We don’t have a baby book for Jesus, or a series of digital pictures of his childhood conveniently stored in the cloud. Holy Scripture tells us precious little about his nativity and childhood. Most of what we know comes from the things Mary treasured up in her heart, and reported to us through St. Luke. So here we come today to that last precious little account of Jesus as a boy, at 12 years old, in the temple. And it has much to teach us.
One major less is that this account shows us that Jesus is both true God and also true man. His two natures. This is a basic teaching of our catechism instruction, something most of us learned by 12 years old ourselves. It is confessed in the creeds of the church and one of the most basic, yet also mysterious features of our Lord’s person.
Jesus is true man. He is like us in every way, Hebrews tells us, yet without sin. (And that “yet without sin” part is important, and we will come back to it.) But otherwise, he was like us: He lived and breathed with a physical body, and possesses a rational soul. He was tired and hungry. He laughed and cried.
And here, we see particularly, also, he grew. Luke tells us, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” He grew in knowledge. Certainly that was part of his interaction with the teachers in the temple. He was asking and answering questions, and he was learning.
Let this be a lesson to us, who are far less impressive than Jesus, that we should always be learning and growing in God’s word. We should always be catechizing, asking and answering, what does this mean? What has God said?
And it is also shown here, that he grew in stature (that is, physically) and in favor with God and man. His reputation grew. Certainly people came to see this was no ordinary child. Even then they were amazed by him. Later, as an adult, they would be even more amazed at his teaching, for he is the one who has authority. We’re starting to see hints of just who this Jesus was to become.
But this account shows us another truth, that Jesus is true God. He confesses it clearly, when he calls the temple, “my Father’s house”. And he lets glimmers of it show through as he astounds the teachers with his understanding. As we said, this is no ordinary boy.
He was without sin. What that looks and feels like to parent a child without sin, we can only imagine. For that is certainly none of us. We need the discipline of parents and teachers, because we are sinners by default.
And while the law of God can curb sin and keep it in check, no amount of learning can free us from sin. Not even wise Solomon was above it, for he was led astray into idolatry. No pastor is above it, we are just like you – sinners in thought, word and deed. No one is righteous, not one, and so this boy Jesus presented something quite new and different and amazing.
I remember as a young schoolboy, myself, getting my first bad marks in 4th grade. Standing in the rain, after school, with that report card tucked in my backpack. Waiting for my parents to come pick me up, and eventually see the evidence. What a feeling of dread. Such is the state of the sinner who must stand before God and answer for himself. Apart from Christ, in our sins, we do not amaze the teacher or pass the test. Your supposed good works ought to impress no one.
But addressing our sinful state is exactly what he’s doing here. It’s why he’s about his Father’s business. It’s why he must be in his Father’s house. He came to do the will of the Father and to rescue us sinners from our sorry state. It’s what would take him, eventually, to the cross. It would see the temple of his body destroyed, only to be rebuilt after 3 days. There’s some hint of that too, here, even for young Jesus. For later, when the centurion saw how he died, he would declare, “truly this was the Son of God.”
But there’s still more. It is often said among us that “Jesus died for us”, and of course that is so incredibly important. But it is less often said, though also very important, that Jesus lived for us.
He lived a perfect life under the law, as a representative of us all. He fulfilled all righteousness, did everything well, and did it for our benefit and blessing.
Jesus fulfills the law. He fulfills it, along with his pious family as they faithfully observed the Jewish feasts and made their pilgrimages at the appointed times. And yet he, himself, is the fulfillment of the Passover that they came all this way to observe. He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
He fulfills the moral law, personally, as he is obedient to his parents and submissive to them – keeping the fourth commandment by honoring his parents and other authorities (including his teachers).
He always loved God and always loved his neighbor, in stark contrast to us but precisely because we do not and cannot, he did. And now God sees us through Christ’s life of good works. By faith, all this is credited to us as righteousness, not just Christ’s death, but his whole life, his perfect, unblemished record, is ours.
And another key lesson today, really in all of our readings and psalms, is Wisdom. Jesus shows true wisdom. Solomon, the wisest man ever, wrote in his proverbs that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Jesus certainly had that.
But he also embodies the wisdom of God, he is that wisdom. Just as the word became flesh and dwelled among us, so is the wisdom of God seen in the person and work of our savior, that God-man, Jesus Christ.
We, like the Ephesians, have this wisdom, this word of truth: that through Christ, we are adopted as sons of God. Through Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, we have an inheritance, just as sure and certain, a destination with God forever.
It is good to be in the Father’s house, and only through Christ can we claim God as our Father, too. We who were truly lost, truly separated from our Father by our sins, are found again in the grace of Christ. This is God’s wisdom. To save us by his son.
Far from just a cute story or precious memory of Jesus’ childhood, Jesus’ visit to the temple at 12 years old teaches us even today. He is the true God and true man in one person come to save us. He amazed his teachers and surprised his parents with his wisdom and understanding, and so he amazes us with his grace and mercy. He fulfills the law by his perfect life even as he makes satisfaction for sin with his perfect death, and by all of it, life and death and resurrection – delivers to us an inheritance. He does everything that is necessary, and does it perfectly and fully for our salvation.
