In This Series: What Was Jesus’ Childhood Like? Part One
God the Father designed the ideal childhood for the Son of Man; one that allowed Him to grow strong and capable, learn the Scriptures, gain wisdom, walk in obedience, and ultimately, sacrifice Himself for sinners. No part of the setting in which He was placed was by accident. His family, His time in history, His geographic location and His education were tailor-made to prepare Him for His perfectly-lived life and His redeeming work on the cross.
Family Life
Jesus had loving, godly and dedicated parents who raised Him in the Jewish faith. Their parental love and anxiety is clear in the temple narrative of Luke 2. Of Jesus’s later years, J.W. Shephard comments, “Doubtless
Jesus learned from the lips of His wonderful young mother many tender caressing words in the Aramaic language, such as Talitha, ‘My lamb,’ which He used at the bedside of the little daughter of Jairus.” He was born into a hard-working, stable family of humble means. According to Samual Andrews, Jesus had four half-brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, and at least two unnamed half-sisters. Even as a younger child, Jesus’s birth order as firstborn son would require Him to bear extra family responsibilities. Joseph likely died between the time Jesus was twelve and the commencement of His ministry, when locals were calling Him the son of Mary (Mark 6:3). Therefore, in those early years He bore the grief of losing a father, as well as bearing the staggering responsibility of being the man of the house and provider. These are extremely formative events in a boy’s life.
Historical Setting
Jesus was born into a devout Jewish family ca. 1 BC, a very critical time in history. Current events would have affected every area of His life. Israel was chaffing under Rome’s appointee, Herod the Great. At this time, the national psyche of the Jewish people included a knowledge and zealous observance of the Law, an intense longing for the coming Messiah and a tenacious grasp of a future hope for their people. King Herod’s slaughter of the infant males in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:16-18) would have been a national trauma in Israel as well as a personal trauma to Jesus’s family. Incredibly, although Jesus was a descendant of King David, He grew up in near poverty and obscurity. The grand House of David of former years had quietly fallen into a humble and pitiful state.
In stark contrast to the Jewish side of Jesus’s world, He also grew up a subject of the Roman Empire, with its pervasive Greco-Roman culture. Paul Barnett summarizes, “Although Jesus was a Jew steeped in the Scriptures and the religious culture of his covenantal people, much of the environment of Galilee owed its character to Greek influence. Indeed, the greater part of the economic, administrative and cultural landscape of Galilee of Jesus’s era was Greek rather than Jewish.” Jewish zeal, Messianic expectations, the terrifying Herodian rule, a Hellenized culture, and a royal yet ignored family line would have all shaped and influenced Jesus, who exhibited an unmatched humility, a commitment to purity, a love for His people, and an understanding of His place in history.
Geographical Setting
Not only was Jesus’s place in history formative, but so was the geography of his region. He was born in Bethlehem of Judea, spent time hiding in Egypt, and then grew up in Nazareth of Galilee. Israel was a zealous community controlled by adherence to the Mosaic law, a place of unusual rituals, peculiar festivals and strict dietary laws. Alfred Edersheim explains, “The pilgrim who, leaving other countries, entered Palestine, must have felt as if he had crossed the threshold of another world.”
His earliest childhood memories may not have included Bethlehem or Egypt; Nazareth was His home. Nazareth was an obscure village that afforded Jesus a simple upbringing full of nature and hard work, among both Jews and Gentiles. It is there David Smith describes Jesus as having, “a sweet and happy childhood.” Nazareth offered an idyllic setting for a child, with white limestone homes surrounded by vineyards and beautiful hills. Galilee was the breadbasket of the region, known for agriculture and fishing, with thriving trade and notable wealth. Jesus’s later teachings were colored with everyday images such as lilies, sparrows, shepherds, vineyards, seeds, weddings, widows, debtors, servants and taxes.
A full picture of a Galilean childhood must include its contrasting neighbor, Judea, the home of Jerusalem, the Holy City. According to Dwight Pentecost, Judea was everything Galilee was not: racially pure, proud, important, barren, and unsightly. Judeans considered themselves above Galileans, both spiritually and intellectually. Growing up as a Jew in Galilee rather than Judea, Jesus would have been aware of His lower-class status. Furthermore, He would have grown up in a more relaxed atmosphere, less focused on external legalism and more focused on a genuine, daily relationship with the Father.
Education
Finally, Jesus received an education perfectly suited to His needs. His mother taught Him at home from birth
to six years old. At age six He would have moved to a local synagogue school until age twelve. In both cases, studying and memorizing the sacred texts would have held a prominent place in His education, along with language study. The importance of the Word of God in Jesus’s life cannot be understated. Jesus likely grew up with a complete copy of the Hebrew scriptures in His home. His knowledge of and dependence upon the scriptures is clear throughout the gospels, in both word and action, as is seen in His handling of the devil’s attacks in Luke 4. He passionately observed the Jewish festivals with His family. The temple narrative in Luke 2 clearly shows a mature, spiritually-keen and curious youth who loved to learn and could interact intelligently with the temple leaders in Jerusalem. Jesus enjoyed the benefits of a rigorous, stimulating, yet down-to-earth education, resulting in an adult prepared for a difficult road ahead.
The times and places of Jesus’ childhood, ordained by the Father, equipped Him to carry out His mission to reconcile us to Himself. Interestingly, Paul teaches us in Acts 17:26-27 that God determines the times and places of each of our lives, so that each one of us might seek Him and find Him. Fully man and fully God, He is Creator, Savior, Judge, and King. May His name be praised!
Looking for references? Email Nancy for full research and references at babernk@ebcbryan.org.
