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Did the boy Jesus honor his parents?

Discussion in 'Other Christian Denominations' started by billwald, Jan 11, 2010.

  1. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    The Boy Jesus at the Temple

    Luke 2: 41Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. 43After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
    49"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
     
  2. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Did the boy Jesus honor his parents?

    He wasn't violating the Commandment, if that's what you're asking.

    It looks like his his having been left behind wasn't purposeful. It was a simple matter of Jesus getting accidentally separated from his parents, so he went to where he knew he was supposed to be. But his parents didn't know that this is where he would have thought to go if they were separated.

    There's spiritully more to that account that just the above, but this is it in a nutshell, at least in regards to the question of whether Jesus violated a Commandment, or in any other way, sinned.
     
  3. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    For shame! Mary and Joseph obviously had a deficient commitment to family-integrated worship. Too bad Vision Forum was not around back then to warn them of the dangers of church youth ministries.
     
  4. Kathryn

    Kathryn New Member

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    My pastor yesterday explained it this way:
    Jesus did not disobey his parents, but he did demonstrate that obedience to God's will comes first. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" Jesus was teaching a greater truth.
     
  5. ccrobinson

    ccrobinson Active Member

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    What are you talking about?
     
  6. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    He ran away without telling his parents and then smart-mouthed them.
     
  7. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    So Bill are you saying that Jesus sinned?
     
  8. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

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    The OP should have included the rest of the passage, which answers the question of the OP:

    It was normal at that time for families to travel in large groups. It's very likely Jesus may have been with other members of the family - maybe with cousins his age - and not with his parents, so he did not run away. When they did look for him and found him, they of course asked him why he was there in the synagogue. Jesus did not disobey - his parents were worried as they did not totally yet understand who he was, even though Mary had had a virgin birth, etc. humans have a short memory and she was a mother. The fact that they were worried does not mean Jesus did anything wrong.

    In verse 51, it says that Jesus "continued in subjection" to his parents, meaning that he had been in subjection to them all along.

    Aside from this, of course, we have several passages saying that Jesus was without sin, so we know that in this incident, he did nothing wrong.
     
  9. Walguy

    Walguy Member

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    I think it's interesting to read between the lines of this story. It shows a lot about what the boy Jesus was like if you really think about it.

    First of all, for background, I think it's pretty well accepted that Mary and Joseph were good people (humanly speaking), and thus good parents. Yet they traveled for a full day before finally realizing that Jesus wasn't anywhere in the company. So that tells me that Jesus had well established himself by this time as a child who a) could be relied upon absolutely to be where he was supposed to be (in this case, somewhere in the large traveling company); and b) was able to be responsible independently, without constant or even regular supervision. It never occurred to Mary and Joseph during that whole day when they didn't see him that he might not be where he was supposed to be. Obviously Jesus had always been completely dependable in his obedience and behavior, or they would not have assumed he was there somewhere. Like any good parents, they would have checked.

    Luke doesn't tell us exactly how Jesus ended up in the temple instead of with the traveling company. But given the above, as well as everything else that Jesus did afterwards, I think He abundantly deserves the benefit of the doubt, the assumption that whatever happened, it was not a deliberate act of disobedience, a failure to honor His earthly parents.
     
  10. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    It was neither a deliberate act of disobedience or an unconscious one. Jesus gave the answer for what He did. His mission on earth was to do the will of His real Father. That is no act of disrespect for Joseph or Mary, it was one of His own priorities as the Son of God.

    If bill wald believes Jesus ran away and smart mouthed his parents, he (bill wald) needs to repent!
     
  11. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    So Jesus sinned? Oh well, if you're going to push a steaming pile of heresy, at least you made it a big one...

    Tell me, again, why you bother posting on a Christian board? Why don't you become Buddhist, or something? If Jesus wasn't sinless, then Christianity is meaningless, and the Gospel is a big joke. If Jesus sinned, we're all wasting our time.

    I've never been convinced you even believe the basic tenets of the faith. This further reinforces my suspicions...I pity you.

    Billwald, quit beating around the bush. You're either a believer, or you're not. But there are some essentials...and you don't seem to believe them.
     
  12. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    Billwald, come out and say it: Did Jesus sin?

    Should you reply, "yes," you should be kicked off this board, yesterday.
     
  13. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    This is not in scripture. It says they became separated, but it does not say he ran away from them. It also does nto say Jesus smart-mouthed them. It says Jesus responded with the question of where he thought would be a reasonable place for him to go to until he was found. It takes a lot of imagination, and some adding to scripture to even imply that there was an appearance of Jesus sinning here.

    Neither Jesus nor his parents sinned. They got separated. Jesus went to a place where he thought was a reasonabel place to be until he was found. His parents didn't think to look there right away. Simple misunderstanding, no sin involved.
     
  14. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    Still waiting for Billwald to abandon his trolling behavior and explain his heretical view...
     
  15. Steven2006

    Steven2006 New Member

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    I was always under the impression, that in the crowdedness and confusion that they left without Him, rather than He running off.
     
  16. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    I think the story is good evidence for an age of responsibility. Jesus was still a child so legally he didn't sin. He wasn't yet accountable.
     
  17. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    How convienient...that kids can be "innocent" for so long. :rolleyes:

    This may be one of the stupidest ideas I've ever seen proposed on the BB.
     
  18. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    +1.........
     
  19. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    So, a kid can do anything he wants until age 12, right?

    Hey, according to billwald, it worked for that rebellious heathen, Jesus...Hope my kids don't follow down that ridiculous line of reasoning.

    (And no--I'm not trying to mock the Son of God. I'm pointing out that billwald thinks that our Savior was flawed...this is a theology so fundamentally flawed so as to not be Christian theology.)

    I'm not sure what it is, but it's analagous to saying, "Hey, I'll bake a cake...but I've decided to not use flour, milk, eggs, butter, sugar, or an oven." It takes an absolutely essential doctrine to the faith, and trashes it. It is offensive, erroneous, and problematic.
     
    #19 rbell, Jan 13, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2010
  20. lori4dogs

    lori4dogs New Member

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    "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them."

    Hardly seems like He was 'smart mouthing them'. Sounds like He was respectfully reminding them of the purpose He was sent to this sinful world. The Blessed Mother and St. Joseph certainly had a clue to His purpose by way of the angel Gabriel's message and Jesus advent into the world by 'other than the usual means'.

    Jesus at times reminds his parents (who still have the same fears and anxieties that 'normal' parents would have for a child' that His advent into this world if for something that they will have difficulty accepting. Case in point, the wedding feast at Cana. The Blessed Mother believed her Son had a way resolve the 'running out of wine' situation and asked Him to do something. Regardless of His reminder to Him that 'His time had not yet come' He ownered her request. In doing so, this is but one example of Jesus honoring His parents.
     
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