Hope Awakening: Obedience
“When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.’ He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Achelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.'”
Matthew 2:19-23
“When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”
Luke 2:39-40
It’s no surprise to us, now, that Joseph has heard further instruction from the Lord in a dream. It’s good news! Their sojourn in Egypt is complete and it’s safe for them to return to Israel. Joseph doesn’t sit around; he rises and begins the journey home with Mary and Jesus. Scripture doesn’t tell us how long the family stayed in Egypt, but scholars tend to agree that it was two to three years from the time Mary and Joseph initially left Nazareth until they returned with Jesus. I imagine they were a little homesick!
Joseph leads his family back to Nazareth and Matthew tells us this is in fulfillment of what had been spoken by the prophets. Interestingly, there is not an Old Testament verse documenting this prophecy. Some might conclude it’s false, or Matthew is making it up. It’s important for us to remember, though, that the first actual Bible wasn’t printed until 1455! The Israelites, and then later all Christians, relied heavily on oral traditions. There were scrolls that held the words of Scripture (we will later see Jesus refer to one of the scrolls), which people would hear when they’d go to the Temple. Matthew’s Gospel is God-breathed and inspired, so we can trust that these words are true.
Matthew’s Gospel ends here, while Luke’s Gospel tells of one additional story of Jesus as a child. Overall, we have very little information about Jesus’ childhood. His story, as it pertains to God’s bigger redemption story, continues with his ministry. The Gospels of Mark and John don’t even address Jesus’ birth!
We can make some educated guesses, though, on how Jesus spent his childhood and teenage years based on how traditional Jewish families functioned in that time.
Jewish boys would attend synagogue school starting around the age of 5. This would be when they would learn Jewish history and begin to memorize the entire Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. (And here a lot of us struggle to even read Leviticus!) It seems overwhelming to us; yet, these young boys did it. Don’t ever let the enemy convince you that you cannot memorize Scripture!*
Around the age of 10, Jewish boys would begin their education of the law. Some would be selected to study under a Rabbi, being groomed to become a Rabbi themselves one day. They would also continue on in their education. If a Jewish boy was not selected to an apprenticeship, they would go and learn the trade of their father. We touched on this before, but I find it incredibly fascinating that Jesus – the Son of God – wasn’t chosen for the Rabbi path! We know, based on Scripture, that he was brought up in Joseph’s trade and worked as a carpenter (Mark 6:3).
Jesus – our Lord and Savior, God in the flesh – led an ordinary life until he returned to the scene (Scripture) around the age of 30 to begin his ministry. John (the Baptist) and Jesus are reunited in the Jordan River, when John baptizes Jesus. Two (seemingly) ordinary men called to do extraordinary things for God’s Kingdom! Throughout his life, both through educated guesses and documented accounts, we see Jesus model for us characteristics of the faithful: patience, humility, obedience, prioritizing prayer, service, gentleness, kindness, love, and compassion (to name a few).
All praise and glory be to God, forever and ever!
Reflection: Read Luke 2:41-52 for the final Scriptural account of Jesus’ childhood.