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Real Jesus

Words of Faith Final

Real Jesus

Words of Faith 1-12-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

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Luke 2

    [51] Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. [52] And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

 

        Jesus was clearly a son of the Covenant.  In the view of Jewish tradition, He was coming of age and able to be in charge of His life.  Yet Jesus was obedient as a child to his earthly parents.  He not only honored His earthly father and mother as the Law commanded, He was obedient.  He knew the importance of obedience.  He was learning the walk of obedience in His earthly life.  Eventually, Jesus would be obedient to His Father even to the point of death on a cross.

        But for now, these were things Mary was treasuring up.  She was not talking about all that she knew.  She was watching and rejoicing in the way that God was bringing these things to pass just as promised. 

       Jesus grew.  It sounds a little strange since this Word made flesh created the universe, but in His human form, Jesus was growing.  He grew in wisdom, strength, in favor with God and men. 

      There probably was a Sabbath when Jesus was Bar Mitzvah, and He was called officially "Aliyah" or "called up" to come and read from the Law.  He would have strapped a phylactery onto His head that had the little verse in it – Shema Yisraeil: Adonai Elohienu, Adonai Echad!  Baruch sheim kevod malchutoleolan vaed!  Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength!

        Jesus grew in every important way.  He continued to go each year to Jerusalem.  We sometimes think that when Jesus entered Jerusalem to cleanse the Temple that it was the first time, He had seen the money changers and the corruption.  He had seen it since His childhood. 

     So, what is the point?  Why does Luke give us this information?   Luke is the most Gentile of the Gospel writers, but for some reason, he wants to be sure we know how Jewish Jesus is.  There is a temptation to make Jesus into a "Gentile Savior" instead of the Jewish Messiah.  Jesus came to save the whole world, but He came through a particular chosen people. 

      There is a temptation to strip away much of who Jesus really is, and Luke wants to be sure we do not do that.  Luke invites us to get to know Jesus, the REAL Jesus.  Even more, he invites Gentiles into the world of the Jewish Messianic hope.  He invites us to that same hope.  We may go searching and searching for the Savior and not realize He is in His Father's house, the fabric of Judaism.

       Perhaps this is a year in which you will rediscover Jesus in a new way—not because He has changed, but because we have grown.  This may be the year when you connect with the Jesus of the Bible as never before.  This may be the year when you will grow with Jesus—in wisdom, stature, favor with God, and favor with people. 

 

       Lord God, thank You for revealing to us the real Jesus.  Thank You for revealing Your plan of redemption that is through the Covenant people of Judaism.  Thank You for coming to us as the Messiah to redeem us.  In Jesus' name.

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.