Lost Years

48So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. 51Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Luke 2: 48 - 52 NKJV

Not too long ago Dennis and I ventured to see the premier of the film Young Messiah.  Of course, I had some pre conceived notions before seeing the movie.  First off, I was looking for the film makers to finaly explain one of the great mysteries of christianity, that being the formative years of the young Christ child.  For the most part, I was dissapointed in that aspect.  I'm not saying that this movie was not worth seeing, just that it shed very little on a young Jesus than we already know.  So, what do we know of the life of Jesus?  Well, we know that the birth of this child was foretold by the prophets {Isaiah 9: 6-7}.  We know just where He would be born {Micah 5:2}.  The prophet Isaiah even went so far as to tell us just who this Christ child would be born to {Isaiah 7:14}.  So, this is what we know from the scriptures of the early life of Jesus.  One of my main complaints over the years has been that the authors of these texts failed to give us a further glimpse into the life of the young Christ.  Was Jesus born humbly in a manger and then suddenly by some miracle advanced in years to begin His ministry?  No, I believe that a miracle such as this would have been worthy of mention in the scriptures.  But we see no mention of things working out this way, so we must assume that Jesus had a normal childhood for a boy in His generation and time in history.  This may turn out to be a key peice of history in that search for the young Jesus.  Can we not see the lives of so many other young boys at that time in history and assume that the young Christ child had a similar upbringing?  Perhaps, there is no scriptural evidence that the life of Jesus was any different, only that He grew in knowledge and stature.  Of course, there may have been others boys His age who followed a similar path.  I will go by the assumption that if there was a significant event in the life of this young Messiah that the authors of scripture may very well have mentioned it...we hope.

39So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Luke 2: 39 - 40 NKJV

They are refered to by biblical scholars as "The lost years."  These formative years in the life of the young Christ Jesus.  For good reason, for as I mentioned, little is known of this period in the life of Jesus.  Yes, we can make presumptions based on the lives and upbringing of other children His age at that time.  I believe this to be the case, as scriptures make little to no mention of significant events in the life of Jesus up until His late twenties as He begins His ministry.  Knowing this, we can assume that the young Jesus spent much of His time in the presence of His father Joseph who was a carpenter by trade.  Jesus must have learned this trade as well from His father, as this was how things were done in His day.  One aspect of the film Young Messiah which I was pleased with was the portrayal of the young Jesus at play with other children around Him.  THIS makes the young Jesus real to us, as He was just like any ordinary boy His age.  This savior of His people must have grown as any other child of His day.  He would play, interact with His parents and those around Him.  However, the scriptures also fail to mention much in the way of just when Jesus sensed there was something different in His life.  As He grew in knowledge and stature, He must have become aware of His relationship with the Father.  For this relationship was very important to Him later in life.  Just when did Jesus realize who He truly was?  How did He react to this revelation?  How did Mary and Joseph react?  For we know from scripture that His parents knew very well how special their child was.  For we know that the angel of the Lord visited Mary and told her of the special nature of the child she was carrying {Luke 1: 26-37}.  So, Jesus' parents knew how special He indeed was as He grew.  This must have played into just how they raised their son.  We also know that Jesus was not a only child, for even His brother James initially doubted his brothers prominence.  So, we can assume that the young Jesus grew as any other boy His age of that time.  Learning at the feet of His father while learning of His Father.  Despite the lack of scriptural evidence of this period of His life, we can rest assured that Jesus was being prepeared for His ultimate purpose.  The reconciliation of the world unto His Father in heaven.

~Scott~