Day 4: Luke 2:41-52

Jesus grew up just like you and I did. He had parents who didn’t understand him. He had brothers and sisters that didn’t get along with him. He was a baby, a toddler, a kid, a teenager, a young man. And he experienced everything that goes along with each of those stages of life.

I think that sometimes we forget that. Christmas is such a huge deal. We celebrate newborn baby Jesus. And then he just sort of appears as an adult. But that’s not what really happened.

Why is that important to think about as we get ready for Easter? Because it can be hard to identify with the Savior of the world who gave up his life for all of humanity. When we only see Jesus as the sweet baby lying in manger, or the Messiah performing miracles, or the sacrificial lamb upon the cross, or as the risen Savior on Easter morning, we lose a big part of what makes the Gospel so special.

God became man. No other religion claims that. Other religions may claim that their god came to earth, but none of them actually put on flesh like Jesus did. None of them faced all of the trials that come with growing up. None of them went through the awkward pre-teen faze. None of them had to submit to their parents. None of them had to learn a trade in order to put food on the table. None of them experienced what it means to be human. Only Jesus.

John 1:14 in the Message Bible reads like this: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” He didn’t just love us from a distance. He didn’t keep us at arm’s length. He stepped out of eternity and into flesh and blood and experienced everything that we experience growing up. He loved us enough to get dirty. That is what sets our God apart from every other god.

And that is what should set us apart from every other religion. We should love the way Jesus loved. We should be willing to go where no one else is willing to go. We should be willing to do what no one else is willing to do. We don’t love from a distance. We should embrace the leper like Jesus did. We should sit and dine with the lowliest of sinners like Jesus did. We should be moving into the neighborhoods that no one else wants to touch. We should be willing to get dirty.