King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, October 03, 2024
Chapters: Matthew Chapter 2, Luke 2:39-52
Message: Jesus Growing Up
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, I started thinking about people who have some kind of knowledge of Jesus, but not enough to know that they need Him to be saved. I grew up Catholic and was well aware of Jesus being born, of His crucifixion, and resurrection, but that was where it ended, I had no idea that I needed to be saved. Oh, I knew that I was a sinner and that made me tremble even more at the thought of being cast into hell, but thankfully, God led me to the truth, and it all began with the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, [Isaiah 7:14-16 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.]
I always love the thought that Jesus ate butter and honey, I mean, is there any other treat greater than that? Did you ever wonder what it was like for Jesus growing up as a boy, teenager, or even His twenty-first birthday I regards to His flesh? I mean we can read in between the lines to get an idea, but I can imagine it was quite interesting. Now, as we continue in the reading of Matthew and Luke, we first learn that the news of Jesus being born spread like wildfire, even to Jerusalem where it was told to the king, who was Herod, and he was not too happy about the news.
[Matthew 2:1-5 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,]
[for thus it is written by the prophet,] This is what the scribes found out when searching the Scriptures, [Micah 5:2-4 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.]
You see, they only got half of the Scriptures right, for had they really known them, then they would have also known that Jesus would be raised in Nazareth. And this is always why you cannot read one line of Scripture and expect to understand what is going on. And regardless, Herod, was not about to lose his throne, he sent the wise men to find Jesus, and incredibly it took two years before the star that led them to Him over stood the home where he was living.
[Matthew 2:7-11 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.]
[till it came and stood over where the young child was.] Now, for the first time all these Scriptures from the prophets concerning Jesus are coming to pass and these people are horrified at the thought. Why? For one, they had no idea what the Scriptures said until they started searching through them. And two, they had already had their congregation believing that their traditions were Law, if word got out that they had been lying all this time, then the people would leave and turn to the truth, [John 11:47-48 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.]
Now, before the wise men left they were warned of Herod’s deception and did not even go near Jerusalem. Then after the wise men left, God also warned Joseph that Herod was trying to kill His Son, [Matthew 2:12-15 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.]
[Out of Egypt have I called my son.] Matthew, is referring to this prophecy, [Hosea 11:1,5-7 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. 5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return. 6 And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels. 7 And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.]
In other words, the majority of Jews would reject Jesus, and lose all hope of salvation, but that will open the door for the Gentiles. Now, Joseph, took Jesus and Jesus and His mother to Egypt, but when Herod found out that the wise men had returned to their homes he was more than angry, he was down right demonic and ordered every child age two and under to be killed.
[Matthew 2:16-18 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.]
[Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy] Matthew, is referring to this prophecy, [Jeremiah 31:15-17 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. 16 Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.]
Rachael, the beloved wife of Jacob, mother to Joseph and Benjamin and the ancestress of the children of Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, was regarded as the mother of Bethlehem, and this gave the prophecy and reference of the weeping of the people of Bethlehem over the slaughter of all those innocent babies. For those who trust the Scriptures and receive them with all their heart come to understand that while there is a time of weeping for the saved, born again Christian, there is also the hope of eternal life for all, Jew and Gentile believers, [Hebrews 6:18-20 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.]
Melchizedek, was a high priest in the days of Abraham, before he even became the father of promised seed that would lead to the children of Israel, he declared that the LORD Himself was a priest, [Genesis 14:18-19 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:] Jesus Christ, our great Melchizedek, is to have our utmost respect and to be humbly acknowledged as our King and Priest, [Psalms 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.]
This would be the first attempt of many on Christ’s life to overthrow the prophecies, and it was important that every prophecy be fulfilled as it was written as any discrepancy would discredit Christ and God Himself. Nevertheless, even though they tried, they failed, and everything seemed to fall right into place, even though they never realized it. Now, after Herod died his son took over and when Joseph got word that it was okay to return he decided it was best to lay low in Galilee.
[Matthew 2:19-23 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.]
[He shall be called a Nazarene.] Nazareth, was known as the branch of the city, it was foretold through Isaiah, that the Branch would come out of this town, [Isaiah 11:1-2,10 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.]
It is truly amazing just how many references there are in regards to Christ written in the Old Testament, it is no wonder why the Jews disregard the prophetic books, if they searched them they would find out the truth and be ashamed of themselves. There is not much written about Jesus in regards to his growing up from the time He was two years old until He was twelve, but to read in between the lines it is highly probable that they were indeed devout Jews who followed the Law quite extensively. The first recording of His being obedient to them is recorded as they went to Jerusalem to observe the Passover.
[Luke 2:40-45 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.]
[they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.] If you have lost sight of a child then you could understand how frantic they were when they realized that Jesus was not among them. It took them three days to get back to Jerusalem, and where was Jesus, in the temple talking to the PhD’s that were there. He was sitting in the midst of the learned teachers, in the hall where the school-classes of the children of the Law, the great high school, assembled for advanced instruction to learn to keep the commandments. Mary and Joseph were actually quite disturbed when they found Him and heard Him talking to the instructors.
[Luke 2:47-52 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.]
[they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.] Why did Mary and Joseph not understand what Jesus was saying? They treated Jesus just like their kids, and even though Joseph knew that he was not technically the father of Jesus, he did not treat Him any differently. They reacted like every other parent does when they found their child who has gotten lost. Of course, Jesus, knowing where He was, was in His own world, and probably did not realize that they were gone. We should all be so inclined to be about our Father’s business, to have a deep desire to learn His Word, understand His ways, and what He expects of us. God often has to remind us that this life we are living is not about the works we in remembrance of the Law, it is about bringing all to the understanding of the Gospel, [Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Luke 2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for sending Your Son so that I do not need to keep working for a chance at eternal life. And thank You for my salvation by my simple obedience of my faith in Your Son. You are my Father, and I do want to be about Your business. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me wisdom of Your Word, help me make the right choices from the knowledge I have in Your Word. I know I will not always be obedient, but also know that Your grace is sufficient enough to get me back in check every time as I live in subjection to Your understanding, and learn to be more like Your Son so that I can show the lost how they too can find Jesus. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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