1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: Let us pray, and the child grew and waxed strong 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 1: in the spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of 3 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: God was upon him. Luke two forty. As I continue 4 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: to grow, I thank you that I am increasing in 5 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: wisdom and understanding like Jesus. Even when others don't understand 6 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: the magnitude of my calling, I will remain true to 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: what You've placed inside of me. Lord. I choose to 8 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: understand that sometimes the people closest to me won't understand 9 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: my anointing, and that's okay. Nevertheless, I will not shrink 10 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: or play small when it comes to walking in my 11 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: divine identity. With Jesus as my focus, I will learn 12 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: to walk and talk in confidence as he did. I 13 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: am ready to live my fullest and be involved with 14 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 1: my heavenly father's business in Jesus' name. Amen, thank you 15 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: for making prayer a priority in your day. To learn 16 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story, brought 17 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: to you by Bible in a Year dot com. 18 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 2: Many choices in life can be scary, but your healthcare 19 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 2: shouldn't be one of them. 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They were prominent scholars and astronomers, 29 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 3: yet they worshiped Jesus as King. Herod. The evil king 30 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 3: of the Jews, got word that there was a new 31 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 3: child born by prophecy. Seeing Jesus as a threat to 32 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 3: his power, he had every child under the age of 33 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:32,359 Speaker 3: two killed. Yet Joseph had his family flee just in time. 34 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,679 Speaker 3: Now we get a glimpse into the childhood of Jesus. 35 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 3: His wisdom and purpose remained a mystery to marry in 36 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 3: Joseph inspired by the Gospels. 37 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 4: Hello everyone, Jack Graham Here. In yesterday's episode, we learned 38 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 4: of the visit of the wise men who came from 39 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 4: the East to worship the Messiah. They brought lavish gifts 40 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 4: that symbolized the royalty, divinity, and ultimately even the death 41 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 4: of Christ. Even as a baby, Jesus represented a threat 42 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 4: to the established power structure, and as we learned, King 43 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 4: Herod sought to kill him, but God protected Joseph, Mary 44 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 4: and Jesus, and they escaped into Egypt until Herod died. 45 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 4: Today we'll hear about the life of a young Jesus 46 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 4: before the beginning of his earthly ministry. We'll see how 47 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 4: even as a child, he was in fellowship with the Father, 48 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 4: and his wisdom and insight drew others to him. And 49 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 4: as they journeyed to Jerusalem for Passover, Joseph and Mary 50 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 4: will get a glimpse of just how special Jesus really is. 51 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 4: Let's hear now the reading of God's word. 52 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 3: The crowds pushed and shoved as Mary and Joseph tried 53 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 3: to make their way from the temple. For the past 54 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 3: twelve years, the small family had made their way to 55 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 3: Jerusalem for Passover. Mary and Joseph had watched as Jesus 56 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 3: grew up and became strong. The boy was filled with 57 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 3: wisdom and carried the favor of God wherever he went. 58 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 3: Joseph did his best to guide his wife through the 59 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 3: busy crowd. Millions of people flocked the Holy city during Passover, 60 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 3: so many, in fact, that Mary and Joseph had completely 61 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 3: lost track of Jesus. He was nowhere to be seen. 62 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 3: The sea of faces rolled like a rising tide, and 63 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 3: not one of them resembled the twelve year old boy. Frantic, 64 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 3: Mary scoured the city for three days in search of 65 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 3: her child. Jesus was not the type to wander off. 66 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,919 Speaker 3: He was considerate, obedient, and wise beyond his years. He 67 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 3: would not have gotten lost. That's when Mary realized where 68 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 3: he must be. The two parents ran back to the 69 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 3: temple courtyard. Thousands of people rushed in and out of 70 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 3: the gates, but Mary knew Jesus must be within its walls. 71 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 3: As the worried parents entered the temple doors, they saw 72 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 3: their sons sitting in front of priests and teachers. The 73 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 3: boy asked deep and profound questions. He was also filled 74 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 3: with answers beyond their comprehension. The priests and teachers hung 75 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 3: on every word the boy said, gleaning deep truths from 76 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 3: his words. Mary did not want to make a scene 77 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,359 Speaker 3: in front of the priests, so she waited for a 78 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 3: lull in their conversation, and then grabbed Jesus away and 79 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 3: scolded him. Why have you done this to us? She said, 80 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 3: Your father and I have been searching day and night 81 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 3: for you. The young boy looked up at his mother. 82 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 3: His face was not confused, but concerned. Why would you 83 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 3: look for days, he asked, didn't you know that I 84 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 3: would be in my father's house tending to his business. 85 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,719 Speaker 3: The full reality of who Jesus truly was still escaped Mary. 86 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 3: She knew of his immaculate conception and that he was 87 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,279 Speaker 3: a promised king. However, she could not fully understand the 88 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 3: depths of who he was. She would soon discover who 89 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 3: her son truly was, but for now he was her 90 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:54,040 Speaker 3: little twelve year old Jesus, so she cared for him deeply. 91 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 3: Joseph taught him the trade of carpentry and building, so 92 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 3: Jesus grew in stature, strength, and wisdom daily. Nobody but 93 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:04,280 Speaker 3: him knew what was about to unfold. 94 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 4: In today's scripture we get a picture of young Jesus. 95 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,040 Speaker 4: The Bible doesn't say too much about the early days 96 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 4: of Jesus. In fact, this is the only account between 97 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 4: his flight to Egypt with his parents and the beginning 98 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 4: of his ministry three decades later. But in this one 99 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 4: account we'll see so clearly a picture of how special 100 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 4: Jesus really is, and how in fellowship he is with 101 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 4: the Father. Even as a child. We'll see how he 102 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 4: grew in wisdom's stature and in favor with God and Man, 103 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,160 Speaker 4: as the scripture tells us. And so as we heard, Jesus' 104 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 4: family traveled to Jerusalem to pass Over, as was their custom. 105 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 4: Not only theirs, but millions of Jews traveled there each year. 106 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 4: So the throngs, the multitudes of people fill the streets. 107 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 4: You can only imagine the chaos of trying to navigate 108 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 4: yourself through Jerusalem at that time. As they prepared to 109 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 4: return home after the feast, Jesus stayed behind in the temple. 110 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 4: His parents didn't notice right away, but when they did, 111 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 4: you can only imagine the panic that set in. Where 112 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 4: is Jesus? What happened to Jesus? They seemed to have 113 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 4: lost Jesus. They were in another town, far from home, 114 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 4: among millions of other people crowding the streets, and Jesus 115 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 4: was nowhere to be found. Mary and Joseph search for 116 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 4: him three days. Can you imagine three days they're looking 117 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 4: for Jesus. Think about the despair that must have filled 118 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 4: their hearts. Where could he be, they wondered, Friends and 119 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 4: family had no idea, So finally they entered the temple, 120 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 4: and there they saw Jesus. He wasn't alone or afraid 121 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 4: looking for his mom and dad. No, he was very fine, 122 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 4: as we read in Luke two verses forty six and 123 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 4: forty seven. After three days they found him in the temple, 124 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 4: sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 125 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,280 Speaker 4: And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding 126 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 4: and his answers. This twelve year old boy, the boy Jesus, 127 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 4: was sitting among the rabbis, asking and answering deep questions 128 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 4: about life and living for God. He was clearly unlike 129 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 4: any other child. Did you notice that, it says all 130 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 4: who heard him were amazed. Yes, Jesus is amazing like 131 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 4: any parent. Mary, when she found him, expressed displeasure at 132 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 4: what Jesus had done, asking where he had been and 133 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 4: why he had done this to Joseph and her. But 134 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 4: Jesus gently and respectfully responded that they should have known 135 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 4: he would be in the temple. His father's house Throughout 136 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 4: his life, Jesus would amaze people with his insight, his wisdom, 137 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 4: and his words, just as he did in today's reading. 138 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:58,920 Speaker 4: Jesus was always about his father's business. Clearly, Jesus lived 139 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 4: in perfect harmony and perfect fellowship with the Father, and 140 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 4: God send him in the world to do his business. 141 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 4: So Jesus grew in favor with God and man. And 142 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 4: the next time we see him, God will give the 143 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 4: world a sign that Jesus is indeed the son of God. 144 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 4: Dear God, we thank you for the word, your word, 145 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,959 Speaker 4: and we thank you for the story of Jesus from 146 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:30,719 Speaker 4: birth to boyhood to life, death, resurrection, and ascension. We 147 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 4: see the power in the presence of Jesus. We see 148 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 4: him uniquely united with the Father, always and forever. Like 149 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 4: Jesus in the power of your spirit. May we always 150 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 4: be about your business, Lord, always sitting at your feet 151 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 4: to listen to your ways and to learn your wisdom. 152 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 4: In Jesus' name. Amen, thank you for listening to today's 153 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 4: Bible in a year. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. 154 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:01,680 Speaker 4: You can download the ray dot Com app and make 155 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 4: Bible study in prayer the priority of your life. And 156 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 4: if you appreciate this podcast, please share it with someone else. 157 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 4: I also want to encourage you to go to Jack 158 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:17,439 Speaker 4: Graham dot org. That's Jack Graham dot org for information. 159 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 4: God bless you.