The Boy Jesus in the Temple

July 6, 2025 Background Scripture: Luke 2:41 - 52 Lesson Passage: Luke 2:41 - 52 The bible gives us three glimpses of Jesus' childhood: a newborn baby in a manger in Bethlehem, a child (perhaps toddler) in a house in Bethlehem, and a pre-teen (twelve years of age) in the temple in Jerusalem. Today's lesson examines the latter. Each recorded occasion of Jesus' childhood involved some group looking for Him, In our Lesson Passage, His parents are the ones looking for Him. Jesus was not lost; Jesus was just not where His parents expected Him to be. Jesus was born into a poor Jewish family that followed the rituals of the Law. Their adherence to the Law required them to go to the temple in Jerusalem every year to observe the Passover. Extended families in different regions outside of Jerusalem traveled to the temple as a group. The families returned to their homes after the Passover celebration. It would have been normal for families to expect the children to be together as they journeyed to and from Jerusalem. After traveling from Jerusalem for one day, Jesus' parents, Joseph and Mary, discovered that He was not among the family group traveling home as they expected. After traveling back to Jerusalem and searching for an additional two days, they found Jesus in the temple. Jesus was sitting with the teachers of the Law listening and asking them questions. Those teachers were amazed at Jesus' level of understanding. Perhaps the profound nature of His questions is what amazed them. On the other hand, Mary's statement seems appropriate for a mother who had no knowledge of her child's whereabouts for three days. She made it clear that they were stressed out because of His absence. Jesus' response did not clarify the situation for her. He said, "I must be about My Father's business." Since Joseph, the carpenter, raised Jesus as his son, Jesus' Father's business was expected to be carpentry. Jesus submitted to His parents and returned to Nazareth with them. He continued to grow in stature and wisdom under His parents' oversight until the beginning of His public minist1Y. Meanwhile, Mary remembered His words although she did not understand them at that time. Many of us have experienced the minist1Y calling of God without knowing the timing, or the season for which God has prepared us. Some have waited reluctantly, and some have waited with the hope that it would pass. Yet there are others, like Jesus, who have attempted to start right away without God's prompting. Whatever the case might be, recognizing the calling of God and being willing to respond to Him is essential for all. In this lesson, we see a young Jesus who was eager to do His Father's bidding years before his ministry was to begin at the Jordan River. He continued to grow and experience life in this world as we do. He needed to grow up as a normal person in this world. However, Jesus did so without any sin. This was all necessary so Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. As we reflect on this passage of scripture, there is a certain irony in that Jesus reacted the way He did at the Jewish Passover celebration. The Passover foreshadowed the goal of Jesus' ministry. In another twenty-one years, Jesus would be offered as the world's Passover Lamb. Perhaps this is what prompted the questions and responses He shared with the teachers of the Law that left them astonished. Could it be they were discussing the Passover event and celebration with God's Passover Lamb? As an adult, Jesus returned to that same temple many times during His ministry. Oftentimes, those visits were not well received by the teachers of the Law. Maybe none were there or remember the questions of the boy Jesus. Robert C. Hudson June 26, 2025

Jacob Sets Up a Sacred Pillar

June 29, 2025 Background Scripture: Genesis 28:1 - 22; 33: 17 - 20; 35:1- 7 Lesson Passage: Genesis 28: 10 - 22 Have you ever asked, "Why am I doing this?" or "Why do we do this?" Some of our actions are so routine for us that we don't remember a time when such actions were not part of our behavior; and this is the way it should be until we reach a certain level of maturity. God-fearing parents are admonished by the word of God to, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." This behavior is observable even when we view the recorded history of the patriarchs. During the times of the patriarchs, it was common to commemorate a noteworthy event by erecting a memorial. They often used stones to build it. Abraham and Isaac had followed this familiar practice. In today's lesson, we see Jacob follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather—they were his role models. God blessed Isaac and Rebekah with twins, Esau and Jacob. They had very different personalities. The bible records that Isaac loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Although Esau was the firstborn, as they grew, Rebekah did things to give Jacob an economic advantage over his older brother. Eventually, Jacob and his mother, Rebekah, conspired to steal the blessing of Isaac that he intended for Esau, their firstborn son. The blessing was the covenant God made with Abraham that had been passed on to Isaac. After their conspiracy was completed and Esau learned of it, he vowed to kill Jacob after their father's death. Rebekah learned of Esau's plans and deceived her husband into sending Jacob away to live with her family in Syria. Today's Lesson Passage occurred during Jacob's journey from Beersheba to Padan Aram. Jacob stopped in Luz to rest overnight. God appeared to Jacob in a dream that night. God ratified the blessing Isaac was tricked into bestowing upon Jacob. God assured Jacob that He would be with him wherever he goes and bring him safely back to his father's house. This was Jacob's initial encounter with God. Although he likely saw his father's steadfast faith in the God of Abraham as he grew up, Jacob now had firsthand experience with God for himself. In his dream, Jacob saw a ladder that extended from earth to heaven with angels descending and ascending. The vision of the ladder from earth to heaven convinced him that this place was the gate of heaven. When Jacob awakened, he was in awe of the experience. Jacob believed he had arrived at the house of God inadvertently. Jacob took the stone he had placed at his head before he fell asleep and poured oil on it. This process of anointing the stone made it sacred to Jacob and it marked the place where he slept that night. Although the place was named Luz, Jacob declared that it would be named Bethel, which means "House of God". Furthermore, Jacob vowed to be a good steward of everything God blessed him with as God honored His pledge to him that night to protect and provide for him. Jacob vowed to express his stewardship by giving back to God a tenth of all God gives to him. His grandfather, Abraham, set this example by giving a tenth of his spoils of war to Melchizedek, the high priest of God. Biblical history records that Jacob's character did not change because of his new awareness of God. Jacob still showed questionable ethical behavior. What did change was Jacob's recognition of his personal relationship with God from that time forward. Like many of us, Jacob struggled between doing God's revealed will to him and doing what he wanted to do the way he wanted to do it. Despite that, Jacob continued to worship and acknowledge God by commemorating the places where he encountered God in a special way. In today's lesson, we see Jacob behaving as such when he set up a sacred pillar. Robert C. Hudson June 7, 2025