What is the truth about Jesus’ so-called 17 lost years?
You are referring to the gap between the incident recorded in the Bible that took place when Jesus was 12 years old and the time of his baptism 17 years later. The reason the Bible does not contain any account of Jesus’ life during those years is because it is not important. The reason those years are not important is because Jesus did not begin his ministry until he was baptized at the age of 30. What was Jesus doing during those years? After the incident in the temple when Jesus was 12 the Bible account at Luke 2:51 simply says: “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and he continued subject to them. Also, his mother carefully kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus went on progressing in wisdom and in physical growth and in favor with God and men.”
So, basically Jesus lived with his parents, studied and went to meetings and worked with his step-father, Joseph, in the family carpentry business until he was baptized and afterwards embarked on his three and a half year ministry.
1 comment:
Friday, July 14, 2006
More about Jesus' lost years
After the temple incident when Jesus was 12 years old traveling with his parents to Jerusalem for worship, the account, in Luke 2:51, tells us that "Jesus went on progressing in wisdom and physical growth and in favor with God and men."
Jesus' life here on earth is very meaningful to those desiring to put their faith in him, as he is the central figure in God's plan for mankind's salvation. In fact the scriptures tell us that no man can come to the Father except through Christ. So a careful consideration of Jesus' life is paramount to anyone who wants to obtain God's favor.
True, the Bible is silent about Jesus' life for a period of 17 years. However, Luke 2:51 is clear on the matter of Jesus "progressing in wisdom." So we can be certain that Jesus spent a considerable amount of time reading and meditating upon the Hebrew Scriptures. This was much in evidence when at the age of 12 during the temple incident the teachers were amazed at his wisdom, he even saying later to his parents: "did you not know that I must be in the [house] of my Father." Here Jesus was acknowledging “YHWH” as his Father. We can be certain then that just as God communicated with Adam prior to his rebellion, God kept a line of communication open by means of his spirit or active force with his earthly son, Jesus. This became more evident during his baptism in the Jordan River and the zeal with which he undertook his ministry.
We see aspects of Jesus’ earthly life in the symbolic drama of Revelation chapter 12 concerning the birth of the figurative “male child”. The symbolism of the dragon in his attempt to devour the child as soon as the woman gave birth reminds us of Satan’s attempt through Herod to put the child Jesus to death. In both instances God intervened to protect his “child,” albeit in an illustrative sense in the latter case.
After his baptism the biblical record tells us that Jesus went into the wilderness where the Devil again tried unsuccessfully to defeat him. Then Christ successfully carried out his 3½-year ministry. His death on the torture stake was only a heel wound, for God resurrected him and seated him at his right hand of power and authority. Jesus understood he had to suffer a heel wound. That is why upon his arrest at the garden of Gethsemane he did not make use of angelic forces to intervene on his behalf. He obediently carried out his activities in full harmony with God’s timetable.
In the heavenly setting, the Devil, like a fierce relentless dragon, is poised to devour the symbolic male child. Jehovah comes to the rescue, as he did when Jesus was a child on earth. Through this use of imagery, Jehovah is likely letting us know that he is protecting and nurturing the kingdom child just as he protected the child Jesus. This means that the kingdom of God with Christ as King of kings is at hand. It was not established in 1914 as the Watchtower presently teaches.
The end of the seven times may indicate the removal of the bands of iron and copper from around the tree stump of the chopped down tree. The tree correctly represents the Davidic dynasty or God’s kingdom which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Such removal of the restraining bands does not represent the immediate establishment of God’s heavenly kingdom in 1914. If you cut a tree down it takes time to sprout to become fully grown again. So if we say that Christ has been enthroned as king following the end of the seven times when the restraining bands were removed, we are not allowing time for the tree to sprout. We have become overly expectant, erroneously concluding that a future event has already taken place.
The angel Gabriel announced that Jesus would become a king. In keeping with the angel’s announcement, Jesus staged his kingship when he rode in Jerusalem on a donkey as he drew closer to the end of his ministry. The birth of the male child in Revelation chapter 12 more likely represents the stage of Jesus’ human birth. His coming in power to judge the earth as king is represented by his staged entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey, as can be seen from his cleansing of the temple a second time.
God knows that we need a kingdom government and he has been preparing it for us, first in the person of his Son. Others as first fruits to God and to the lamb will follow afterwards, but not until they are judged and refined and taken to heavenly Mount Zion. Then the masses of humanity [the nations] will benefit from the establishment of the kingdom, but not until we are made to realize the futility of our actions.
So how best can we understand Jesus’ lost years? Taken into the context of the progressive growth of God’s kingdom and Christ’s ultimate establishment in kingdom power, they are not lost years at all, but a lesson in humility and patience.
CG
Post a Comment