This is the second in a series of blogs about Luke 2:1-52.
In the previous blog we considered Christ’s Incarnation and it’s importance to the plan of salvation. There is no doubt that Christ being born in the flesh is absolutely significant in order that mankind is presented with the pathway to eternal life. John 1:14 NKJV says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus is the Son of God/Son of Man, God with us, Emmanuel, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world. These words are the embodiment of the Incarnation.
The Christ Child has been born. The Church celebrates His Birth in December. Unfortunately, very little is said or satisfactorily explained from the pulpit most of the time regarding the significance of the Incarnation. The Son of God, taking on human flesh becomes the instrument used by God, the Father, for the sacrifice to be offered to take away the sin of the world.
As wonderful as the story of the Birth of the Christ Child is, the reality is that this infant will grow, become a Man and be God’s sacrifice for sin–He is, as John the Baptist declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”(John 1:26, NKJV). He is The Sacrificial Lamb.
In the Letter to the Hebrews, (Hebrews 10:5-18, NKJV), the writer explains the absolute significance of the Incarnation:
“Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come–In the volume of the book it is written of Me–To do Your will, O God.’ ” “Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them, “then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.”
This passage is a bedrock of foundational truth for Christianity.
Each Christmas season, Luke 2 is the ‘go to’ passage for Christmas, and rightly so. As I read Luke 2 this past Christmas and reflected upon the Incarnation, something else came to my attention reading the entire chapter. Verses 1-20 tell of Christ’s birth; verses 21-38 tell of Christ’s circumcision eight days after His birth, Simeon’s recognition of the Christ Child, and Anna’s declaration in the Temple of Christ’s identity. Verse 39 transitions the narrative from “performing all things according to the law of the Lord” in Jerusalem, and then to returning home to Nazareth. Many of you are probably thinking, this is no ‘big deal’; my Bible will show me that, true. But for me, the translation of the Bible I was using was not broken apart like that; it was a continuous dialogue, and I was ‘seeing’ the flow, not being ‘shown’ the flow. It was really personally rewarding.
Verse 40 tells us that (Tree of Life Version) “the Child kept growing and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.” Question: How many years of growth are we referring too? Verses 41-50 transport us from the Temple and the family returning home to Nazareth; and then fast forwards to His parents returning to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover, 12 years later. The Baby has grown through His Boyhood experiences and now stands at the precipice of Becoming recognized as an adult. The facts of His Childhood years are not shared, except for the testimony of verse 40: He grew up, was strong, smart, and blessed by His Father, God. What a glorious testimony. Such a testimony would make any parents proud of their Son; yet, He was unique. He was God’s Son, being cared for by Joseph and Mary. My study Bible, NKJV, says of verse 40, “Luke emphasizes the complete humanity of Jesus.” We must always remember that Jesus was the Son of God in human flesh; and as such is the Son of Man.
In the Luke narrative, a detailed description of an event in life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is shared for us. This event is found in Luke 2:41-50. This event, I believe, pictures for us the duality (called the hyperstatic union in Christian theology) of Jesus as the Son of Man/Son of God. This duality is not a problem for Him; but we are shown the impact that it had on His father and mother in a real life situation and how Jesus responded to it.
At this point, I would like to recommend that you read Luke 2:41-50, and ask yourself a question. Why could, what has been described in this passage, be difficult for Jesus’ mother and father to comprehend?
With that question to ponder, I will stop.
I will use that question as the introductory thought for the next blog.
blessings, a brother in Christ, deo
originally published 1-24-2023, part 2
Living Words of Encouragement 