In Hebrews 1:1-4, we find what Rev. Scott Lindsay says is “…the absolute shortest resume on record…the writer of Hebrews gives us a description of Jesus that is un-paralleled by any other being, human or otherwise, and which demonstrates why he is uniquely qualified to be the supreme revealer of God.”
One of the things I’ve often wondered about during Advent is whether Jesus already knew he was fully God and fully human when he was just a tiny newborn baby. When did Jesus cognitively know that he was the supreme revealer of God…
Immanu’El ~ עִמָּנוּאֵל ~ God with us?
I would guess that Mary and Joseph told Jesus when he was old enough to comprehend it… about the way the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her about his Divine conception. They would also have told him about the Angel who appeared to Joseph to confirm that Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. They probably told him of the Angels who appeared to the Shepherds on the night he was born, and about the Magi who saw his star; and the Angel who appeared to Joseph to tell him to take Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod’s plot to kill him.
Luke says that the child Jesus grew and was “filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40). Obviously, Jesus knew that his biological father was actually God, and not Joseph, by the time he was 12 years old and stayed at the temple to talk with the teachers; amazing them with his understanding and his answers…and then told his frantic parents after they searched for him for 3 days, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49).
Whenever the time came that Jesus became fully aware of his true divine identity, I don’t think Jesus ever struggled with an identity issue. In our culture today, many people are asking, “Who am I?” Some even question if they are male or female or just non-binary.
As we focus on Who Jesus really is, when we meet anyone struggling with their identity…I suggest that the best way to help them is to love them the way Jesus loves them…with Amazing Grace and Unconditional Love. Help them come to know the God who created them and put His divine image in them.
Janine King
Janine King has been a member of Trinity Church of the Nazarene since 2019. She and her husband, Dr. Thomas King, learned of the Nazarene church in 1989 it was a perfect fit because of their Articles of Faith and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their worship. She has bachelors and master’s degrees in Ministry and Counseling and is a pastor and ordained elder. She also has Gentle Streams Counseling and Healing Prayer ministry as a special assignment for her role as a minister. Janine enjoys hiking and being in God’s creation, loves to swim and be around water, and feels blessed to have a loving husband who brings balance to her life; three beautiful daughters who are following Christ; two sons-in-law, and four fantastic grandchildren.
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