Tag Archives: obedience

When God Was Obedient: Something Surprising From Jesus’ Childhood

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Hidden away in Luke’s comments about Jesus as a boy is something you should not miss: Luke tells us the story of the Obedient God.

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them…” (Luke 2:49-51 NIV)

We have talked several times about this passage from Luke, which gives us pretty much everything we know about the years between Jesus’ childhood and manhood. Here are a few final thoughts on Jesus as a boy… Remember, this is God with skin on, the Son of God, the Messiah who has been foretold. Surely he was no average twelve-year-old…

The Best Kid in the Neighborhood

Have you ever wondered: What was he like? How did he exercise his power? Was he gifted physically the way he was gifted spiritually? If he was alive today, surely he’d be an NFL quarterback, right? There is so little in Scripture to go on about Jesus’ boyhood, and it’s tempting to try to reconstruct some things, but it is always important to let Scripture be Scripture, and allow the story to speak for itself. Luke 2:52 says that Jesus “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” He was growing in a balanced way; and the Bible basically says that his development was apparently fairly normal.

I love the fact that Luke points out how Jesus grew in four dimensions: mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. He wasn’t some spiritual nerd who didn’t live in the real world, but there was a balance in his growth that encompassed intelligence, strength, and his relationship with both God and men. That’s probably a good template for goal-setting when we start jotting down those 2025 New Year’s resolutions…

Even Joseph and Mary Seemed Surprised

As for this story, the fact that he slipped away and stayed at the temple caught both Mary and Joseph a bit by surprise. I’m sure he was normally very obedient, and this was new behavior. Jesus was exploring some independence at age 12, and apparently knew an impressive amount of Scripture and was able to teach about the principles it contained. He knew enough, according to Luke, to astonish learned men.

Since his own parents were surprised by what he was saying about doing his Father’s business, it makes sense to assume that this was not behavior they were yet accustomed to. What do we learn from that?

The Son of God was leaving boyhood behind, and stepping out onto a larger stage. He knew who his Father was, and was already connected to his mission. Those are all pretty impressive qualities to exhibit at only twelve. Luke’s short account of twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple makes it clear that Jesus was destined for greater things; but that last phrase in verse 49 about how he treated his parents kinda sneaks up on you. “He was obedient to them.” Apparently even the King of Kings obeyed his mom and dad. Young people take note: If God with skin on obeyed his parents, so should you.

The Obedient God

Our culture loves the shallow things,
And all the toys celebrity brings:
The bling, the cars, the diamond rings,
The cash register when it cha-chings!
But Jesus grew up mentally,
And physically, and socially.
He also grew up spiritually,
In ways you could and could not see.

You’d think that Jesus had it made,
The power of God in man displayed–
And yet the hand that Jesus played
Was this: the Son of God obeyed.
He didn’t try to take command,
He didn’t overplay his hand,
But followed what His Father planned:
Obey. Be humble. Understand
That life in all its parts can be much greater than the sum;
And greatness doesn’t celebrate before its hour is come.
The key to life is not what is expedient,
But this: know what God wants, and be obedient.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
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John Says Obedience Equals Love. So, What Does Love Equal?

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The Second Epistle of John is a short letter, full of interesting possibilities. He wrote it to one of his oldest surviving friends, and it’s someone who may surprise you. (It surprised ME!) In his letter, he offered some fascinating advice about love and obedience, and it might even connect some dots in Scripture for a story you may know.

“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 1:4-6)

A Surprising Connection?

There’s an interesting note on this, one of the shortest books of the Bible. John writes to a dear friend, and he addresses her as kyria (which is translated generally as “lady”). The Chaldean word for Martha is the feminine of “moro” or “more”, meaning “lord,” or “master.” This is the same root as maran in the well-known phrase Maran-atha, “The Lord cometh”. The Greek equivalent for MARTHA is Kyria, the feminine form of kurios, or “Lord”, so some scholars believe that John may have been writing to Martha, sister to Mary and Lazarus.

If that’s the case, John might just be reminding her of the time she was bustling around the house and became frustrated because Mary was just sitting with Jesus, soaking it all in. To me,it’s nice to consider that years after she was gently rebuked by Jesus for being too busy, Martha’s children were obedient and walking in the truth, and that these old friends had stayed connected. John reiterates what Jesus said in the upper room: Love one another.

John knew something about love. After all, he spent three-plus years with the Master who taught John and his friends a whole new definition of the word. It changed his heart and it changed how he saw the world. John was so appreciative of those lessons that when he wrote his Gospel, he never referred to himself in the first person, but always as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23, 20:2).

An interesting Equation

He also recalls exactly how Jesus said we should do that in John 14:21: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

According to Jesus (as quoted by the disciple whom Jesus loved!), the equation looks like this: Love = obedience. Put another way, Love = recognizing the authority of the Lord and then submitting to it. (Perhaps the way Martha and kyria offer a play on words reinforces John’s point. Loving Jesus is more than being busy for him, it is about being His .)

We all sing the song, “Jesus loves me”, and of course we know that’s true; as a child, it comforted me to think that Jesus loved ME. But, was there a song that spoke of reciprocation? Can we sing a song that says WE love JESUS? Here’s a circular summary of John 14:21 about having commandments and keeping them: How many of Jesus’ commands do you HAVE (possess, know)? First, read the stuff Jesus said to do. All of it, not just the best-known quotes. We’ve all done that, haven’t we?

Second, to express your love for him, be OBEDIENT to his commands. Third, feel the love from the Father, and then you will learn more about who Jesus is because He will show more of himself to you. He showed us what true love looks like. Now, with your new knowledge and awareness of Christ, Love Jesus by loving others. LOVE. LEARN. BE OBEDIENT. LOVE. Repeat.

Love Equals What?

Jesus told his followers, “It’s plain enough to see
That he who keeps my commandments is he who loveth me.
To keep them, you must HAVE them. So, remember what I say,
And exercise obedience to me every single day.”
It’s not about the works you do, or what the law requires:
Obedience equals love! I may be preaching to the choir,
But it’s more about the way you love, and what His love inspires.
The law will beat you down: His love will always lift you higher.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread