By Pastor Dave Farmer
Summary
This article begins a four-part study on Jesus' view of Scripture. It is the intention of this series of articles to show that our view of Scripture [see doctrinal statement] is in complete and total agreement with our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, anyone who rejects the firmly held belief that the Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God calls Christ a liar and a deceiver.
Our previous articles in the Doctrine of the Scriptures have established a good foundation for this next segment. In it, we will examine our Lord‘s view of the Bible. Of course, His Bible only contained the thirty-nine books of our Old Testament, but this is fully sufficient to demonstrate His view on Scripture. We have carefully taught that the Bible is the Word of God; that it is the divinely inspired and only authorized message from God to man. We have said that the Bible is God's truth given through supernatural inspiration to keep that truth free from error. We have said that the Bible is inerrant and infallible. It is now our intention to show that this view of Scripture is the same view held by our Lord Jesus Christ. We are in complete and total agreement with Him. In fact, anyone who rejects the firmly held belief that the Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God calls Christ a liar and a deceiver.
Our Lord was completely silent concerning any error, contradiction, inaccuracy, myth, legend, or forgery in the Old Testament. If he was ignorant of them, then He was not the unique Son Of God, and could not be Omniscient. If He did know of them and deliberately keep quiet about them, He deceived us. If He is a deceiver, then He is also a liar, a sinner, and an imposter. He cannot be good or God.
What we will find in our study is that He believed the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. He treated it as authoritative and lived His life in submission to it. He never rejected any part of it, not even once. He confirmed the Old Testament Canon 1 and then explained to the disciples that they would receive and write the New Testament Canon. The activity of revelation and inspiration would resume again, and they would be its recipients (John 14:16-17; 16:13).
Our Lord's Childhood
When the Glenn Beck Show was on the Fox News Channel, I watched a very interesting show. The audience was made up of college-aged young adults. They were unique in that they all came from liberal universities and all held conservative views. When Glenn Beck asked them to raise their hands if they got their conservatives views from the schools they attended. They all laughed, no one raised their hand. He asked if they were influenced by a teacher, and again their friends. I didn’t see any hands. He said, “How many of you received your conservative views from your parents?” Almost everyone raised their hand.
We should not be surprised; parents do have a powerful influence on us. This study is devoted to the influences of Mary and Joseph on Jesus. We know our Heavenly Father doesn't make mistakes. He selected and orchestrated the events so that Joseph and Mary would meet, fall in love, be married, and be responsible for parenting our precious Lord.
Our Lord's view of the Scripture was first formed in the home of His parents, Joseph and Mary. As Jesus grew, His love for the Word of God, His desire to honor God and follow the law, was nourished by the attitude and actions of His parents. In this part of our study, we must be very careful not to add to the Scripture. The first thirty years of our Lord's life has very little Biblical documentation. We are confined to Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:1 - 2:52. Most of the verses emphasize the events leading up to His birth and His birth in Bethlehem. The Bible is silent about the family's stay in Egypt, and very little is given about His life in Nazareth.
What kind of People Were His parents?
Preparation for His mission began in an obscure village, the son of a carpenter, in the home of devout, godly, and born-again parents. Yes, Joseph and Mary were devoted followers of God, faithful to the law, and loved the Lord their God with all their hearts. Joseph was called a "just" man and the word "dikaios" means "righteous" as well as "just." This is a special word. It is the same word used by Paul in Romans 1:17 quoting Habakkuk 2:4 "The just shall live by faith." Joseph was a spiritually mature believer. He set a wonderful example for his Son to follow. We read:
Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. (Luke 2:41)
This short verse speaks volumes about Joseph and Mary. It is recorded for us because something occurred on this trip that made it so special. Jesus was twelve years old, and the passage explains that every year, that is, from the time they settled in Nazareth, they made the 75-mile journey to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The observance of the Law of the feast days was important to Joseph and Mary, and our Lord's first impression of His faith came from His parents who by example taught Him His duties and responsibilities under the Law. As Paul reminds us, “He was born of a woman and born under the law." (Galatians 4:4).
So in the springtime, there would be discussion and lessons about the Passover, and it was the task of the parents to train and teach their children. "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) Dr. Albert Edersheim 2 wrote about the Jewish home and its influences upon Jesus, he said:
"Long before he could go to school, or even synagogue, the private and united prayers and the domestic rites, whether of the weekly Sabbath or of festive seasons, would indelibly impress themselves upon his mind." (Edersheim, p. 228,229)
The sacred calendar the family would follow is filled with wonderful lessons. Dr. Edersheim writes:
". . . in earliest spring, the merry time of Purim, the Feast of Esther and of Israel's deliverance through her, with its good cheer and boisterous enjoyments. Although the Passover might call the rest of the family to Jerusalem, the rigid exclusion of all leaven during the whole week would not pass without its impressions." (Edersheim, p. 228,229)
You can see Mary with her broom busily sweeping the house to ensure that there was no leaven to be found as Jesus watched her. (Exodus 12:15 - 20) "Why are you sweeping the corners of the room so carefully?" He may have asked. Or "why don't you sew a new patch on my pants" and he would learn that a new patch would shrink and pull the stitches loose and tear. There are many things Jesus learned in the home watching and listening to Mary which is reflected in the parables about sweeping, preparing food, washing dishes, sewing (For instance: Matthew 9:16,17). Dr. Edersheim captures these influences eloquently when he says:
"Then, after the feast of weeks, came bright summer. But its golden harvest and its rich fruits would remind of the early dedication of the first and best to the Lord, and of those solemn processions in which it was carried up to Jerusalem. As autumn seared the leaves, the Feast of the New Year spoke of the casting up of man's accounts in the great Book of Judgment, and the fixing of destiny for good or for evil. Then Fast of the Day of Atonement, with its tremendous solemnities, the memory of which could never fade from mind or imagination; and, last of all, in the week of the Feast of Tabernacles, there were the strange leafy booths in which they lived and joyed, keeping their harvest-thanksgiving; and praying and longing for the better harvest of a renewed world. In mid-winter there was the festive illumination in each home. In most houses, the first night only one candle was lit, the next two, and so on to the eighth day; and the child would learn that this was symbolic, and commemorative of the Dedication of the Temple, its purgation, and the restoration of its services by the lion-hearted Judas the Maccabee." (Edersheim, p. 228,229)
Dr. Charles Lee Feinberg mentions the mezuzah on the doorpost of the house. He says it was in use in the time of our Lord and along with Dr. Edersheim, both agreeing, it would be on the door of a home that loved the Lord:
"This is a case of metal or wood or plastic with a parchment scroll containing the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4 with others verses in that context. The name Shaddai (Almighty) is written on the case. Orthodox Jews on entering and leaving the home put their fingers on the mezuzah (which means door-post) and then touch their lips and kiss the fingers that came in contact with that Holy Name." 3
The Word of God held an important place in the life of Joseph and Mary. One of the most amazing passages that demonstrate the high regard the Scriptures held in Mary's life is Luke 1:46-55 called the "Magnificat." In this passage, Mary greets Elizabeth, her cousin, and mother of John the Baptist, with a jubilant outpouring of Scripture. She was like her famous ancestor David, who was a man after God's own heart, and followed his example of hiding the Word of God in her heart (Psalms 119:11). From the storehouse of treasured verses she committed to memory, she lifted up her praise to God. Even a superficial examination of these verses will lead to one conclusion; here is someone positive to the Word of God, who has a love for and a devotion to the Word of God. I include a portion of an article by Pastor John Koontz's study of Mary's song of praise. 4 In this article 5 are the numerous passages that form the basis for her praise.
It is no wonder that Jesus, living in a home so devoted to God and the study of Scripture, by the age of twelve, had a very clear idea of His messianic ministry (Luke 2:49). This is apparent when the family made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (Luke 2: 41-51). Our Lord conferred with the teachers of the Law (Luke 2: 46, 47) showing remarkable insight and a level of spiritual maturity that astonished everyone. Likewise, when He called the temple “His Father’s house,” it indicated He was fully aware of His divine sonship. One final verse is given to summarize our Lord's early years:
And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom [spiritual) and stature (physical), and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)
In conclusion, the importance of godly parents cannot be overstated! Parents who are dedicated to following God, passing on their faith and values to their children by walking and worshipping God together as a family, should receive our greatest applause. If Jesus needed in His life godly parents, how much more do our children? Let us learn from their example and join the many unsung heroes of the faith fulfilling the principle of Ephesians 6:4 by "raising our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
ENDNOTES
1 Canon is derived from the Greek word KANON which originally meant a rod or a ruler, then was used for a measuring stick or a norm. In this study, Canon means the collection of many books into one book, our Bible. It is the divine and absolute norm and standard for all matters of faith and practice.
2 Edersheim, Alfred, "Life and times of Jesus The Messiah," published by Wm. B. Erdman's Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan Vol 1, 1969
3 Feinberg, Charles Lee "The Old Testament in Jewish Thought and Life Part 2" Bibliotheca Sacra Volume 111, pp.128-129, published by Dallas Theological Seminary, 1954.
4 Koontz, John V. Grier "Mary's Magnificat" Bibliotheca Sacra Volume 116, pp.336, published by Dallas Theological Seminary, 1959.
5 A rich reward is in store for those who examine the evidence which the song presents of Mary's wonderful knowledge of Scripture, embracing as it does the threefold division of the Hebrew Scriptures contained in the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Of special note is her close acquaintance with what may be termed the magnificat of Hannah (1 Sam 2:1-10) and the magnificat of David (Psalm 136). Mary's hymn is saturated with these passages as well as with many other thoughts and phrases from the Old Testament. The words, "My soul doth magnify the Lord" recall to mind such passages as Psalm 34:3; 35:9 ; 103:1-2 ; 145:21 ; Isaiah 61:10. In like manner the words, "My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" may be compared with Habakkuk 3:18; "For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaid" with 1 Samuel 1:11; Genesis 30:13; Malachi 3:12; "He that is mighty hath done to me great things" with Psalm 126:3; 71:19-21 ; Job 5:9; "holy is his name" with Psalm 111:9; Exodus 15:11; Isaiah 47:4; 6:3 ; "And his mercy is unto generations on them that fear Him" with Psalm 103:17; Exodus 20:6; 1 Kings 8:23; Psalm 118:4; 145:19 ; 147:11 ; "He hath showed strength with his arm" with Psalm 89:11; 98:1 ; Exodus 15:6-7; Isaiah 40:10; 51:9 ; 52:10 ; "He hath scattered the proud" with Psalm 33:10; 59:11 ; Job 5:12-13; Daniel 4:37; "In the imagination of their heart" with Genesis 6:5; 8:21 ; Deuteronomy 29:19; "He hath put down princes" with Job 12:19; "And hath exalted them of low degree" with Job 5:11; 24:24 ; Psalm 107:40-41; 113:6-8 ; Ezekiel 17:24; "The hungry he hath filled with good things" with Psalm 107:9; 34:10 ; 146:7 ; Isaiah 65:13; "He hath given help to Israel his servant" with Isaiah 41:8; "That he might remember mercy" with Psalm 98:3; "As he spake unto our fathers" with Micah 7:20; Genesis 18:18; 22:17 ; Psalm 105:8; Isaiah 46:3, 4; 49:14-16 ; 63:7-16 ; Jeremiah 31:3; 33:24-26 ; "Toward Abraham and his seed forever" with Genesis 17:19.