You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.
And one of the ones that I quickly said was Jeff Hamm. You see some things about him,
about his biography there in your bulletin, but I won't refer to that. I want to give you
two pictures of his heart. Jeff and I have known each other for a long, long time. Jeff was,
grew up, we grew up in the same church. And when he was a sophomore in high school,
I had him and two other guys that met with me at our house every Tuesday morning at 6.30 a.m.
These are sophomore boys in high school. And being a parent of two boys, that doesn't happen very often.
And these were men who truly wanted to know God. And it was fun to be with them then.
And another part of that was, I taught a Bible study at the same church, and Jeff attended that.
And the thing I noticed about Jeff, more than anything, was his intense passion for the Word
of God. It was just incredible. And I want to liken it to, since we're in the bowl season,
I want to liken it to, you know, the two big schools in the state of Alabama. And the fan base
is just unbelievable. Not the obnoxious ones, the intense ones, okay? That's what Jeff is for the
Word of God. I mean, where, you know, if you talk to one of these fans of either of those two schools,
they could tell you some really, you know, inane facts about 1937 winner or 1945 winner or who ran
the ball here or whatever. And they can give you chapter and verse. Well, Jeff can do that from the
eternal Word of God. And it's so fun when I sit with him now, I leave the conversation going,
oh my goodness, this man has a passion for the Word of God. So I hope you'll see that. And thank you so
much again, Jeff, for being with us today. Indeed, I am in the awkward situation of speaking to those,
some of whom I've known since I was 14 years old. But for that, I truly do give thanks and glory to God.
It is good to see some of you that you are persevering with the Lord and that you are growing
and walking steadfastly with Him. But with that said, despite what Tim said, there would be undoubtedly
some of you here against whom I would have sinned in my youth. And for that, I truly beg your pardon
and forgiveness. By the grace of God, I'm not who I was. I'm not the same person that some of you
knew long ago. I'm not the same man, thankfully, that my wife married 24 years ago tomorrow.
And so by the grace of God, crazy as it sounds, I'm an ordained PCA pastor, having served two
congregations. And most recently, I was serving, had the distinct pleasure of serving as a moderator
of the Presbytery in South Alabama. But alas, the fathers and the brothers discovered very quickly,
I did not know what I was talking about. And so they took action and informed me that if I were
to continue in the ministry, then I'd have to go back to school for remedial education. And so that is
what I'm doing now. And so I've taken a sabbatical to do exactly that. And so we, my family, has moved here
to Huntsville, where my wife and I are both from, while I have descended below the radar to drop off
the grid to try to pursue the PhD in systematic theology in Aberdeen, Scotland. And so I go back,
God willing, next month for the last time to finish this final and third year of this crazy commitment.
With all that said, I would ask that you would now help me to glorify God and ascribe honor to Him
as we read together, most reverently, God's most holy, inerrant, and infallible Word. And I was
informed that you have the English Standard Version in front of you in your pew racks. I'll try to read
along in the same version. But let us do that as we come now to do exactly that for which we are
created. We confessed it together. If you did that sincerely, what is the chief end of man? In other
words, what is the reason that we are here? What is the purpose of life? And that is to glorify God
and to enjoy Him forever. And so we do want to begin that even now and renew that commitment and
confession that we've just made together. And so I'll be reading from Luke, the gospel according
to this Gentile convert. He never knew Jesus. He was not one of the twelve. He was the beloved physician
of the Apostle Paul, and he is from Troas, which is on the coast of the Aegean Sea in modern-day Turkey.
this convert. This convert from, of all things, this former fanatical terrorist, Saul of Tarsus,
turned apostle. Luke studied under Paul, was converted under his influence, and traveled with him,
and then back to Palestine to investigate the truth regarding this man, Jesus, about whom he writes.
And so listen very carefully. Luke 41 through 49. That's chapter 2, if I did not mention that.
Now, his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
And when he was 12 years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended,
as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
but supposing him to be in the group, they went a day's journey. But when they began to search for
him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem,
searching for him. After three days, they found him in a temple, sitting among the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding
and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him,
Son, Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.
And he said to them,
Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know
that I must be
in my father's
house?
The word of God for the people of God.
Thanks and praise and glory
be to God.
Let's pray.
Father, we come before you and we confess
that in the very beginning, you
created everything out of nothing.
You called into being that which was not there by the power of your word.
And we do thank you
that it is by the same word that you have informed us and revealed unto us
who your son is, the infinite God-man.
And we do praise you for him and the redemption
that he has bought for us
and applied to us via the Holy Spirit.
And so we do ask again,
kind sir,
as we come down to this portion of the worship
that we seek
to give to you, we do ask
that you would once more fulfill
what John the Baptist told his disciples
about Jesus
when he was getting more attention than him,
that he would increase
and that I would decrease
and that you would use this beggar
to show other beggars
where I have found bread.
And we do pray this
for Christ's sake.
Amen.
A decade ago,
a book was published
that immediately hit the New York Times bestseller.
Six million copies were sold.
It was translated into over 40 different languages
and spinning off of this,
a blockbuster movie was released.
And the story
rocked the faith
of many
evangelicals.
As you know,
the Da Vinci Code
opens with this murder
at the Louvre
and it spins off
into this quest
for
the Holy Grail
and we cannot cover
all the details
of that narrative,
but
the premise
of the narrative
is this,
that the historical
Jesus
of Nazareth
is not the same
as the Christ
of the church.
There is
a real historical man,
Jesus,
but the church
came along
in the fourth century
and it muddied up
the waters
through which he had
originally walked
and it added
all these dogmas
about the virgin birth,
the miracles,
and the resurrection,
etc.
and so there is
really not that much
that we actually know
about the man
in history,
Jesus of Nazareth.
We only know
that which we received
about Christ
of the church.
And so it goes
in the movie
that all this is encoded
in the book as well.
All this is encoded
in the artwork
of Leonardo da Vinci
and if you were
to study that,
you would see
that indeed
Jesus of Nazareth
had a lover,
Mary Magdalene,
by whom he fathered
a child, Sarah,
who is the ancestor
then of this bloodline
that exists in Europe
today,
really in the aristocracy
of Europe.
And so it continues.
Now, anybody
that's a student
of history knows
that this is totally bogus.
The premise of the plot,
I should also inform you,
was based upon the fact
that Constantine
in this great power struggle
to polarize
his political enemies
started this
conspiracy theory
and then he summoned
together then
these theologians
across the European continent
to Nicaea
at the Council of Nicaea
in AD 325
and there was invented
Christology
as we know it.
That's when it came
into being.
And as I mentioned,
if you're a student
at all of history,
you know the bogusness
of that because
on my shelf
are books
written by men
that assert
and subscribe
to the deity
of Christ
that are written
in the first century
and the second century,
long before Constantine
lived in the fourth century.
You've got Tertullian
and Ignatius
and Polycarp
and Clement of Alexandria,
etc.
All these men
that held to the deity
of Christ.
That was never questioned.
That was not the reason
for which
the Council of Nicaea
was summoned at all.
It's because this guy
Arius arose on the scene
that was teaching
that Jesus was
the first created being,
that he was not eternal,
etc.
But the Da Vinci Code
is also just bad theology.
The author,
Mr. Brown,
did not hypothesize
the premise
to his plot.
It's old theology.
Best summarized
in the title
of a book
that was published
in 1907
by a guy
with the name
of Albert Schweitzer.
And the title
of his book
was
The Quest
for the Historical
Jesus.
And Schweitzer
wasn't
initiating
this idea at all.
In fact,
he was summarizing
preceding centuries
of scholarship,
beginning with
these guys
named
Reimaris,
Vrede,
Kant,
Schleiermacher,
Hegel,
etc.
All these guys
that arose
during the Enlightenment
and saw,
look,
the universe
is governed
by the laws
of planetary motion,
etc.
There is no God.
We cannot believe in God.
Jesus wasn't divine.
The Christ,
the church,
must have invented
all this stuff
because it can't be true.
Therefore,
the Jesus of history
is actually
a distinct person
and therefore
began
the so-called
quest
for the historical
Jesus.
Because the Christ
of the church
is distinct
from the Jesus
of Nazareth
of history.
Well,
in our text today,
we have
a quest
for the historical
Jesus.
And it is conducted
not by
Da Vinci Code
detectives,
not by
Enlightenment
philosophers,
not by
liberal
critics,
liberal
theologians,
but rather
we see
that those
on this quest
for Jesus
are
Joseph
and Mary.
and when
we analyze
their quest
like we're
about to do,
then we learn
that if one
was to begin
a quest,
a sincere
and a genuine
and a wholehearted
quest for the
historical Jesus,
then you
will find
the person
who is no one
less than
human and divine
at the same
time,
the
Theanthropos,
the God-man.
Now let me
prove that to
you,
and let's
back up.
We're going to
pull some
things together,
just hold on
to them,
and then we're
going to bring
them all
together and
apply them
to our own
selves so that
we might know
therefore how
we shall live
in this dark
world.
Of the four
gospel writers,
the four evangelists
as they're so
called,
Luke is the
only one that
tells us anything
at all about
Jesus after
his birth and
before the
inauguration of
his public
ministry at the
age of 30.
And so I would
assume, I haven't
been here with
you during the
Advent season,
I assume that
this narrative,
this wonderful
and beautiful
and majestic
narrative has
been reviewed
where you had
the shepherds
and the wise
men and all
this glory and
mystery and
wonder and
this then is
the very next
thing that we
learn about
that person.
He's 12
years old
and he goes
to Jerusalem.
And Luke
informs us of
the reason.
Notice in
verse 41,
just follow along
with me in your
pew Bibles,
I'll pull out a
few things from
some of these
verses and I
want to draw
your attention to
these verses so
you know that I'm
not deceiving you.
But verse 41,
we read that
every year his
parents went to
Jerusalem for the
feast of the
Passover.
In the Old
Testament, there
are three
mandatory feasts
for the heads
of households
to observe and
of course it was
highly encouraged
that the family
participate as
well.
The Passover,
Pentecost, and
the feast of
booze.
So here is this
lovely family from
the highlands of
Nazareth.
They go to
Jerusalem for the
feast.
It is wonderful.
It is lovely.
Everyone has a
good time but
alas, school
begins again next
week.
We have to go
back to work and
you feel the
sinking dread in
your bones of
the future week.
And so everyone
has to leave and
they go home but
on the way home
there is a little
anomaly.
A child is
missing.
Notice verse
43.
After the feast
was over, while
his parents were
returning home, the
boy Jesus stayed
behind in
Jerusalem but his
parents did not
know it.
Now I know some
of you and I
know where you
vacation.
So imagine you're
on the Florida
Panhandle and
you're coming
back home after
vacation.
Or maybe you're
in Gulf Shores and
you're coming up
I-65 or from the
Florida Panhandle and
you're coming up
331 and it is
crazy and it is
stressful especially
on 331 when it's
two-laned and you're
in just bumper to
bumper traffic and
by the time you get
to Montgomery you're
not even fit to be
around.
You're unapproachable.
At least I am.
And so I'm a mess.
And so you can
imagine by the time
you make it to
Montgomery and you
discover that a
child is missing.
Now that's the
situation here.
Now I don't think
that this at all
implies that Mary
or Joseph were
negligent and
irresponsible parents.
For one thing
they do turn
around.
And I've been
tempted not to.
In fact we've been
in this exact same
situation if you
must know the
truth.
It was on a
Sunday.
I was a pastor
and we got home
after church and
we're kind of
assembling in the
dining room where
there is usually
this, in our
lovely dining room
there is this
lavish feast that
is usually prepared
by my bride.
And I just
quickly surveyed the
situation and
noticed we were
missing a child.
So I went back
to the church
unlocked the
sanctuary.
I had the keys
to the sanctuary.
I was the
pastor.
Went to the
front pew and
there he was.
Fast asleep.
Unconscious.
Oblivious to the
world and the
panic that he had
caused.
And so we went
back home merrily
and happily.
And so you see
this is an easy
mistake that could
happen to any of
us.
which has
happened to
some of us.
So it doesn't
imply that they're
irresponsible,
negligent parents.
But there's this
additional factor
that's involved.
We might notice
it when we
consider how
they travel.
Notice verse
44.
Supposing him to
be in the group
or another
translation would
read, the NIV
reads, in their
company.
They look for
him among the
relatives and
friends.
And so they
caravan together.
They do not
travel as
isolated,
compartmentalized
families in their
own vehicles to
their destination.
But it might be
more akin to
some of y'all on
a Friday night
football game and
you've got to go to
some place in the
boondocks of
Alabama that you
have no idea where
it is.
And so you might
follow other
people and some
others might even
tag along with you.
And as children, as
they are, they want to
go with their
friends.
And so your children
might be in a car
ahead of you and
then their children
might be with you in
the rear and there
might be several of
you traveling there at
the same time.
And so they travel in
a caravan.
They don't necessarily
travel as
compartmentalized families
knowing where every
person in the family
is at any given
time.
So they all go down
together.
But there's an
additional factor in
how they get there in
this traveling.
The children or
they're walking, if
you don't know.
They're walking.
They're not actually
traveling in their own
vehicles.
And so they're walking
and the children lead
out first.
They're followed by the
women and then the
men follow last.
The reason being it
would just be pointless
for the men to leave
because we're always in
a hurry and we'd
always be frustrated as
everyone is tagging
along and it would
just ruin everyone's
day.
And so the children,
being the slowest,
they set the pace.
And they lead first.
And then the women
fall along behind the
children.
And you can imagine
there they are talking
about whatever was
posted on Facebook,
etc.
And whose kids are
doing what.
And then the men
fall along behind
them and they're
talking about the
cotton ball or more
revelant things like
bow hunting.
And so they're all
kind of distracted.
And initially they do
not notice, you see,
that Jesus is missing.
But then there's an
additional complication
with respect to his age.
In verse 42, Luke
informs us that Jesus
is 12 years old.
And that's very
significant.
You see, at the age of
13, a Jewish boy at this
time becomes a bar mitzvah,
a son of the commandment.
Literally, that's what it
means.
And so the age of 13 is
when a Jewish boy is
recognized then as an
adult member of the
community.
It's when he is accepted
as a man, really.
And so you can imagine
the scenario then.
You can perceive what
might be going on.
Here's Jesus.
He's 12 years old.
He's walking along in
the caravan.
What is Joseph thinking?
Well, he's 12 years old.
He's up front with the
youth group.
He's having a good time
with his friends.
And then Mary is
somewhere along in the
middle of this cluster.
And she's thinking, well,
Jesus is almost 12.
He wants to assert his
manhood.
He wants to be respected.
He wants to be viewed as an
adult in the eyes of the
man.
He's back there with
Joseph with the men
somewhere and back.
And so there's all this
commotion going on as well.
There's all these people.
And so Jesus is initially
overlooked accidentally
at first.
And then upon realization
that they cannot find him,
that he is not in the group,
they begin this frantic search
which ultimately leads them
back to Jerusalem, you see,
because Jesus is missing.
And of course, we could stop
here and apply the passage.
We shouldn't take the time,
but this happens so often
to so many folk in churches
today.
Fine Christians,
they assume that they are
so close to Jesus,
they presume that he is so near,
they are so intimate,
and they go merrily along
in life one day
and realize
Jesus is not near them.
He is distant,
removed,
far away.
But we can't take time
to dwell on that.
Notice,
Mary and Joseph
return to Jerusalem
and where do they find him?
And this is tying us in
to this identity
and this quest
that I want to pursue.
Verse 46,
we read,
After three days
they found him
in the temple
sitting
among the teachers.
Now, beloved,
we should not think
these are our wonderful
teachers
and the preliminary
educations
that we enjoyed
from high school,
our math teachers,
our English teachers.
These are the experts
in the Scripture.
and I love
the rendering
that the King James gives
and I would not at all
want you to think
I'm one of these
King James only people.
I used to despise
the translation
in my youth.
I just thought it was archaic.
It's what my grandfather prayed.
It just didn't even make sense.
And now in my middle years
I've come to enjoy
the Old English
a little bit more
just because the majesty
and the formality
and the reverence.
And the King James
translates that he was
sitting among
the doctors.
The doctors
of the church.
And so here is Jesus,
you see,
he is with the faculty
of the departments
of theology,
the doctors of the church,
doctor so-and-so
and doctor this.
He is sitting there
with the chairs
of theology
from Heidelberg
and to begin
and Harvard,
etc.
And this is where
Jesus' parents find Him.
He is at the temple,
you see,
with the theologians.
And notice what He is doing there
in verse 46.
After three days
they found Him
in the temple,
He is sitting
among the teachers.
And I confess
that this initially
might seem insignificant.
But it's important
to realize
that at this time
in the history
of the world
and particularly
in this region,
of the globe,
the great teachers
sit down
to teach.
Even before Christ,
among your philosophers
in the Greek world,
whoever your favorite
philosopher is to read,
Thales and Eximines
and Eximander,
Heraclitus,
Pythagoras,
Socrates,
Plato,
Aristotle,
all of these guys
before Christ
sit down
to teach.
And so does Jesus.
You might remember
Sermon on the Mount.
What does Matthew record?
Matthew chapter 5,
verse 1.
He went up
on the mountainside,
called His disciples
to Himself,
and He sat down
and began
to teach
them.
in His earthly ministry,
Jesus sits
to teach.
Now incidentally,
just in case you're curious,
this all changed
in the 4th century.
John Chrysostom,
he was the pastor
of the largest church
in Christendom,
St. Sophia's Cathedral,
in what was formerly known
as Constantinople,
but is now
Istanbul,
Turkey,
a former Christian sanctuary,
now converted
to a Muslim mosque,
preview of the upcoming
attraction
in all of our sanctuaries.
It's what exists
in Aberdeen,
Scotland today.
We won't go into that.
And because
of the bad acoustics
in this magnificent
cathedral
in which John Chrysostom,
the golden mouth,
preached
to the crowds
overflowing,
because the poor acoustics
in the cathedral,
Chrysostom,
at that point,
began to stand up
to teach,
and thereafter
it became tradition
in Western civilization.
Within Christendom,
pastors began
to stand
to teach.
And I don't think
that it all implies
we need to start a crusade
to go back
to sitting and teaching,
but that's just
the historical matter.
But here's Jesus,
you see,
in the Gospels,
and he sits down
to teach.
And again,
notice where he is sitting.
In verse 46,
the text says
he's sitting
among the teachers.
Another translation
says he's sitting
in the midst.
He's in the midst,
you see,
because he is
in the middle
of the teachers.
Jesus here
is the center
of attention.
Now, you can read
some fine commentators
and they say,
well, look,
you shouldn't make
too much of this,
but I think that is
the exact reason
that Luke records it.
And so notice now
the situation
I'm trying to draw
for you.
We have the great
theologians
of the Jerusalem Temple
and they are
in session.
Kind of like
the American Academy
of Religion,
maybe as we have
in Britain,
the Queen Society
for the Study
of Theology,
etc.
And that's the situation.
These great theologians
are in session
and a little boy
walks over
to the back edge
of the class
and sits there
quietly.
And as the lecture
continues,
he leans over
to the nearest professor
and he comments
on the lecture.
And these two
begin to talk
and then another
professor nearby
overhears their conversation,
perhaps unintentionally
at first,
but he begins to listen
to what they are discussing
and he's drawn in
to what they are talking about
and he nudges
the nearest professor
to him
and he points
to the boy.
And so it continues
and everyone
is looking
and staring
at the boy
and they are fixated
on the boy
and then one by one
everyone stops
and is silent
and they're looking
at the boy.
And so I'm reminded
of the old
and I'm dating myself
of the old
EF Hutton commercial.
Perhaps some of you
remember it.
Maybe some of you
young adults
don't even know it.
You can Google it.
It's a brilliant
marketing strategy.
So here we are
in this restaurant
and it is noisy
and we're trying
to listen
as the camera
zooms in
onto a particular
table in the corner.
We're trying to listen
to the conversation
between these two
dialogue partners,
right?
But we can't hear them
because the restaurant
is so noisy.
There's this clamor
of noise
in the background
with multiple
and various conversations
going in
and perhaps the camera
zooms in
to the wait staff
that's just dropped
a glass
and so you hear
the shattering
of glass
and then you notice
that someone
is cutting meat
on their plate
and there's that
scraping sound
and so there's
all this noise
in the background
but we're trying
and straining
to listen
to what these two
are discussing
and then one
of them drops
the name
E.F. Hutton
and the restaurant
is silenced.
Right?
Because everyone
is straining
to hear what
E.F. Hutton
the financial broker
has to say
about where
you should invest
your money
and you can hear
a pin drop
in the restaurant.
And I don't think
that that is dissimilar
to the situation
that we have here
in the temple.
Everyone
is straining
to hear
the boy
one by one.
They stop talking
and they look over
at this lad
and all eyes
are glued on him
and they are fixated
and they're straining
to hear what he has to say
and so notice now
the scene.
Here is this boy
in the middle
of the theologians
and he is sitting
which means
that the boy
now is the
great professor
and the professors
around him
are the students.
And this is verified
in what follows.
It's very important.
Notice in verse 46
again we read
after three days
they found him
in the temple
sitting among
the teachers
listening to them
and asking
them
the questions.
Jesus is asking
the questions
and giving
the answers
but it's important
to notice
that he is asking
the questions
which does not
at all imply
that we have
the case
of this naive
incompetent
ignorant
little boy
he doesn't know
so he's asking
the questions
because he's so curious
but rather
it is exactly
what we see
throughout
Christ's
earthly ministry
right?
Over and over
and over again
we see
Christ controlling
the conversation
by asking
the questions
time and time
again
you remember
he is attacked
he is accused
he is questioned
he's questioned
and he turns
the tables
and he responds
and he puts
the counter question
Jesus refuses
to allow
these
unbelieving
presumptions
control the
conversation
he will not
allow it
so he turns
the table
and controls
the conversation
by asking
the questions
good teacher
what must I do
to inherit
eternal life?
what does
the law
say to you?
in trying
to entrap him
teacher
do we have
to pay
taxes
to Caesar
whose inscription
is upon
the coin?
by what
authority
do you do
these things?
well I'll tell
you
John's baptism
from whence
did it come?
from heaven
or from men?
on and on
and on
attacking him
again
well then why
did David
say
the Lord
said to my
Lord
sit at my
right hand
till I make
your enemies
a footstool
for your feet
if David
is calling
him his
Lord
then in
what sense
is his
son?
over
and over
again
Jesus will
not allow
the dialogue
to be framed
by these
unbelieving
presuppositions
but rather
he takes
control
of the
conversation
and he
turns the
tables
and he
puts the
counter question
and he
teaches
and he
forces people
to come up
to the
conclusions
that he
wants them
to reach
by asking
the questions
and so
it is
here
again
Jesus
you see
is sitting
and he's
asking the
questions
they don't
have the
answers
and so
he's
answering
them
for them
and notice
then the
reaction
of the
professors
in verse
47
everyone
who heard
him
was
amazed
dumbfounded
shocked
stunned
speechless
not
because
he's
a mere
lad
but notice
they are
amazed
at his
understanding
and that
is the
issue
this
colossal
understanding
that he
possesses
which would
be
extraordinary
for
anyone
this
unfathomable
knowledge
that the
boy
possesses
this
vast
comprehension
you see
his
profound
grasp
of reality
and that
is the
issue
you see
they are
amazed
because he
is leading
them along
in this
discussion
asking
them
the kinds
of questions
that makes
a person's
heart
skip
a beat
especially
for these
men
imagine
here's
this boy
in the
temple
and he
might ask
what is
the temple
for
what does
the temple
symbolize
oh
God's
dwelling
place
here on
earth
well then
what would
be
existentially
greater
for God
to dwell
among men
symbolically
in a
break
building
or for
God
to dwell
among
men
in the
flesh
and then
why the
continual
sacrifice
look at
the
worshipers
bringing
in
lambs
and goats
it's
unending
it is
repetitive
it is
continual
why does
this go
on
and on
would it
not be
better
if there
were one
lamb
of God
that would
take away
sacrifice
forever
that would
abrogate
sacrifice
and end it
once and for
all so that
it could be
publicly
declared
it is
finished
it is
over
the
sacrificial
system
has
ended
or what
did the
prophets
say about
the
Messiah
when
will he
come
is not
the time
drawing
nigh
and then
how
will he
come
in what
manner
do you
really
think
that he'll
come
riding
on a
war
horse
to
overthrow
the
Roman
army
or
rather
will he
arrive
as a
man
of
sorrows
and
acquainted
with
grief
and like
one
from
whom
men
hide
their
face
that
he
would
be
despised
and esteem
not
and they
are
amazed
at his
understanding
and so
you could
probably
already
connect
the dots
and see
why Luke
includes
this in
his gospel
remember
the context
to whom
does Luke
write
flip over
a page
two pages
notice chapter
one
verse
three
it seemed
good to me
also
having
followed
all these
things
closely
for some
time
past
to write
an orderly
account
for you
most
excellent
who
Theophilus
we don't
have time
to dig
into the
title
but
Theophilus
is a
high ranking
official
in the
Roman
Empire
arguably
a Roman
governor
not in
Palestine
that's
why Luke
goes to
Palestine
to do
the research
on the
behalf
of Theophilus
about which
after he
accumulates
it he
writes the
man two
different
volumes
this gospel
and the
book of
Acts
both
dedicated
to this
one man
that nobody
knows
about
to which
these
works
given to
him
consist of
over more
than a
third
of the
New
Testament
and so
Luke is
well connected
and he's
writing and
researching the
account of this
historical man
on behalf
of Theophilus
you see
Theophilus
is a man
that is on the
edge of
faith
or he might
be in the
faith but he's
had his world
rocked because
he's all of a
sudden been
introduced to
all these
accusations
about Jesus
that Jesus
was against
you see the
Old Testament
religion
he was on
trial for
teaching against
the law of
Moses and
the Jewish
religion but
now Theophilus
has the other
side of the
story now
he can see
through all the
rhetoric and
the propaganda
and the
political spin
Jesus was
not against
the Old
Testament
notice here
he is in
the temple
rather Jesus
is the
fulfillment of
the Old
Testament and
the temple
system destroy
this temple
I'll raise it
up again in
three days
you see and
therefore Jesus
studies the
Old Testament
scriptures and
he masters them
at the earliest
conceivable age
because the Old
Testament points
to him it is
about him it is
fulfilled in
him and
perhaps then
we can see
why they
hated him
so much
in his
earthly
ministry
because when
he is a
twelve year
old boy he
amazes them
and staggers
them and
forces them to
deal with
conclusions they
cannot cope
with and he
questions them
and he
questions them
but again they
cannot cope
with it but
at that point
you see he's
a twelve year
old child they
can pat him on
the head and
push him away
with his mommy
but eighteen
years later the
same Nazarene
shows up to
the same temple
asking the same
questions to the
same teachers and
again they cannot
cope with the
conclusions that he
is forcing them to
arrive at but this
time you see things
are different this
time he's no
child and so this
time they crucify
him
but this is where
Mary and
Joseph find him
in the temple
which then leads
us to the
most important
discovery about
the true identity
of the historical
Jesus of Nazareth
and it's embedded
here in this
dialogue between
the boy and his
mother notice
verse 48 they
were astonished
when they found
him there and
what does Mary
ask son why have
you treated us
so another
translation reads
son why have
you treated us
like this and
what does the text
go on to say you
see we have we
have we have been
searching for you
in great distress
the NIV reads we've
been searching for
you in great anxiety
the Greek text reads
we have been
searching for you in
pain you have
caused us all this
pain this heartache
we were traumatized
we did not know what
happened to you we
had thought perhaps
you were abducted or
you were dead in a
ditch or in the
street we did not
know and you've
caused us all this
pain and and why
have you treated us
like this
in her statement
you see is pregnant
with accusation
that he has
mistreated them
you see that he has
been disrespectful
disobedient
insubordinate
inconsiderate
and so here you have
the young mother
of a young child
that is emotionally
exhausted
physically spent
has not slept
in three nights
traumatized
worried to death
over her child
in a panic
and now she finds
them
first sensation
is instant relief
and it's transformed
into anger
and she unloads
not that I've ever
witnessed this
I've never seen a
young mother go
ballistic on a child
but
I'm assuming
that is the case
here
and so again
Jesus would not
allow
the conversation
to be controlled
by unbelieving
presuppositions
and so he
he gains control
of the conversation
by the counter
question
why
were you
searching for me
and then another
question
but first let's
pause
and let me forewarn
the students here
what we have
in the text
you should not
try at home
it is very dangerous
it could bring
great bodily harm
upon yourself
because here
Jesus
rebukes
his mother
he corrects
very respectfully
and of course
sinlessly
praise be to God
he kept the fifth
commandment
to honor your father
and your mother
for me
since I did
but he kept
the commandment
for me
to earn righteousness
for me
for you
for us
and he pushes
back
very respectfully
and here
he speaks
to her
not as her
son
but as her
savior
and he asked
didn't you know
that I had to be
in my father's
house
now notice
the exchange
Mary
says
didn't you know
that your father
and I have been
anxiously searching
for you
searching for you
in pain
searching for you
in distress
whatever your
favorite translation
didn't you know
that your father
and I have been
doing this
and to whom
is Mary referring
who's been with her
searching the city
streets in the
darkness of Jerusalem
Joseph
Jesus responds
with a counter
question
didn't you know
that I had to be
in my father's
house
and where are they
in the house
of the
Lord
the house
of
Yahweh
who brought
everything
into being
out of nothing
by the power
of his word
the one
who sits
enthroned
above the
heavens
and the
earth
and so
that
the earth
is his
footstool
the stars
are mere dust
at his feet
this is the one
about whom
we are speaking
this is the one
to whom
Jesus is referring
he is in
Yahweh's house
didn't you know
that I had to be
in my father's
house
i.e.
I am
the
son
of
God
and so
beloved
what I want
you to see
is here
we have
an
unmistakable
undeniable
unequivocal
claim
to deity
upon the
part
of a
twelve
year
old
boy
you see
even at the
earliest age
of twelve
years old
Jesus is
conscious
of who
he is
self-aware
of his
own
identity
and so
it is
exactly
not like
the liberal
theologians
would have
us to
believe
that
well here
is this
this lonely
carpenter
up in
Nazareth
and he
bumped his
head
in the
carpentry
shop
and he
experienced
some kind
of brain
trauma
and so
whenever
he
revived
from his
unconsciousness
then
he
had this
schizophrenic
personality
and one
minute
maybe he
supposed
he
is
a
carpenter
and the
next
minute
he
envisioned
himself
as this
apocalyptic
leader
riding on
the clouds
of heaven
or maybe
as it is
supposed
which it
is not
like
maybe
Jesus
was just
working out
in his
hot
carpentry
shop
or was
walking
through the
wilderness
and he
had some
kind of
heat stroke
and so
he began
to hallucinate
with these
visions
and he
imagined
himself
in as
this messianic
figure
and it
is exactly
not like
we are told
to believe
that maybe
at the age
of 30
there was
this man
and he
had this
mystic
experience
and so
he felt
more than
any other
person
in the
history
of the
world
that he
was more
in touch
with the
oneness
that is
exactly
what we
don't have
you see
here in
the text
here is
this 12
year old
boy
that claims
to be
divine
and so
from the
earliest
time
of the
lad's
childhood
from his
earliest moments
of cognition
when he
could think
about himself
and this
world in which
he inhabits
from his
earliest moments
of being
self aware
that he was
breathing
and that he
had fingers
and when he
looked at
himself
this lad
was aware
of who
he is
that I
and the
father
are one
if you
have seen
me
you've
seen
the
father
and so
here we
have this
unmistakable
claim
upon the
part
of a
12 year
old boy
that I
am the
Christ
of the
cosmos
the image
of the
invisible
God
in whom
the fullness
of deity
dwells
which then
leads us
to one
obvious
question
that we've
allowed to
remain
why the
search
why the
manhunt
he's 12
years old
he's almost
an adult
he knows
what he is
doing
he knew
everyone
was leaving
he saw
them going
to the
caravan
and he
stayed
behind
intentionally
he tarried
on purpose
for a reason
knowing good
and well
that it was
said his
parents
in a
panic
that they
would be
traumatized
and search
and all
the inconvenience
and annoyance
and trouble
and distress
and anxiety
that he would
cause
he intentionally
put them
through that
for a reason
in this
respect
I think
Kierkegaard
has something
I think
he's on
to something
to quote
him
Jesus
did this
Kierkegaard's
writing about
Jesus
he's a crazy
philosopher
but with that
aside
he's writing
about Jesus
remember all
the messianic
secrets
Jesus healed
someone
don't tell
anybody
the crowd
show up
he withdraws
why
and Kierkegaard
writes
to release
the infinite
passion
of inwardness
to release
the infinite
passion
of inwardness
in other words
to trigger
within a person
to excite
to stimulate
within a person
this infinitely
passionate
desire
for Christ
and Kierkegaard
even likens
it under
these lovers
this guy
is really
into this girl
these young
children
these adolescents
and so she
plays hard
to get
to all the
more
make him
that much
more crazy
about her
so that he
would pursue
her
with all the
more zeal
and zest
and so it's
to release
this infinite
passion
of inwardness
to trigger
this incredibly
intense
longing
for Christ
this relentless
yearning
this burning
thirst
this craving
for Christ
that will forever
remain
unsatisfied
unquenched
until one
begins the quest
therefore
to find him
and that in
finding him
he reveals
himself
to them
in a way
that they
will never
forget
and so it
is
here is
Jesus
you see
he's 12
years old
and he
knows
that his
time
is coming
and so he
lingers
in Jerusalem
to initiate
this request
this quest
for his
parents
that they
might
search
for him
and find
him
personally
for themselves
that he
might reveal
unto them
who he
is
and that he
knows
his own
identity
didn't you
know
that I
had to be
in my
father's
house
don't you
remember
the mysterious
birth
Mary
don't you
remember
what the
angels
said
that the
most high
will
overshadow
you
so that
the holy
one
will be
born
to you
will be
called
the son
of God
Joseph
don't you
remember
what the
angels
said to
you
that you'll
call his
name
Jesus
for he
will save
his people
from their
sins
in order
that what was
spoken through
the prophet
might be
fulfilled
that a
virgin
will conceive
and bear a
son and you
shall name him
Emmanuel
God
with us
didn't you
know
that I
had to be
in my
father's
house
and so
he initiates
then this
quest
that they
might search
for him
and find
them
and so
I submit
to you
the quest
for the
historical
Jesus
begun by
Mary
and Joseph
continues
today
with liberal
scholars
and enlightenment
philosophers
and da
vinci code
detectives
but they
will ever
search in
vain
because they
search in
the ghetto
of enlightenment
ideology
and they
search in
the intellectual
prison
of atheism
and yet the
only place
on earth
where he
can be
found as
a 12
year old
child
you see
is here
in the
temple
didn't you
know
that I
had to
be
in my
father's
house
didn't you
know
didn't I
know
didn't the
world know
that he
had to be
in his
father's
house
and to
God alone
be
glory
let's
pray
father we
do come
before you
and beg of
you kind
sir
that by the
spirit that
you would
initiate
within our
hearts
this infinite
passion of
inwardness
that we
might look
for Christ
and search
for him
trust
that you
have spoken
to the
prophet
that if you
search for
me
you'll find
me
when you
search for
me
with all of
your heart
and we do
pray this
again
for Christ's
sake
amen
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information
visit us
online
at southwood.org
Thank you.