00:10:56] so when they saw him they were amazed and his mother said to him, son why have you done this

[00:11:04] to us? Look your father and I have sought you anxiously and he said to them and this is the

[00:11:14] beginning of red letters in the Bible. Jesus is no longer a baby. Jesus is now a young 12 year old boy

[00:11:28] getting ready to become a Jewish leader. Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be

[00:11:40] about my father's business? Now listen to the commentary in verse 49. I must even at age 12,

[00:11:51] Jesus knew that God had commissioned him to accomplish certain tasks on this earth.

[00:12:00] About my father's business, this is the first indication in Luke's gospel

[00:12:07] that Jesus knew he had a unique mission and a unique relationship to the Father. Let's go to verse 50

[00:12:17] but they did not understand the statement which he spoke to them and once again I find this verse

[00:12:28] very interesting even Mary did not understand his comment that he must be about his father's business.

[00:12:38] Let's go to verse 51. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them

[00:12:49] but his mother kept all these things in her heart and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature

[00:12:59] and in favor with God and man. Friends, the third point that I would like to bring out is that Jesus

[00:13:09] was obedient and submissive to his parents. Mary is not quite sure who this child is but she

[00:13:22] I'm sure she was pleased that he was obedient to her but one thing I would like to point out,

[00:13:30] I want to go back to verse 40 and it says and the child grew and became strong in spirit

[00:13:40] filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him. So friends, verse 40 tells us that Jesus is

[00:13:51] growing up. By the time we get to verse 41, Jesus is now a 12 year old boy and it's very important

[00:14:03] that we understand that because this happens throughout scripture you can be reading one paragraph

[00:14:10] and begin the next paragraph and it would be very easy to believe we're just starting a new paragraph

[00:14:18] but it could be 10 or 15 or 20 years later and it's important that you keep that in mind. But let's

[00:14:27] go back to verse 52 and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

[00:14:40] Now friends when we go to chapter 3 tomorrow and when we begin that it's very important

[00:14:49] that you keep this in mind. In verse 52 Jesus is a 12 year old boy and it says he grew in wisdom

[00:15:01] and in stature and in favor with both God and man but when we get to chapter 3 Jesus will be a 30 year old

[00:15:14] man. In other words 18 years will have passed from verse 52 of chapter 2 to chapter 3 verse 1.

[00:15:27] Now friends before we close today I'd like to go back to our proverb of the day, proverb 10 and look

[00:15:34] at verses 1 and 5 because they go together. A wise son makes a glad father and verse 5 it says he who

[00:15:49] gathers in summer is a wise son so if we put those two verses together it says a wise son makes a

[00:16:00] glad father because he gathers in the summer. In other words this son is a worker. This son has been

[00:16:13] taught how to go out into the fields and harvest the crops. He is wise in other words he has watched

[00:16:24] his father well, he has watched the workers, he's watched how you go about living life and being a

[00:16:34] hard worker. Now let's look at the flip side of that but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

[00:16:44] Now let's go to verse 5 for that part he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame so friends

[00:16:56] here we are talking about a foolish son. This son has not learned from his father, he has not watched

[00:17:08] the way good workers work, he has not watched the way that things should be done and because of that

[00:17:17] when it's time for the harvest he is not going to go out into the fields to help, he is going to

[00:17:25] cause shame to his mother because a lot of times there may not be enough workers to help with the

[00:17:35] harvest and because of that shame comes upon that family and friends this is so vitally important it

[00:17:44] would be very easy to overlook verses 1 and 5 but they go together and what they're saying is if you

[00:17:53] are instructing your children in the way that they should go, how Proverbs tells us to do that

[00:18:01] if you teach them then they will acquire wisdom, they will watch what you teach them, they will

[00:18:09] listen to what you say to them, they will watch you and how you go about your business and how you

[00:18:17] become successful in life but a foolish son doesn't pay attention to what his parents are doing

[00:18:26] they're lazy, they have no concern with helping out around the house, helping the family

[00:18:34] and because of that the mother has shame and she's not pleased with her son.

[00:18:43] Friends my call to action today is pretty simple really, you know what I'd like for you to do is think about

[00:18:51] Jesus as a 12 year old boy, I'd like to imagine how you would feel had you left

[00:19:01] Jesus in Jerusalem and you're looking and you're searching for them and they you know they

[00:19:08] mentioned it took three days to find them, a day after they had left they ended up going back into

[00:19:15] Jerusalem but it took them three days to find him. I just want you to give that some thought especially

[00:19:26] for those of you who have small children imagine not being able to find your 12 year old for three days

[00:19:36] friends I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as

[00:19:43] their Lord and Savior. If there is anyone listening today you've never taken that step

[00:19:48] I invite you to say a simple prayer after me today, Jesus I confess that I am a sinner and I have

[00:19:57] need of a Savior. I want to recognize you as the Son of God, I believe you came to earth, I believe

[00:20:05] you died on a cross and were buried on the third day you rose again and now you are seated at

[00:20:15] the right hand of God in heaven. Jesus I invite you to come into my heart I ask you to lead me

[00:20:23] and guide me from this point forward in my life I make you my Lord and Savior. Friends may the Lord bless

[00:20:32] you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his

[00:20:40] countenance upon you and give you peace. Friends please join me again tomorrow as we further explore wisdom

[00:20:50] today