Matthew 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Even though humanity makes much of the birth of Christ, very little is revealed in the Bible about His early years, for after recounting the historical facts surrounding His birth, the Bible gives us just a few brief statements about His earlier years.
Apart from Him being subject unto His parents, and the incident that occurred when He remained in the temple, questioning with the theologians, not much is said of the in between years, from 1 to 30.
This silence is not without purpose, it is not because of any inadvertent omission, for it was deliberately structured like this, because God desires us to focus most of our attention on Christ’s ministry, and His death for us on Calvary, for it is this that makes the most positive difference in the human experience.
In fact, much of what we have come to understand about Christ’s earlier years, comes from the pen of inspiration, for the following verses, together with a brief explanation, constitute most of what is written in the Bible about Christ, from His earliest years to the age of about 30.
[1] He was filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him.
Luke 2: 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
[2] He attended church regularly.
Luke 2:41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
Luke 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
[3] He was subject, or obedient unto His parents.
Luke 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
[4] He always gave priority to the spiritual aspects of life.
Luke 2:43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spoke unto them.
[5] Jesus kept His vertical and horizontal relationships with God and man intact.
Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
However, as Christ approached the age of thirty the Bible significantly ramps up its documentation of His activities, because His earthly ministry begins around the age of thirty. From that time forward the work of salvation takes off in earnest and what Jesus does during the next 3 and 1/2 years is what makes all the difference for humanity. Let’s read:
Luke 3: 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph…
Thus, in precis form we will feature the highlights of His work in our behalf, so that folks may not only be filled with gratitude and love for Christ, but that our love would translate into willing, loving service with the understanding that everything pertaining to our salvation was done with our very best interests in mind.
First of all, Jesus came to give us more abundant life for the world was careening toward self-destruction very much the same way that we are currently. Men were living on the edge of existence, hope had been all but lost, and the future seemed very bleak and foreboding, because of the proliferation of sin and its consequences. Let’s read:
[The Desire of Ages pp 32] As the Jews had departed from God, faith had grown dim, and hope had well-nigh ceased to illuminate the future. To the masses of the people, death was a dread mystery; beyond was uncertainty and gloom.
In “the region and shadow of death,” men sat unsolaced. With longing eyes they looked for the coming of the Deliverer, when the darkness should be dispelled, and the mystery of the future should be made plain.
The forms of religion were being followed as vain and empty exercises, which did very little for the adherents, and the priests and people had become sticklers for pomp and ceremony, while the very kernels of religious life were conspicuously absent.
On this point we must declare that there will be an ongoing temptation to focus our attention on the celebration, rather than on the relational aspect of the season. Any celebration of Christ must include the relational aspect for without this, festivities are just a mere husk.
Thus, as His earthly ministry began, Jesus invariably sought to restore humanity’s relationship with God, in ways that would make a difference for the better. He addresses the three dimensions of our being, the spiritual, the physical, and material, because, when Jesus declares that He came to give us abundant life all three dimensions are included. Let’s read:
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Thus, we would observe that Jesus often preached, He instructed, He explained, He counseled, and He healed the diseases of the people. All that satan and sin had done to the human family, Jesus sought to undo, and He systematically destroyed the works of the devil on several different levels showing to us all that life with God is well worth the living.
One of the reasons why Jesus addressed the three main aspects of our existence is because one affects the other, especially when there is an imbalance between the three. A Christian who has a noble and generous character, but who is cancer ridden, might most likely go through bouts of discouragement and fear, and this can put severe strain on one’s outlook in life.
Conversely, a healthy person who is devoid of the spiritual dimension, will live his or her life without a hope, and thus, the efforts and energies would be centered in the here and now, with very little, or no thought about the great hereafter.
And thus, the question: “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul” would apply in great measure to those who are only earthly-minded.
Then again, there may be one who is healthy, and spiritual, but who may be embroiled in poverty, and this too could create an imbalance that could be detrimental to a person’s overall wellbeing. Thus, in Christ’s earthly ministry He endeavored to repair all the various imbalances that humanity was saddled with, wherever those imbalances occurred. Let’s read:
Luke 4: 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
1st John 3:8 He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Matthew 4: 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with different diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
Another aspect of Christ’s ministry addressed the issue of the sin offering, which had been instituted by Himself in days of old. The blood of lambs, goats, and other animals often pointed to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and therefore, because of His sacrifice on Calvary, persons can now approach the throne of grace, boldly.
Paul describes the former law of sacrifices as being awkward but necessary, and it could not remove the sins of the people permanently. Therefore, the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary did what could not be done formerly, and brought to a permanent end the sacrificial system.
In the New Testament, this is what is alluded to by Paul when he correctly declares that the law was nailed to the cross. It was the law of sacrifices that was nailed, not the moral law, which stands as the foundation of God’s government forever. Let’s read:
Colossians 2: 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.
This sacred truth must be thoroughly understood by those who celebrate Christ. The free gift of eternal life was made possible by the death of Christ for us on Calvary, and as such, it will always remain a free gift. Our response to the gift is what will matter in the end, but the gift itself in Christ remains entirely free.
That’s why the pressure to work our way into God’s eternal kingdom has forever been removed, for it is what God has given us in Christ that makes eternal salvation possible. The words from the song: Santa Claws is coming to town, suggest that one’s good behavior is what makes one worthy of Christmas gifts.
Hence the reason for the insert: “He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake. Not so with Christ, for He knows that we’ve all been bad, very bad; but His goodness, given as a free gift, as He poured out His life for us on Calvary, is now offered to all, whether we’ve been bad or good.
Thus, the following passage of scripture, treating on the topic of Christ’s gift to the human family should be thoroughly understood, embraced, and it should never ever be forgotten. Let’s read:
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
However, if Jesus were to deal only with the repair of our imbalances, and died for our sins, He would not have solved the age-old problem of the grave. This “grave” reality, no pun intended, has haunted the rich and famous as well as your everyday John Doe, from the least to the greatest and everyone in between.
The whole end purpose of the plan of salvation is to restore that which was lost through sin, and even though forgiveness and righteousness are excellent things to be sought after, if at the end of the day we would still be dead and buried forever, what sense would it make?
God will not put a plan of action together, that will involve the slaying of His Son, if it would not make sense after all is said and done. Therefore, when we celebrate Christ, we should always do so with the understanding, that His free gift to us will result in eternal life, as the end product, if we so choose. Paul reasons it this way. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
The appropriate response to God’s Gift to us is to accept Him with open arms so that we may become partakers with Christ of the end product, which is eternal life. If there is any message that we should dwell upon during this Holiday season is that Christ made eternal life possible, by His death for us.
However, while the earth continues, we’ll have to face some grim realities, because the very same conditions that existed at Christ’s first coming, are being manifested just before His second coming. The forms of religion are devolving into mere husks, and morality is scheduled to tank, even more than it is currently.
Just as how personal feelings drove the masses of people to do the unthinkable in Christ’s day, just so personal feelings are driving legislation on a host of current issues, and feelings would soon be allowed to legislate almost anything, for whenever certain doors are opened, and the horses are let out of the barn, they can become very difficult to rein back in.
Just recently, a man in Europe sued to have his age changed, because he felt younger, and his argument is that if the courts make allowances for other kinds of “feelings” he too, should be permitted to change his real age into one that is younger. That’s because he “Feels” younger.
In the days of Christ, there was political upheaval on every side also, for the Pharisees and the Sadducees were at loggerheads on most issues. One sect often railed against the other, and both parties hated the Romans with the most bitter hatred.
Similarly, in our day, on the political front, there is turmoil brewing on the horizon too, because both of our political parties, namely the “Pharisees and Sadducees” can’t seem to get along anymore and as it was in the days of Christ, they’re in disagreement on almost every issue.
Kevin McCarthy is now facing a trifecta of rebellion, even before he has touched the gavel and while the Democrats were celebrating their huge win in the Georgia senate runoff, Kyrsten Sinema pooped on their party. Thus, we cannot look to mortal man for any meaningful solutions to this earth’s problems.
The earth and its peoples are in a constant state of flux, with the inhabitants thereof not knowing what one day to another may bring. Trade unions would trigger upheavals, both at home and abroad, as is currently the case, and as the servant of the Lord has accurately predicted.
When nurses go on strike in Great Britain, and when workers from mega corporations, such as Amazon, Starbucks, and Chipotle, turn to unions in order to secure benefits, and better wages, and when our own railroad system is threatened with shutdowns at the most inopportune times, then we know for sure that man does not have the answers or the solutions to this earth’s problems. Let’s read:
[Last Day Events pp 116] Trades unions will be one of the agencies that will bring upon this earth a time of trouble such as has not been since the world began. A few men will combine to grasp all the means to be obtained in certain lines of business. The time is fast coming when the controlling power of the labor unions will be very oppressive.
Therefore, as we reminisce on what Christ has done for the human family, and as folks fellowship with friends and family over the holiday season, let us be mindful of this one thing, that Jesus is the reason for the season, for it is Christ alone who has made a better way and a better day available to all who so desire.
Let us then give our lives entirely to Him, so that He may do unto us the good He has promised, for it is only those who respond in the positive to God’s gift in Christ, that the abundant life will ever become a reality. We’ll end with a passage of scripture which sums up the matter so that all may understand. Let’s read:
1st John 5: 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
God Bless!