THE EARLY LIFE OF JESUS
Luke 2:1-17
In studying God’s Word, we
need a method of study that helps us
get the most out of scripture.
Here is what I was taught in my seminary
classes.
O Observe
the text
Who wrote it?
Why was it written
Who was it written to?
What is it about?
When was it written
I Investigation
If there is anything about the text
you don’t understand,
stop and get answers.
The Bible interprets itself. Look
for other scriptures about
the subject.
Uses online commentaries.
Look at sermons on the subject
A Application
How does this topic apply to
your life?
What can you learn from it?
How will this scripture help you
in daily living?
We don’t spend much time
talking about the childhood of Jesus.
Until the age of 12 God
focused on Mary and Joseph
I think it is worth our
time to look at what we can gain from
The parenting of Mary and
Joseph.
HIS BIRTH
Luke 2:8-12
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to
them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of
great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a
Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
The notification of the birth of Jesus was given first to
shepherds in the field.
Jesus, Himself is the chief Shepherd of all Christians.
Why were they there?
Why shepherds and not religious leaders?
Bethlehem means
"house of bread" in Hebrew. The town was known for its grain fields
running down its slopes. After the harvest, shepherds were welcome to bring
their animals into the fields to eat the remaining grain and stubble. In
return, the sheep and goats fertilized the fields for the next planting season.
In the first century Judea, being a shepherd was considered a lowly profession.
These were the social outcasts. That's what makes this next account in the Gospel
of Luke so special. (DriveThrough History)
Jesus is the bread of life. John 6:21
OUR POSITION
We can learn from the characteristics of a shepherd
They have a low
position
They work in the
field
They are guardians
of the flock
They worked in harsh conditions
They are leaders
of the flock
They are defenders
of the flock
They tend the
flock 24/7.
These are all the characteristics of our Lord and Savior.
The Lord identifies with the poor, the common man, the hard-working,
the humble
OUR PRAISE
The Angels gave notification to the shepherds of Jesus' birth
Then taught us how to praise the Lord
Luke 2:16-18
So they hurried off
and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When
they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them
about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds
said to them.
The Shepherds investigated the Word, then spread the Word
Missed opportunity. The community didn’t seek Jesus
HIS DEDICATION TO THE
FATHER
Luke 2:21
21 On the eighth day, when
it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given
him before he had been conceived.
8th Day Jesus was circumcised according to the law
Purification
Obedience
Consecration
The naming of
Jesus The salvation of Jehovah
Luke 2:22-24
When the time of their purification according to the Law of
Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to
the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn
male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in
keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two
young pigeons."
40th day Mary presented Jesus in the temple
Purification of
Mary
Dedication of the
firstborn to the Lord Colossians 1:15
OUR WORSHIP
Matthew 2:1-2
2 After Jesus was born in
Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw
his star in the east and have come to worship him."
The Wise men taught us how to worship the Lord
WHY WERE THEY CALLED WISE MEN?
1. THEY WERE ASTRONOMERS
THEY STUDIED THE STARS They saw a
different star
2. THEY WERE MATHEMATICIANS They were able to determine where the star
was pointing
3. THEY WERE BIBLICAL SCHOLARS They knew Bible scripture They knew the star represented
a
King who was born
Numbers 24:17
4. THEY WERE COURAGEOUS They told a king they were looking
for the new king of
Jews
5. THEY WERE INVESTIGATORS They came to prove scripture
6. THEY WERE GODLY MEN THEY CAME TO WORSHIP THE NEW
KING
7. THEY WERE DETERMINED They didn’t rest until they found
the king
8. THEY WERE GENEROUS THEY BROUGHT GIFTS
9. THEY CAME TO WORSHIP They fell down and worshiped
Jesus Matt 2:2. 2:11
9. THEY WERE SUBMISSIVE TO THE SPIRIT They were guided by the spirit.
Left Bethlehem without telling Herod
10. THEY WERE OBEDIENT
11. THEY WERE JOYFUL
WHO WERE THE MAGI
The Magi regained power under Xerxes and were consulted by
him. They formed the highest portion of the king's court, the council about the
king's person. Gradually the term came to represent divining impostors.
However, Philo uses it in a good sense: "men who gave
themselves to the study of nature and contemplation of the divine perfection,
worthy of being counselors of kings." So in Matthew 2:1, it is used in the
better sense of "wise men," at once astronomers and astrologers
"from the E.," i.e. the. N.E., the region toward the Euphrates from
whence BALAAM (which see) came (Numbers 23:7; 22:5). Balaam's prophecy seems to
have been known to them: "there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a
scepter shall arise out of Israel." Accordingly, the very guide they look
to is a star (a meteor probably), and the question they ask is "where is
He that is born King of the Jews?" Moreover, Daniel, "chief of the
Magi," had foretold Messiah's kingdom (Daniel 2:44; 9:25); naturally, the
Magi ("wise men") looked for the kingdom and the king among the
people of him whose fame as a Magian they had heard of. Zoroaster's predictions
led them to look for Zosiosh, the Head of the kingdom who should conquer
Ahriman and raise the dead. Their presents, "gold, frankincense, and
myrrh," were the usual gifts of subject nations
(from Fausset's Bible Dictionary, Electronic Database
Copyright © 1998, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
When the wise men got to Jesus, Mary was in a house. Jesus
had grown to be a young child
He could have been 2 years old
Matthew 2:16
16 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 inquired of the wise men.
IGNORANT OR WISE YOUR
CHOICE
The church folk was given Good News about the long-awaited
Messiah. They were not affected.
They made no effort to find Jesus.
The community had three opportunities to find Jesus.
1. The Shepherds
announced His birth on the day of His birth
2. The Simoen and
Anna praised Jesus in the Temple 40 days after His birth
during the
dedication to the Lord
3. 2 years after
Jesus’s birth, the Wise men gained an audience with King Herod,
asking for the
location of the King of The Jews. They saw a star announcing His birth.
King Herod
demanded the church leaders search the scriptures to determine
the birth of
Jesus.
The Jewish community and the Jewish leaders did not search
for Jesus.
They did not take the birth of Jesus seriously even after
Herod ordered all
boy babies 2 years and under killed.
Matthew 2:4-5
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.
The Church folk had been informed about the birth of
Christ 2 years before the wise men got to
Bethlehem, but never searched for Him
The religious community in Bethlehem searched the scriptures
under the command of Herod
concerning the birth of their king, Jesus the Messiah, but
saw no need to worship Him.
Think about this. When you fail to believe the Word of God,
you delay the blessing God has for you
It was 33 years before the people of Jerusalem knew who
Jesus, the Savior was.
33 years without joy. 33 years without the peace of God. 33 years looking for the
savior that was in their midst.
They were looking for God in all the wrong places. They were
looking for
God according to their thought of what a savior would look
like.
They knew scripture. They only heard scripture according to
their understanding
They ignored all the prophecies that stated the Messiah would
born to a virgin.
When the prophecy was fulfilled, they message of the fulfillment
was.
FAMILY GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
When the wise men left, God sent Mary and Joseph into Egypt.
Why?
Matthew 2:13-14
V:13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his
mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to
search for the child to kill him."
God prepared the way for us through our past generations. 586
years before the birth of
Christ, the temple, and Jerusalem were destroyed and a large
part of the Jewish community
was taken captive.
After 70 years designed by God because of their disobedience many Jews
returned.
Many Jews remained in Egypt,
The Jewish Community grew in Egypt and built a temple to the
Lord after 167 BC. We must keep in mind that Egyptians were idol god
worshipers. God works in the middle of sinful
people.
Isaiah 19:19-20
On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart
of Egypt and a monument to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness
to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt.
RETURNING HOME TO WORK
Mary and Joseph return to Nazareth under God's guidance
Matthew 2:19-20
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and
go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life
are dead."
Luke 2:39-44
they returned to
Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong;
he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
Mary and Joseph spent 2 years in Bethlehem and 3 years in
Egypt before returning to
Their hometown of Nazareth.
It is possible that the gold, frankincense, and myrrh
Was used to support them until they returned.
God protects and supports those that are faithful to Him
REGULAR WORSHIP
V:41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast
of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast,
according to the custom. 43 After the Feast was over, while his parents were
returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware
of it. 44
NIV
Luke 2:46-48
46 After three days they found him in the temple courts,
sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47
Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
It is our job as parents to be involved in regular worship
services.
From an early age, our children should be involved in serving
the Lord.
Our children grow as we grow in the Lord.
We know little about Jesus from the ages of 12 to 30 because
God did not
Gives any information. What we do know is that his steps were
ordered by
The Lord. At 30 years
old what is emerges was a Priest, Prophet and Kings
And our Lord and savior.
His 3 ½ ministry changed the world. He is now seated at the
right Hand of
The Father making intercessions for us.
