Tonight as my family sat and talked after a delicious meal and the excitement of the kids open their gifts I began to think about how the Heavenly Father sent his Son to dwell amongst us. Not just about the humility of the birth and life of Jesus or the faithfulness of his parents, but that of all the ways that the Creator of the Universe could have chosen to send the redeemer of mankind, God chose to send him to a family…Someone else’s family.
What if before I or my other siblings were born, my mother was told by an angel that she was going to conceive the Son of God and she did? How strange would it be to be compared to Jesus, the older and sinless brother.
I think so often in my mind I imagine Mary and Joseph having these amazing lives were everything just came easy because their son was the Son of God. But in all reality they were just people who had their fair share struggles. Having Jesus did not mean that food fell out of the sky and on to their plates at each meal or that their marriage was the best marriage in history…I bet, if anything it was harder than most marriages, not because Joseph was cheating on Mary or anything like that, but because they had to figure out how to raise Jesus, son of the Most High and soon to be Savior of all the world for all of time. Maybe they had some sort of divine instruction…but it never says that in scriptures.
It had to have been an interesting family. What did the neighbors say? Did the other kids Jesus played with know who he was?
Sending Jesus to a family wasn’t the only way. It wasn’t perfect. It had to have in hard and probably many tears were cried (many out of joy). But, it was the best way. The perfect way for God to communicate to his children his love.
Think about it, Jesus was born into a family with faithful parents who trusted God. When the time came, they were more than willing to let Jesus go out and begin his own life apart from them teaching and ministering, which seems to be the most important part considering that his childhood is not really mentioned. However, I think that even though most of his childhood is not really discussed, it is important. We learn from Mary and Joseph that the roles of a parent are to bring up the child and then willingly send them out to pursue life, no matter what costs that bring. It had to have been hard for Mary. As a mother, I’m sure she loved Jesus very much and she could have tried to shelter him and keep him from doing the things that he was called to do. She could have tried to keep Jesus from turning water into wine or any miracles because she was worried about what people would say…not everyone knew what she knew about him.
Things could have been very different.
If Jesus grew up in my family, I don’t know if things would have been the same way…
But God chose to send his Son to a family because people could connect to him that way…love him in a comprehensible way. And ultimately he showed us what growing up looks like. How our lives should be lived. Had he shown up on a cloud or popped out of a t.v. or risen straight from the core of the Earth, I don’t think that he would have been able to send the same message…I’m sure they (we) would have still murdered him because we would not have understood, but that was not what God was trying to tell us.
He was trying to teach us the best way to live starting with Mary and Joseph and ending with Jesus. Jesus was what Mary and Joseph’s lives were pointing to and Jesus to the Heavenly Father.
I think that is what family is supposed to look like. The parents live their lives in humility before the Lord. The bring up their children in a life that is the best possible way, the way of Christ. They send out their children who live lives that point to the Father and then many have their own family and start the cycle all over.
The family is the beginning of community.
LUKE 2:1-52
The Birth of Jesus Christ
1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
21And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Jesus Presented at the Temple
22And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.” 33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
