Something To Think About!

When we study the Bible, we need to be very cautious about assuming things not stated in the text. Our best wisdom will fail us if we rely on it too much. But God has given us minds which are capable of intelligently asking questions of the text and using logic to—at the very least—make reasonable conjectures about things unstated in the Bible.

Unfathomable Submission: Hypothesized

We know that Jesus was the child of Mary and Joseph and grew up with brothers and sisters (Matthew 13:55-56). And it’s revealed that His brothers were not believers during their formative years (John 7:5). So here is something to think about: How many times do you think Jesus was unrighteously punished by his parents? If you have ever seen siblings, you know that they often get jealous of one another and treat each other poorly.

Jesus would have never treated his brothers or sisters in an unkind or sinful way. But can you see how growing up as a sinner in a family with a “perfect son” would have caused angst among his siblings? Do you see how the younger brothers of Jesus must have resented Him? They could not help but hate him due to his holiness (1 John 3:12b) but possibly because of the shame they thought he brought on the family as the result of his conception out of wedlock.

I imagine James and Jude and the rest of the siblings frequently picking at Jesus, hitting our Lord, kicking our Savior, or even biting Him—just as all children seem to do with their siblings. Yet Jesus never sinned in response. And then, just like earthly parents do, I imagine Joseph or Mary walking into a room where they know something isn’t right and simply punishing all the children, even the One who had done nothing wrong. And through all that, because of His love for His Father’s glory and for the sake of His beloved bride, the church, Jesus never dishonored his parents but remained submissive to them (Luke 2:51). In all likelihood, he painted a prophetic picture of His own future sacrifice and suffered unjustly, neither opening his mouth nor committing sin Himself. This is unfathomable submission! What a Savior!

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