Apologetics Courses

Early Age of Our Lord Jesus

More than 2000 years ago God sent an angel to speak to a Virgin Mary whom was engaged to Joseph, a carpenter. The angel told Mary that that by God’s power, she would conceive and bear a son and be named "Jesus".

When Joseph learned that she was pregnant, he was not happy and thought of termination but an angel instructed him to marry her. Joseph obediently married her and took her tot Bethlehem and registered for a census. While there, Mary gave birth to Jesus. She laid him in a manger because there was no room at the inn. Angels invited the Shepherds to visit Jesus in Bethlehem. Later, wise men (the visitors) brought gifts to Jesus. The visitors were probably astronomers or priests from Persia (wise men), rather than kings as tradition picture them. In the ancient world, astronomy and astrology were closely linked. There could have been more or less than three; the figure is arrived at solely because of the three kinds of gift. They brought which we will discern on the next paragraph. Probably, Gentile philosophers, who, through Divine assistance, had improved their knowledge of nature, as a means of leading to the knowledge of the one true God. The one from east – so Arabia as frequently called in scripture. It lay to the east of Judea, and was famous for gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gifts themselves may represent aspects of Jesus’ ministry: gold for a king; frankincense for a priest (representing the prayers of the people) and myrrh for his burial as a crucified savior.

Tradition, not the gospels say the Magi were three kings and that the presents they gave the baby had special significance as mentioned above. The term used, Magi, originally designated a priestly class of the Medes and had come to be used generally of Eastern sages versed in knowledge of the stars. The wise men were miraculously led where or not God employed a regular through rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn for this purpose is a minor question, seeing the star- standing over where the child was the Magi’s intention.

For Matthew the Magi’s visit also represents the Messiah’s relationship to the Gentile world and is also fitting introduction to other prophetically significant events of Christ’s infancy. The story is in keeping with the ‘royal’ Messianic expectation of the Jews and with the character of Herod. The Magi supposed to report the incident and where about of the child Jesus to Herod instead they knew why that Jesus came for a good purpose for all mankind as we notice that Magi even bowed down and worshiped the child and left the place with many gifts. And finally the angry Herod still sent out his soldiers to persecute all children below the age of two. This bring about the next journey of Jesus to Nazareth and that where was fulfilled what has been spoken on effect by several of the prophets that He shall be called a Nazarene – that is He shall be despised and rejected, shall be a mark of public contempt and reproach.

What we learned from Matthew 2 from Wesley’s commentary is that the Magi represented a new world for all the Gentile people. The birth of Jesus was not meant for the salvation of the Jews only but to all Gentile worlds. It also indicates that the coming of Jesus who known before hand and known throughout the world at the ancient times. That is very essential for our study of why we need to know the purpose and reason of the Magi visit to Jesus family after traveling hundred or thousand miles away from home or country but we still do not actually know what these Magi people came from.

Later the visitors told Herod the Great, a wicked king, that Jesus would rule Israel without informing the location. . Judea was ruled by Herod as King. So no matter how King Herod still sent his soldiers to kill the children in Bethlehem, in a way to ensure baby Jesus will be killed too but warned by an angel, Joseph took his family to Egypt. Many years after the death of Herod, they returned to Israel and raised Jesus in a town called Nazareth. The birth of Jesus, it was a time of issuing the decree of Augustus Caesar where census was to be taken as a preliminary to a poll tax in the provinces. Everyone had to be taxed, so Joseph was of the family of David and would have to be enrolled what that family had its landed inheritance.

Joseph was really poor and because unable to complete the equitable taxation. He decided to move from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth. The journeys were probably ignorant of the fact that they were helping to fulfill the prophecy that pointed to Bethlehem as the birthplace of Christ. In a manger a child was born, how the angel of the land announces the conception of Jesus. The host of angel praising was bring a good tidings of great joy and peace with God was about to be thrown open to all mankind which is no longer to be confined to the Jew but to be offered to the whole Gentile world.

Here the circumcision of Jesus on the eight day, it must be obeyed and declared His name Jesus. There we found Simeon, the elderly man approaching death who believed he would see the Messiah before dying. Nevertheless, he too, having recognized the infant Jesus and rejoiced focuses on cost an ominous warning for mercy (vs 35). Next Anna enters, saintly old eccentric who probably had more of a reputation as a nuisance than a prophet among the temple guards who speaks of Christ to all those quiet hopers in Israel.

It is about the boy Jesus in His Father’s house when the parent took Him to the temple as the custom of the law (Passover) to offer sacrifice that required a pigeon or turtledoves for a sin offering for those who were poor. We see here Jesus spent these days in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them; and asking them questions. In the temple, where the school of the rabbis were held, and law regularly expounded. Jesus kept on asking question. It was the custom in Jewish rabbinical school for scholars to ask questions. Here Jesus expresses His High consciousness of His mission and office; His life is to be uniquely a human life wholly lived to God, a life which is in all parts and in very aspect an act of worship, as man’s life ought to be and never had been. He must be in His Father’s house yet obedient toward His earthly parents too, as He had to return home for a normal life until His time has come.

We notice the People’s New Testament commentary on Luke 2 talks about the time of Jesus’ birth until the age of twelve. We learned that He loved the word of God and at the meantime; he was an obedient boy toward His earthly parents. It is an encouragement for all of us that no matter what sort of lives whether poor or rich. We much serve our God with all our heart and honor those on this world no matter what.

Jesus Relationship with His Earthly Parents: The early story here does not portray Him as doing any supernatural deed or speaking in an unduly authoritative. The message here is just that Jesus “must be about my Father’s house (Luke 2 v49).” I do not blame Jesus wish to do God’s business but let read verses 43 and 44 of Luke chapter 2: “And when he feast was ended, as they were returnin
g, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parent did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day’s journey.” Two things that I find inconsistent was first, Jesus apparent disregard for his parents’ time and feeling. Second, if Jesus had been an irresponsible child his parents would never have gone a whole day without knowing his whereabouts. They should trust him and knew he was an obedient boy. This suggests that Jesus’ motive of staying behind was not carelessness or disrespect. It must have something else in mind.

As I read on, Jesus was only found in the temple sitting among the teachers listening to them and asking them questions. He was missing for three days. The parent must have gone searching through the whole Jerusalem and maybe through the night. Finally, Jesus’ parent found him and next conversation begins in verses 48 – 50 of Luke chapter 2. His mother said to him “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold your father and I have been looking for you anxiously (literally: in pain). And to my surprised, he answered “why is it that you sought me? Did you not know I must be in my father’s house?” They stagnant of what was spoken by him. To my understanding, Jesus answers because there is laid on him an inner necessity to be in his father’s house. The main point of the whole passage probably lies is the contrast between “Your father” and “My father.” Mary says, “Your father and I have been searching for you.” Jesus answers, “You should have known I would be at house of my father.” Jesus has chosen this crucial stage in His life on the brink of manhood and told his parent in an unforgettable way that he knows his real father and his purpose to be here on earth. It will mean, as Simeon said in Luke 2:35 “A sword will pierce through your soul also, Mary.” The time will come when Jesus will be killed at Jerusalem and three days rise from the dead and that will be a great pain to Mary. And is not this three days vigil of Mary and Joseph a foreshadowing of that experience as she said “Your father and I have been seeking you in pain.”

The response of Jesus toward his parents are not just mere irresponsible or rude. He was an obedient and a good son. He is doing what he was here to do and he knew what his parents would go through in the later part of their life that will be more painful than this. Another reason is that Jesus should expect his parents to know where he was, as the temple was the only place he will go.