Christmas is over. The presents were unwrapped, the food was eaten, and the stockings may or may not still be hung. The lights have a leftover glimmer on the trees and houses, and in a few days we might un-deck the halls, then wake up to a new year.
We celebrated Christ born in Bethlehem. Now, life must go on, and so did his.
After the Manger
He “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man,” Luke tells us (Luke 2:52). Readers blink and the gospels transform the infant Savior into the prophet, teacher, miracle-worker, and sacrifice promised for centuries (Matthew 1:21). Luke, however, uniquely different than all the other gospel writers, includes one more chapter in Jesus’ life between the manger and his ministry: his childhood.
Christ the Boy
Jesus was once the baby we sing about in our Christmas carols and see in our nativity scenes, but he was also a child. He learned to walk, talk, read, write, and take care of his household just like any other Galilean boy would have.
In Luke 2:41-52, we find the 12-year-old Jesus making the trek to Jerusalem with his parents, just as they did every year at the Passover. Imagine the Son of God hiking the dusty roads with his people to celebrate a deliverance that would pale in comparison to the one he came to accomplish (Exodus 12:1-28). This deliverance would not come from a runaway prince, ten plagues, parted Red Seas, and dead lambs, but from God in flesh to redeem all flesh for himself. His triumph would not merely be over human kingdoms but heavenly ones, disbanding sin and death, not merely Pharoah’s armies. And yet he, in the form of a 12-year-old boy, made his way with the rest of the Jews to the Passover. The deliverer walked with those needing deliverance.
After the Passover, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem (unbeknownst to his parents) to listen to the teachers there and ask them questions (Luke 2:46). Why would the omniscient ask questions? Didn’t he know everything? They asked him questions, too, and “were amazed at his understanding” (Luke 2:47). He did not hide his awareness that he was the Son of God, and yet he still took the form of a pupil.[1]
Imagine his temple conversations interrupted by Mary and Joseph’s gasps. After days of looking for him, they finally found their son, though he made it clear that he was not merely their son. The temple was his “Father’s house,” yet it was not beneath him to return his earthly parents’ home and obey them (Luke 3:49, 51).
Lowly Lord Jesus
The boy Jesus, while maintaining his divinity, showed unexpected lowliness—at least, unexpected to us and our own egos.
How often do we truly stoop to the level of the needy and broken for their good, instead of praise for our own charity? When do we look like Jesus walking to Jerusalem, looking like those in need of deliverance and remembering God’s faithfulness?
When do we choose to be humble, listen to others, and be curious with them and about their thoughts, even when we could know as much as they do, or more? The lowliness of Jesus’ posture in the temple is lower than we will ever stoop. Athanasius, in his work On the Incarnation, wrote on the lesson of Christ’s human form: “For as a good teacher who cares for his students always condescends to teach by simpler means those who are not able to benefit from more advanced things, so also does the Word of God,” who is Christ.[2] Christ himself as a 12-year-old boy was the lesson the teachers needed to learn—their long awaited Savior had come for them! And yet, Jesus did not boast about his known divinity. In humility, he listened and asked them questions, as if his greatness was not “a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6). What freedom to listen and ask about the truth without ourselves and our greatness getting in the way.
Do we gladly and willingly submit to our God-given dependencies, like to parents or employers or our basic human needs for rest or work? It was not beneath Jesus to follow Mary and Joseph back to Nazareth. He did not resist the care of his parents, even though he would take care of their eternity on the cross, and neither did he discard their authority over his human wellbeing.
Children of God
In this week that bookends Christmas and the new year, I hope you remember that Christ was not only the baby born for you and the man who died for you, but a boy who lived for you. Our childlikeness, humility, and dependency on God is mirrored in him.
I don’t know what this year has been like for you or what the next year holds, but I do know God did not make us into an image of either helplessness or self-dependency, but the loving care of the Father. He will take care of you this coming year and always, because you are his.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1)
[1] R.H. Stein, Luke, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 120.
[2] Saint Ignatius the Great of Alexandria, On the Incarnation, Translated by John Behr (Yonkers, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2011), 65.
AI-Generated Image of “a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi” (Song 1:14)
“Over the years, few books have fed my soul like the periodic installments of John Piper’s The Swans are Not Silent. Those brief, accessible biographies of Christian luminaries have at once warmed my devotion for Christ and strengthened my service for Him. That’s why I was delighted to see Piper’s 27 Servants of Sovereign Joy, which compiles that series into one rich, hefty volume.
“Never have I picked up a book with my emotions as mixed as when I opened Tim Challies’ Seasons of Sorrow. For years I’ve benefited from Challies’ online content, and for nearly as long I have counted him a friend, albeit a more distant one. That’s why I agonized with him and prayed for him when, two years ago, I received the shocking news of the death of his college-aged son. That’s also why I’ve anticipated Challies’ Seasons of Sorrow, knowing that I’d benefit from reading of Challies’ dark night of the soul when he lost his son, his only son, and of the Lord’s preserving grace through it all.
“Hamilton explores, defines, and teaches how we can best understand the relationship between God’s promises in the Bible and the pattern of events in the Bible that echo those promises. He argues that the biblical authors, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, intended to communicate through typology or promise-shaped patterns. Creatively written, the book itself is constructed as a chiasm and one designed to help you love the Bible and the Bible’s Author even more.”
“This volume which marks the completion of a new trilogy biography of C. S. Lewis is one that readers and admirers of Lewis, new and old, will enjoy. Poe wrote these volumes at just the right time, following decades of his own widely-respected research, to reintroduce Lewis to a new generation.”
“In this tumultuous season of evangelicalism, we are in great danger of a kind of gospel amnesia―a dangerous assumption and even erosion of the precious substance of gospel-centrality. Jonathan Dodson is one of the original architects of the once-nascent gospel recovery movement and his Gospel-Centered Discipleship is a seminal text in our renewed understanding of how people change and how people grow in Christ. This new edition of such an important work can aid in our recentering and recalibrating around the amazingly powerful grace of God once again.”
“Theology in abstraction is a soul-killer. So we need constant reminders to worship in both spirit and truth, to be both hearers and doers of the word, to speak the truth, yes, but in love. I’m grateful for Kurtz’s voice in calling us back to “doing theology” like Jesus himself. We can experience the meeting of the spirit and truth of Christ in our churches today, if we will take seriously the clarion call of a book like this. Ronni Kurtz has done us an absolutely Christian service in painstakingly helping us reorient our vision of holiness to the fruit of the Spirit.”
“This is one of the most insightful leadership books I’ve read. The ten principles outlined in Turnaround can be used to strengthen virtually any organization. I highly recommend it.”
“Forgiveness is one of the easiest things to say and hardest things to do. And yet, in this timely work, Keller reminds us that our families, churches, and communities simply cannot function without a means to recognize shortcomings and restore relationships.”
“A daily time of worship is essential in the growing life of the believer. This may take different shapes during the seasons of life, Gibson’s superb volume provides an excellent resource with a clear structure for daily meditation on the Word of God and the doctrine of the church. The volume is organized into 31 days with each having a formal structure that takes the reader from a Call to Worship to a Closing Prayer. Each day brings helpful suggested textual readings as well as doctrinal confession from the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. Additionally, M’Cheyne’s Bible Reading Plan and questions from the Westminster Shorter Catechism are provided for the worshiper. Released in January of 2022, this volume has been my constant companion for my devotional life this year and I highly recommend it as means to go deeper in your walk with Christ.”
“The politicization of our culture is no surprise to anyone. As Christians seek to helpfully engage the culture, Watkin reminds the believer that our authority is the Word of God and not our cultural moment. Accordingly, Watkin helps believer look for the biblical “diagonalization” – the place where the Word of God transcends the polarities of culture – so we can see the better, more God-honoring way that supplants both extremes. For pilgrims wondering how to walk with boldness in the midst of today’s craziness, this is a fantastic volume that deserves to be read.”
“In Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen, author Scott Sauls provides a compelling and practical outline for how to rightly align the pains of the flesh—regret, hurt, and shame—in the pursuit of ‘the secret of contentment.’ With a clear picture of the Gospel and its impact on the Christian life, Sauls uses personal experiences and Gospel truths to encourage and equip Christians to understand the redemptive work of Christ in our lives.”
“In a time when the Church has been ridiculed and denigrated, Dustin Benge’s The Loveliest Place lifts the church above the opinion of the world by unpacking how God views the church. With rich theological truth and personal storytelling, Benge inspires the reader to reorient their heart so that ‘by beholding such radiant beauty and loveliness’ we may ‘lift our collective and worshipful cry, ‘Indeed, the church is the loveliest place on earth.’”
“Crossway’s republishing of Stephen Charnock’s Existence and Attributes of God this year gave me the opportunity to read through this massive theological work for the first time. What I found was not only theological expertise, but devotional insight applied with pastoral care and wisdom. After describing each attribute in detail, Charnock shows how a failure to uphold the attribute can lead to a host of vices in one’s life. He applies theology in such a way as to lead me to prayer and gratitude to God for who He is in Himself. If you don’t have time to read through the whole treatise (though I’d highly recommend it!), I’d suggest starting with the section on the goodness of God – it’s truly awe-inspiring. In the new publication, the added chapter summaries and updated language is yet another reason that make this my favorite publication and book of the year. It’s one of the most helpful theology books I’ve ever read.”
“Missions books today are a dime a dozen, but not all missions books are created equal. In God Shines Forth, Michael Reeves and Daniel Hames develop the theme that delighting in God is both the fuel and fruit of biblical mission. In the missionary task, Christians are meant to reflect the glory of God in their expressions of joy and delight in Him. Anything less borders on misrepresenting God. This treatment on missions encapsulates a more holistic approach to the Great Commission. Not only should our delight in the Lord drive us to missions, but God’s delight in Himself as Trinity should cultivate a more compelling reason to go than what has traditionally been offered – guilt trips and shame filled tactics were never sufficient. Rather, as they write, ‘Happy mission presupposes happy Christians.’ To the extent that we grow in our delight in God, we will grow to reflect his heart of pouring out for the sake of others.”
“Tackling a topic that can easily make readers give up on the church, Dr. Kruger practically identifies the causes, symptoms, and cures of spiritual abuse so his readers can know what it is (and isn’t) in order to thrive in Christian community. Whether you have experienced spiritual abuse, been unfairly accused of it, inflicted it, or none of the above, this book is for you. Kruger’s research and “perch” from theological education shines a light on a subject Christians should see to better help their congregations and pastors.”
“It’s unfortunately common for women to wonder how they “fit” in Christianity. Jesus Through the Eyes of Women reminds us that women are vital to the Good News by insightfully collecting the interactions between Jesus and women in the four canonical gospels. This is an excellent individual or group reading experience, with discussion topics at the end of each chapter. McLaughlin can address the skeptic on why the witnesses of the four gospels matter, remind the Christian who Jesus is, and reinvigorate all to cherish the God who values all peoples and genders for His glory and His plan.”
“Biblical Reasoning demonstrates the primary importance of the Holy Trinity and Christology in biblical exegesis by giving theological principles and rules for exegesis of Christian Scripture. The Holy Trinity is the true subject matter of the Holy Scriptures such that work of apprehending knowledge of Him and His works should be determined by who He is in Himself. From inseparable operations to partitive exegesis to the beatific vision, the goal of biblical reasoning is the goal of Scripture itself: to shape readers into disciples who pursue the vision of the triune God in Christ. We should pray, then, like Anselm: ‘May I receive what You promise through Your truth so that my joy may be complete.’”