DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2021-01-4
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Luke 2:46-47
TRANSLATION: New International Version (NIV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

OBSERVATION: Is it painstaking for you to sit and listen to someone less educated than yourself try to explain something that comes very natural and simple to you? Could you ever learn anything new from them? Would you have enough patience and ingenuity to try and simplify your message enough so that even they would understand? Do you suppose that Jesus had any of these issues when He sat down with the teachers and leaders in the temple? Let’s just stop and ponder over these things for a few moments as we start, or continue our day.

APPLICATION: At 12 years old, Jesus decided to stay at the temple and learn from the elders and teachers. Unfortunately this was at the expense of worrying His earthly parents half to death when the discovered that He simply was not with them as they returned home to Nazareth from Bethlehem, where they had gone as part of a mandatory census. Although interesting that this 12 year old would feel at home sitting with these scholarly elders, yet when His parents finally caught up with Him, He sounded surprised that they didn’t realize that He would naturally be in His Father’s house learning, teaching and sharing the love of His Father. From a humanly standpoint, there are a few things that should catch our attention here:
1. That Jesus would be respectful in learning from some of the same men that would probably take part in having Him crucified later in His life. It takes a very mature person to sit and listen to people that have tried to get you in trouble, to report you to the authorities, to distract from your ministry, etc. Yet Jesus did!
2. Jesus joined in and answered questions just like any other student might do. The Bible says that the group of teachers were amazed by His answers. After all Jesus, being God, knew all that had transpired and all that will transpire in the future. Don’t you know that some of His answers reflected things that the teachers themselves were unaware of? Yet Jesus did!
3. Imagine after a few answers the teachers may have asked this young 12 year old, where He was from and from whom had He received His learning? Imagine how shocked they were in hearing His responses to personal questions, should they have inquired about that? After all, Jesus was born of an earthly mother, so He was human. But He was born of the Holy Ghost as part of the triune God, so He was also God. But this is who Jesus was!
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could truly be more mature in 2021, like Jesus was? As a student of the Word, I have sometimes taught Bible Study. It always made me nervous to look over my audience and see a Pastor or church leader listening in, because I was well aware that I was never well learned, or smart enough to share the Word of God with the unction and power that it deserves. Yet Jesus astonished His teachers with His knowledge and abilities. Imagine if I was teaching and saw someone in the audience who had betrayed me in the past, or might be trying to belittle me before the Pastor, or my employer. Could I have taught the class without making jabs at them? But Jesus succeeded in this! As we seek to grow in maturity in 2021, may it be mirrored after the One who is our primary mentor – Jesus Christ, and may God be glorified because of our efforts.

PRAYER: I wonder if we could ever become truly mature in the eyes of Jesus, our King? But Lord, You know our heart and you therefore know whether our intentions are pure. Thank You for protecting us and bringing us into another year that could be just as challenging as 2020, or even worse. However, as Your child who longs to serve You with all my heart, may I ask that You please help mature me to respond to life’s challenges with the same love and good heart as You did. Fill my lips with words that will share Your love for mankind. Help Your children to draw closer to You in spite of earth’s trials and temptations. May we be ready for Your return or Your calling on our life, so that You may be glorified even through us. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!