Walk as He
Walked
What Can We Learn From Jesus’ Birth and Earliest Years? The Gospels don’t say much about the first 30 years of Jesus’ life. But they give us a few details. What can we learn from Jesus’ birth and early childhood?
T
he four Gospel accounts overwhelmingly focus on Jesus’ public ministry—the period of His life from about age 30 to 33. We have many details from those 3½ years He spent preaching and performing miracles up and down Galilee and Judea. However, we know little about the first 30 years of His physical life. We are only given a few small glimpses into those early years. Unfortunately, some have tried to fill in this gap. Some of the so-called “lost gospels” include strange stories about Jesus’ youth—undoubtedly contrived from the imaginations of men. Sometimes movies about Jesus will take artistic license with this mysterious period of His life.
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DISCERN
We caution our readers to avoid any source that promotes invented ideas about Jesus’ early years. Discerning Christians should rely solely on the inspired Scriptures. So, what does the Bible tell us about Jesus’ early years? Does this period of His life offer any lessons to help us walk as He walked?
Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem
Jesus’ birth is only mentioned by two of the four Gospel writers: Matthew and Luke. Luke, by far, gives the most detail. Since he wasn’t present for Jesus’ birth, Luke likely interviewed some of the individuals who were present—perhaps Mary
November/December 2021
