"Obedient from Beginning to End" 12-28-25
Overview
Obedient from Beginning to End
The first words of Jesus recorded in Luke's Gospel come from the lips of a twelve-year-old boy in the temple. After Mary and Joseph searched for him with great anxiety, Jesus replied, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house?" Luke 2:49. Two things are clear from the start: Jesus was never lost—he knew exactly where he was—and he already knew exactly who his Father was. The word must carries weight; it points to obligation, to what is right and fitting. Even as a boy, Jesus was submitting first and foremost to God the Father.
Yet Luke also tells us that Jesus "went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them" Luke 2:51. In honoring Mary and Joseph, Jesus was upholding the fourth commandment and fulfilling the law of God. This is what theologians call his active obedience—Jesus living out every demand and command of God's law perfectly on our behalf. From his entrance into creation, to his submission to his earthly parents, to his march toward Jerusalem, Jesus was actively obedient from beginning to end Philippians 2:6-8. Even in Gethsemane he prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done" Luke 22:42.
By contrast, we are born saying no. From our first parents in the garden, who chose for themselves what was right and wrong, we have inherited a defiant nature that craves autonomy. We say no to God's first commandment, no to his command against murder—whether by hand or by thought—no to honoring those in authority over us. We cannot keep the law perfectly, and on our own, we will not. This is precisely why Jesus' obedience matters so deeply for us.
On the cross, Jesus added passive obedience to his active obedience: he received the full wrath, shame, guilt, and punishment our sin deserved. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" 2 Corinthians 5:21. He wipes our slate clean and credits to us the righteousness of his perfectly obedient life. In the waters of baptism, that forgiveness, righteousness, and mercy washes over us and raises us to new life. Because Jesus knew exactly where he was and exactly what he was doing, we who were lost are found—and in him, the urge to say no is met by the gracious power to say yes.
Transcript
If you would please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke the second chapter, if you're 3s
using a Pew edition of the Bible, you can find this on page 51 in the New Testament. 9s
We're in Luke chapter 2. 16s
As a mom, one of the things I looked forward to most when I had my children was what they 19s
would say first. 27s
And to be honest with you, I was really hoping it would be Mama. 29s
Sometimes I think two of my kids said Mama first and one said Dad Dad, and that was okay. 35s
I could give Keith that one. But we're always excited to hear those first words that come out 40s
of our children's mouths. It's so exciting to hear them express themselves, to hear their 47s
little voices taking shape and for them to take their thoughts and place them on their lips and 57s
for us to communicate with them and them to communicate back with us. First words are so exciting. 65s
One of the very first words that children often often start using quickly along with Mama and Dad Dad 77s
is no. Hey kiddo, come here. Let's change your diaper. No. Okay, we're going to pick up toys. No. 85s
And they like to exercise the use of that two-letter word a lot. And it's not just in toddlerhood 95s
and it's not just in childhood, but that very first word of no becomes a word 105s
that is used often throughout our lifetimes. No. No. No. 115s
This past week we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. We celebrated on Christmas Eve that God 126s
came and entered into creation taking flesh upon himself, becoming man. We learned how 133s
there's comfort in knowing that that Jesus, baby Jesus cried, that He was fully, truly human and 142s
in His humanity, He cried and shed tears as any human infant would do. Baby Jesus grew up as we know. 153s
And as He grew, He would have experienced the stages of life that we all experience, 166s
toddlerhood, a tenth birthday, teenage years, but we don't get a lot of the story of Jesus as a 171s
young child. We don't get a lot of the life of Jesus from birth until really He was 12 years old. 181s
There are all sorts of legends and speculations out there, but they are not inscriptions. So we 194s
don't take heed. We don't pay attention to those. But what God has given us, this is what we turn to. 199s
And so now we are entering the fourth chapter of the Red Letter series. We are in a sermon series 209s
that began in September and is going all the way through May entitled the Red Letter series. And 217s
we're looking at the words of Christ that are recorded in Scripture. And today we are beginning 224s
with the fourth chapter, the fourth chapter entitled First Words. First Words. And through this 232s
chapter, we're going to look at the first words that are recorded in each of the gospels of 243s
Jesus Christ. What did Jesus, what was first recorded out of the mouth of Jesus in each of the 250s
gospels? We're beginning today in the gospel of Luke. Look with me, please, at verse 41. 259s
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was 12 269s
years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started 274s
to return the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But his parents did not know it, assuming that he was 279s
in the group of travelers they went to days journey. Then they started to look for him among their 286s
relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 292s
After three days, they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and 298s
asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 304s
When his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, 311s
child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you 316s
in great anxiety. Jesus was brought up in a very proper Jewish home. And as a proper Jewish home, 324s
they knew that it was right and they were commanded by God's law to go to Jerusalem, to the temple, 334s
at a pointed feast times throughout the year. And the Passover was one of those feast times that 342s
every proper Jew would make an effort to go to Jerusalem. And so being part of a an abiding Jewish 349s
family, Jesus and his parents went to Jerusalem. Now, Jesus was of that in between age, that age, 358s
where he could have been with the women and children, or he could have been with the men and the adult 368s
young men. And so he could have been with either. And each parent would have taken off assuming that 377s
Jesus was with the other. It was discovered that Jesus was missing after they had traveled an entire 386s
day journey. And so they had to turn back, looking for their son, looking for Jesus, and it 396s
would have taken them a whole day to return to Jerusalem. I imagine that when they were gathering 407s
together, Mary and Joseph reconvening at the end of the day, they looked at each other and said, 416s
do you have Jesus and they both realized, Jesus was lost. Jesus was lost. They were 423s
frantic. Mary and Joseph looked everywhere. Mary says that they were looking with great anxiety. 431s
She says, your father and I have been looking with great anxiety looking everywhere for you. 442s
I don't know if you've ever lost a child. I've had that experience a couple of times. I've 452s
asked permission by my child to share one of these stories with you and he gave me permission, 458s
Ezra. Ezra, the child who would always get lost. We were at church. He was about three years old. 466s
We were at church. And the church in South Carolina that we belong to Saint Luke's in summerville, 474s
South Carolina. It was a spread out campus. There was the sanctuary building. There was the fellowship 481s
hall and then there was an education building and then a small education building. So there were four 489s
separate buildings. And Keith and I would share responsibilities and we would take our children to 496s
there to their Sunday school classes and then we would go to our own Sunday school class. 502s
Well, one Sunday morning. We both show up at the adult Sunday school class and we were sitting there 509s
and I said, you got, Er, one of us said, you know, you got asling to her Sunday school. Yeah, yeah, 516s
and you got Ezra? No. I thought Ezra was with you. Well, I thought he was with you and we had this 522s
moment of our child is lost. And so we tear out of the education building and we're hauling 529s
and looking in every single building Ezra, where are you Ezra? Where are you? And we were gripped 537s
with anxiety, with fear. We didn't know where our child was. The last place we looked, we went into 545s
the fellowship hall and we turned around a little corner. There was another adult education 557s
class happening, but we look and Ezra is sitting there three years old playing with cars, 564s
not a care in the world. And we said, Ezra, what are you doing? He said, playing with cars. 571s
Hey, new exactly where he was Ezra had no clue that he was lost, but we, Keith and I, 579s
were searching for him with great anxiety, with great fear because our child was lost. 589s
And so I imagine that Mary and Joseph experienced that gripping anxiety, that fear, their child, 598s
was lost. But what does Jesus respond with? The first words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of 608s
Luke, please look with me at verse 49. He said to them, why were you searching for me? 621s
Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? Why were you searching for me? Did you not 629s
know that I must be in my father's house? Jesus knew exactly where he was. This is also a very 640s
key and poignant moment in Scripture where Jesus is making clear that he knows who his father is. 652s
He knows who his father is. We're going to come back to verse 49 in a moment, but let's continue with 664s
verse 50 and 51. But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and 676s
came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 684s
Jesus was an obedient child. He was an obedient child to Joseph and Mary. In fact, in verse 692s
in Philippians chapter 2, we read exactly about this where it says that Jesus Christ, 702s
who though he was born in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be 709s
exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave being born in human likeness and being 715s
found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient. Jesus Christ, the second person of the 723s
In his obedience, in his submitting to Mary and Joseph, in his honoring of Mary and Joseph as his 753s
parents here on earth. Jesus was upholding the law of God. He was upholding the fourth commandment, 763s
honor your father and your mother. This is part of the active obedience of Jesus Christ. 774s
Today, as we speak about the obedience of Jesus, we're going to hear two words passive and active 784s
in regard to his obedience. And this honoring and submitting and respecting Mary and Joseph is part 791s
of his active obedience. Jesus was actively obeying the law of God. He was obeying the command 799s
of God by being submissive and obedient to Joseph and Mary. This is something 810s
this active obedience. This is something that you and I, we just struggle with it. We struggle. 822s
We struggle with honoring our father and our mother. We struggle with submitting to those in authority, 831s
over us. We struggle with just this one law of God. This one command. 840s
And we find ourselves wanting to say no. No. 850s
You shall have no other gods. This means that we will fear and love and trust God above 861s
anything else. And we hear that and we say no. No. You will not murder. 869s
We hear that and we won't murder with our hands perhaps, but with our minds. 886s
And so we read you will not murder or you shall not murder and we say no. No. 894s
And we are actively disobedient to the law and the command of God. 905s
The active obedience of Jesus, living the law of God perfectly fulfilling every demand and command. 915s
That's just something you and I. We can't do and not only can we not do it. 927s
That's something that you and I. We won't do. 934s
We look at we hear we read the laws that God has placed before us. The ten commandments. 942s
And we say no. We say no. Because from birth, from birth we are born and we are 955s
born with a nature that is defiant. We are born with a nature that seeks complete autonomy. 969s
And in that autonomy we want to say no. And we want to decide for ourselves everything. 981s
Paul David Trip in a book that he has on parenting. He has this wonderful example where he talks about 995s
this autonomy that we are all born seeking after. And he says the argument that you have with your three year old 1003s
over eating broccoli and she says no. This is not an argument of rationale where she is saying, 1012s
I don't like the taste of this. I would rather eat some green beans. You're not having a conversation 1020s
that's centered on nutrition. But you're having a conversation that is centered in that defiance 1026s
that autonomy, that nature that in us wants to say no. 1034s
You see when we are born, we are born in the image of Adam. We are born in the image of Eve. 1044s
We are born as our first parents thinking that we should be able to choose for ourselves 1053s
right and wrong, that we should have complete autonomy. From the moment that Adam and Eve 1061s
bit into that forbidden fruit and they chose for themselves what is wrong and what is right. 1068s
They said no to God and sin entered into creation. And from that point 1079s
all men and women that have been born have been born with that sin residing, that corruptability, 1090s
that defiance, that self-seeking autonomy. They said no to God and sin 1105s
entered in in our disobedience in our delusion that we have complete autonomy. 1119s
We say no to God. But Jesus, Jesus didn't say no. Jesus didn't say no to Joseph 1133s
and Mary, Jesus didn't say no to his father. God, the father, the first person of the 1148s
Trinity. Look, please again at verse 49. He said to them, why were you searching for me? Did you not 1159s
know that I must be in my father's house? This must, that Jesus speaks of, this is a word that 1167s
connotes that it is right, that it is correct, the thing that he should be doing, the thing that 1179s
is obligated to do, that he is submitting first and foremost to his father in heaven, the first person 1187s
of the Trinity. He submits to the first person of the Trinity here in these first words recorded, 1198s
but it's not the last time that he submits to his father in heaven. In Luke chapter 22, 1208s
Jesus is kneeling in the garden of Gethsemane and He is praying, He is praying to God, the father, 1220s
and He says, Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not, 1228s
my will, but yours be done. Jesus is submitting once again to his father in heaven and the will of 1233s
his father. If we look at Philippians chapter 2 again, we find that Jesus Christ, who though he was in 1248s
the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied 1256s
himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness and being found in human form, 1262s
he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on across. 1270s
Jesus was actively obedient to God, the father, actively obedient from beginning to end. 1286s
Jesus in Revelation says, I am the Alpha and the Omega, He is the beginning and the last, 1296s
and in his active obedience to the father, He entered into creation, taking flesh upon himself, 1306s
in his active obedience to the father, He submitted to Mary and Joseph, 1317s
in his active obedience to the father, He turned his eyes to Jerusalem and marched 1325s
to mockery and marched, to humiliation and marched, to scourging and marched, to carry his own cross, 1335s
to Galgatha, and in his active obedience to God, the father, 1349s
on the cross, He gave up his spirit. This is the active obedience of Jesus, the Christ, 1357s
the second person of the Trinity, His passive obedience is what He received. 1376s
In His passive obedience, as Jesus, the Christ, second person of the Trinity hung on the cross, 1394s
He received the punishment for our sin. In His passive obedience, Jesus, the Christ received 1403s
the wrath of the father, He received the shame, the guilt, the disappointment, the disgust, 1415s
the anger that is caused by your sin, by my sin, by the sin of the whole world. 1425s
And in His passive obedience, receiving the full punishment and weight of our sin, 1440s
Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, wiped your slate clean. 1447s
He wiped your slate clean. 1459s
But it doesn't end there. As He received the punishment for our sin, in His passive obedience, 1468s
He became sin, who knew no sin, and we receive the righteousness of His active obedience. 1482s
Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity entered into creation, and He lived actively 1498s
obedient to His parents, Mary and Joseph. He lived actively obedient to His father in heaven. 1504s
He fulfilled the whole law, the demand and the commands of God, and He lived it perfectly. 1512s
So that as He wipes our slate clean, taking on our sin and the punishment of our sin, 1521s
He imparts to us the righteousness of His active obedience. 1533s
And in the waters of baptism, in the waters of baptism as that water is washed over us, 1542s
that forgiveness, that righteousness, that salvation, that mercy, that love of God, 1554s
washes and cleanses us of our sin, and rises us, raises us to new life righteous before the Lord. 1563s
In second Corinthians, that verse I referred to, where it says, for our sake, He made him to 1580s
be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1587s
I want you to hear this in a very personal matter for your sake, for your sake, 1595s
God the Father made Jesus the second person of the Trinity who knew no sin to be sin, 1607s
so that in him you might become the righteousness of God. 1615s
Jesus, He was never lost. He knew exactly where He was. He knew exactly what He was doing. 1626s
And in His grace and His mercy as He entered into Jerusalem for the last time. 1637s
In His grace and in His mercy, He knew exactly where He was and He knew exactly what He was doing. 1643s
Because He knew where He was and because He knew what He was doing, 1657s
we are no longer lost. But we are found and we are found to be eternally righteous before the 1667s
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Because we are found in Christ. 1676s
We may have the urge to say no, but in Christ, in Christ, we have been given the opportunity 1687s
and the ability to say yes. Yes. 1705s