In the Footsteps of Jesus #2

"Image(s) courtesy of www.HolyLandPhotos.org"

Scripture: Luke 2:51-52

⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

"Learning Obedience"

From the picture above you can see that today Jesus's hometown of Nazareth is a bustling city. A predominately Arab-Christain community it has all the sights and sounds one would expect of a thriving tourist town. But 2000 years ago it was just a small village. Here Joseph had his business, Mary made a home and Jesus grew up. Not much different really from the way you and I grew up.

As we walked back to our bus one afternoon, the alleyway we were going down suddenly filled with laughing, playing children. As they passed I tried to imagine Jesus playing in these same streeets. I wondered about his playmates. Did they see anything different about him? Or was he just little Jesus, Joseph's boy?

We know very little about Jesus' childhood. The only real account is from Luke 2 from which our text is taken. And from that we have no reason to assume that Jesus grew up any differently than any other boy of his day.

What stands out for me is what Luke says in verse 51: "He was obedient to them." Even though He was God, Jesus obeyed his parents. Even when they made wrong decisions, He listened to them. Consider that for a moment. If Jesus was willing to be obedient to his earthly parents, how much more should you and I be willing to obey our heavenly Father! Do we?

Question: In what ways must you be more obedient to God?

Prayer: Lord, help us to learn obedience to Your will and Your way. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.