The story of Christ’s birth is well-known. Angels declared His coming, and the shepherds hurried to see the newborn Messiah cradled in a feeding trough. Magi traveled from the East to visit Jesus and bow down in worship to Him. But not much else is known about Jesus’ childhood. Matthew and Luke quickly move to Christ’s public ministry in the last three years before He died and rose to life. Rightly so, too, since the purpose of His coming was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
Still, we wonder. We know about the cradle and the cross, but what about the years He grew into an adult?
Extra-biblical sources seek to fill in this gap in Christ’s life on earth. A Gnostic gospel called the Infancy Gospel of Thomas claims that a young Jesus transformed clay birds into living ones. This same gnostic gospel depicts Christ killing children, especially those who anger Him. Such depictions contrast drastically with the biblical Jesus. For these stories are, of course, outside of the canon of Scripture and are not inspired by the Lord. As Jim Phillips wrote in an article titled, “What About Jesus’s Childhood?” there is nothing in Scripture that indicates Jesus did bizarre or violent miracles as a child. As he said, “He was not a petulant and volatile child who terrorized the villagers with His fits of rage—as the Infancy Gospel would suggest.”
Although we do not have much information from Scripture, there are passages that help us get an idea of what Jesus’ childhood looked like. Matthew shows us that as a young child the Lord spent time in multiple locations. Similarly, Luke provides a hint toward Jesus’ growth and even gives us a scene from when He was a boy.
It is not as much information as we want, but it is enough to show us that Christ spent His childhood like He did His adult years – living in obedience to the Father.
The Flight to Egypt
Matthew’s Gospel records that after the Magi’s visit, Joseph and Mary were forced to leave with Jesus and stay in Egypt. Herod wanted to murder the young Messiah, which is why an angel warned Joseph and told him to go to Egypt instead of staying in Bethlehem. At this time, Jesus could have been anywhere between a few months old to two years of age when the Magi visited (see Matthew 2:16).
The angel instructed Joseph to stay in Egypt until he received the word to return (Matthew 2:13). Scripture does not tell us how long the family stayed there, only that they “stayed until the death of Herod” (Matthew 2:15, NIV). For a part of Christ’s childhood, then, He lived in Egypt with His parents as a refugee.
None of this was a coincidence. Matthew informs us that when Joseph brought Mary and Jesus back to Israel, this was a fulfillment of prophecy. Out of Egypt, the Lord would call His Son (see Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:15). Like the Israelites of long ago, who had been brought out of Egyptian bondage into the Promised Land, Jesus dwelt in Egypt before leaving according to the timing of His Father.
Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, we find similar shadows of the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Christ. For instance, His temptation in the wilderness mirrors Israel’s wanderings for forty years (Matthew 4:1-11 and Joshua 5:6). Where Israel failed, though, Jesus perfectly obeyed and endured in faithfulness. This reference, and His stay in Egypt as a child, shows that He is the fulfillment of all the images and promises of the Bible.
The Impact of Nazareth
After Herod died, Joseph returned to Israel with Mary and Jesus. He did not want to stay in the territory ruled by Herod’s son (Matthew 2:21-22). So, instead of returning to Judea, Joseph settled in Nazareth in the district of Galilee. Nazareth would become the hometown of Christ, and He was known as a Nazarene in accordance with the fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 2:23).
The transitions from Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth recorded in Matthew’s Gospel contribute to Jesus’ later earthly ministry. Among the Jewish people, there was the belief that no one would know where the Messiah had come from – in the sense that He would suddenly appear on the scene to rule them. Mystery was supposed to shroud their promised King. So, when Jesus came forward demonstrating that He is the Messiah, the Jews scoffed. They knew Jesus of Nazareth and His parents. As John records in his Gospel, they said: “we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from” (John 7:27, NIV). The leaders also denounced Galilee, the district Jesus lived, claiming that no prophet would come from there (see John 7:52).
The irony of all this, though, is that they did not truly know where Jesus came from. He had been born in Bethlehem to a virgin, as Scripture promised. But ultimately, He had come down from heaven since He is the Son of God. The Jewish leaders did not recognize this, which is why they did not know His true origin. Hence, Jesus told them: “For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me” (John 8:14. NLT).
The King of all had come down, born in a humble stable, and spent His childhood among ordinary people. Galilee and Nazareth may have been overlooked by the religious leaders of the time, but that is where Jesus grew in stature and wisdom (Luke 2:52).
Growing and Being Filled with Wisdom
In Nazareth, Jesus lived throughout His childhood and on into His adult years. Nothing else is mentioned by Matthew about Christ’s early years. However, He most likely helped Joseph as He grew, working as a carpenter or craftsman (see Matthew 13:55).
Luke provides us with extra details about this time. He wrote that, “When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him” (Luke 2:39-40, NIV). The picture that Luke gives of Christ is one of increasing strength in both mind and spirit.
When briefly mentioning John the Baptist’s growth from child to adult, Luke had used similar terminology. He mentioned how John grew strong in the Spirit (Luke 1:80). Likewise, Christ grew from infant to child to adult with the grace of God upon Him.
We might think it odd that God the Son took on human flesh, became a baby, and experienced childhood. He grew up and learned like other children. And He did so to identify with us. Jesus is the perfect High Priest who knows exactly what it is like to be vulnerable, to learn, and to face struggles (Hebrews 4:15). Our Lord can relate and empathize with every situation we face in life because He lived as a human – as a fully grown adult, but also as a child.
Jesus at the Temple
The only specific account of Jesus’ childhood is found in Luke’s Gospel. Christ was twelve when He went with Mary and Joseph to the Festival of the Passover in Jerusalem. They observed the festival and then His parents left Jerusalem with a large group of relatives and friends. They assumed Jesus was with them, since their traveling company was large. However, after a day, they realized Jesus was not with them and returned to Jerusalem to look for Him (see Luke 2:43-44).
Scripture tells us that after three days of frantic searching, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the Temple courts. He was “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:46-47, NIV). There was Jesus, a mere boy, talking with teachers of the Law. He truly was filled with wisdom since all were amazed by what He said.
Like any mother, Mary was upset and asked Jesus why He had worried them since they had been searching frantically for Him (Luke 2:48). Christ already knew that He must spend time with His Father – to be in His Father’s house (Luke 2:49). This set a pattern for His later earthly ministry when He would get away alone with the Father (see Luke 5:16; 6:12-13). But Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus meant by being in His Father’s house.
After this, Christ humbly submitted to His parents by returning home with them and living in obedience to them (Luke 2:51). We should carefully consider this truth. Jesus, the Lord of all, willingly submitted to human parents. He perfectly obeyed the command to honor his mother and father (Exodus 20:12). In everything that Jesus did, He walked in faithfulness to what the Law required. Such obedience was consistent throughout His earthly ministry as He followed the Father’s will (John 8:29; 14:31).
Though sparse, the information in the Bible about Jesus as a child show us that obeying the Father and spending time with Him were key priorities even early in Christ’s earthly life. His childhood also followed the theme of humbleness. Not only was He born in the lowly place of Bethlehem, but He grew up among the ordinary people of Nazareth. He humbled Himself by obeying His earthly parents and submitting to them. And through all of this, Jesus identified Himself with us. The great God of all came to earth and lived as a baby and child. He can empathize with all our struggles and feelings because He lived them.
Between the cradle and the cross was a childhood marked by obedience and humbleness as our Savior grew in stature and wisdom, preparing for the day He would accomplish His mission of salvation.
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