“He went down to Nazareth with them, and was continually submissive and obedient to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Luke 2:51-52 AMP
Randal was 2 years old the first time someone told me, “just wait until he’s a teenager and he begins to rebel. He’s cute now but just you wait. It happens to all teens.”
I was determined our story would be different.
So before Randal was born, we sought the counsel of several families who had high school age kids in love with Jesus. We took notes and followed their advice carefully. And – of course – we prayed.
In our house, twelve was a big deal. At 12, we observed a special time of prayer with friends and family for each child. They were given a ring and we spoke words of affirmation and prophecy over them. And, we changed our language. We never referred to them as “teenagers” – rather, we referred to them as a young man and a young woman. The concept of “teenager” is an American idea and is synonymous with rebellion. No other culture has it. Therefore we followed more closely to Jewish traditions in this area.
Looking to Jesus as our example, it’s likely that at 12, he was viewed as a young man in the eyes of his family and teachers. Luke describes twelve year old Jesus as hypotassō – submitted to his parents, yielding to their admonition and advice. The passage goes on to say that He “ kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men.” Is it possible that He grew in favor in part because He had the right attitude? I know He was the Son of G-d – but the people didn’t know that yet. His attitude made the difference.
If we are to be His disciples and follow His example, we too should be clothed in the right attitude. There are many interpretations and explanations about what it means to be “Christ-like” – but in this passage, I’m reminded that He was hypotassō – submitted to authority, yielding to their admonition and advice. In yielding and submitting to Him and to the authority He’s placed in my life, my life becomes an arrow that points to Him. The older I get, the easier I find it to yield – not because I’m tired, but because I see the wisdom now in positioning myself under His protection through submitting to His voice.
If we want to change the world around us, perhaps we should try submitting instead of fighting for love is the strongest and most convincing force we possess.
Father – thank You for Your Word and Your truth. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: Luke 2:39-52, Matthew 2
October 3, 2022