The first words we find of Jesus recorded in the Bible were spoken at the age of twelve. He was in Jerusalem with his parents to celebrate the Passover festival there. On the way back, Joseph and Mary thought that He was among relatives and acquaintances, but when they looked for Him, He was not there. They returned to Jerusalem and found Him in the temple among teachers, hearing them and asking questions. And then you read:
Luke 2
49 And he said unto them, Why sought ye me?
Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?
to research
Many believers do not seem interested in studying God’s word. But God is our Father, and how else should we be about our Father’s business than by searching the Scriptures? As a human being, Jesus was already doing those things when he was twelve.
What we also find described about Him in the Gospels is an attitude of dependence on His Father and focused on God’s word and promises. Like the words we find at the temptation by the devil in the wilderness, at the beginning of His public ministry. Three times He points Satan to the things of His Father: “it is written.” And special in this context are also His last words before He died:
John 19
30 (…) It is finished!
the faith of Christ
Of course, these words point to the suffering that the Lord had accomplished, but it also points to His course of faith that He had completed. He knew His calling and knew who He was and the way He should go. He knew this from the word of God. He knew that He would die and that God would raise Him from the dead. What was foretold about Him in the Scriptures, He had accomplished. We may live by that faith of Jesus Christ.
Psalm 27
4 One thing have I desired of the LORD,
that’s what I’m looking for
that I may dwell in the house of YAHWEH,
all the days of my life,
to behold the favor of YAHWEH
and to examine in His temple.
Deze blog in het Nederlands lezen (read this blog in Dutch).