Statements About Origins
In this Chapter:
Origin of the Records
Birth of Jesus at Bethlehem
The Dedication at Jerusalem
The Return to Nazareth
The Youth of Jesus
Jesus at Student
Development of Jesus
These passages tell us everything we know about Jesus’ youth. It’s not a lot, and you may wonder how we even know this much. You can imagine how it might happen: A local boy makes a name for himself, and then people come around asking questions to find out more about him -- who his parents were, how he grew up, what stories there are about his youth that give insight into his latter stature...much like we do today with sports and movie stars. (I can hear it now: “Oh yes, quite a handful that Jesus was, smart as a whip let me tell you! Why, I remember a time when…”)
With the passage of time, we can assume that many of the stories of Jesus’ youth have been lost. Remember, at best the Synoptic Gospels were written several decades after Jesus death, and before then existed only as oral tradition. Given that, it’s amazing we have what we do.
And what insights might we gain into Jesus from these small snippets? One thing that stands out is that he had parents and seems to have been conceived the old fashioned way. Nothing about a virgin birth here. His parents appear to have been devout Jews, following Jewish laws and customs. And we can probably conclude that Jesus was very bright. At 12, he’s already locking horns with the local Rabbis (“and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”). In today’s language we might say he was gifted. In any case, he was bright, well thought of, and clearly interested in his religious tradition.