At what age did Jesus realize He was Messiah and God the Son?

[Ascetic X]

Some scholars say that we should adore the mysteries of Deity and not try to figure out every little detail. Many devout questions will not be answered in this life. Yet attempting to probe deeply into the arcane secrets of God’s Word is an expression of our respect for the veracity and profundity of the scriptures.

This reverent exploration is intriguing: at what time in the life of Jesus did He comprehend He was the Messiah, the godman, the Only Begotten Son of God, the 2nd Person of the Triune Godhead?

Don’t be too quick to say He always knew it, for Luke 2:52 says: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature (maturity, body, age, strength), and in favour with God and man.”

Some scholars say Jesus’ understanding of who He was reached its climax and was confirmed when John the Baptist baptized Him, the Holt Spirit descended on Him like a dove, and a voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

We know that Jesus understood that God was His Father at age 12. See Luke 2:42.

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Luke 2:46, 47, 48, 49

And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

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When boy Jesus asked the older men questions, did He seek answers, or was He just testing them, for He already knew all the answers?

However, He may have known His divinity and destiny as a fetus.

John the Baptist did leap in the womb of his mother Elizabeth when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, greeted her cousin. So if John the Baptist responded with exuberant joy at the presence of the fetus of Jesus, recognizing Jesus as Lord, Messiah, and God manifested in the flesh, wouldn’t Jesus as a fetus have the same knowledge!

Then in what specific wisdom did Jesus grow into as He aged? Practical application of scriptures in the physical world?

Jesus was the Logos Word made flesh, so did He even need to study the Old Testament scrolls kept in the synagogue?

The Son of God came down from heaven to earth to experience submission to the Father, in the context of hunger, thirst, weariness, temptation, etc., in our material realm.

Hebrews 5:8

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

 

[Salty]

Would have been interesting for Scripture to have recorded some of the life of Jesus when he was 6-8 years old.

 

[canadyjd]

The Luke passage seems to be the only evidence I can find in scripture.

If I remember correctly, about age 12 a boy takes a profession, likely his father’s trade. I think the Jewish Barmisfa (?) is celebrated at this time.. the boy coming into adulthood

That is likely the reason Luke included this account, that Jesus understood His divinity by early adulthood.

There are apocrypha stories of Jesus performing miracles as a child. I think one says Jesus, as a very young boy, formed clay doves and brought them to life.

Not scripture

Peace to you

 

[Ascetic X]

Would have been interesting for Scripture to have recorded some of the life of Jesus when he was 6-8 years old.

Absolutely. A legitimate Gospel of Mary would be nice, her telling details about Jesus from a baby to 30 years old.

 

[Ascetic X]

The Simple Answers website states:

How Did Jesus Learn He Was God? – The Simple Answers

Simple Answers To Life's Most Important Questions

www.thesimpleanswers.com

Jesus became a man to prove that a human, physical man could obey God perfectly, on an even footing without the slightest advantage. I showed that the slightest leg-up on us would have ruined the proof. That Jesus could not have felt, known or seen anything that we cannot also feel, know or see or He would have failed to prove His point.

And so, to continue the thread of that understanding, if Jesus had automatically known from birth, or at least early childhood, that He was God, it would have totally ruined His point. It would rob Him of much-deserved glory to say that Jesus “knew” all these things without learning them.

God comes down, becomes a man. And in the moment of His conception, the man is IGNORANT of all His past. He is just another child, like any other. And the child grows, and chooses the right course of action at each turn – because it’s the right thing to do.

As He goes to church every Sabbath, He hears prophecies read in Isaiah and Psalms; and He begins to realize at a certain age that those prophecies fit exactly the things that have happened to Him.

Then, based solely on the understandings in the prophecies, He begins to read more, ask more, understand more, then gradually as He sees more prophecies He figures out the entire plan of God, and all the prophecies that were written about Himself and sees what must happen to Him.

Finally He starts working miracles and then still based only on the words of the Bible and the signs that He has wrought and the truth He believes, He willingly lays down His life for a God whom He (as a human) has never seen, doesn’t (humanly) remember, and knows only through the channels (the scriptures) that are available to you and I. And of course, His life was sinless.

 

[Van]

A thoughtful thread, well worth considering.

From the OP, Jesus seemed to know He was the uniquely divine Son of God by age 12. Scripture does not seem to tell us if Jesus came to this knowledge innately, as we know we need provision for comfort and security. Or did He learn of His divine origin from Mary and Joseph? Before Jesus was born, Mary knew. And I think they might have known the information was NOT to be made public until the way forward was declared by His forerunner, John the Baptist.

But, returning to basics, we should not teach as doctrine what scripture does not preclude, but only what it declarers.

 

[Alan Dale Gross]

“Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

In his Commentary on Proverbs 8 and Doctrinal Divinity, John Gill interprets "Wisdom" as Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God and Second Person of the Trinity, rather than a mere Attribute. Gill argues Proverbs 8 highlights Christ's Existence from Eternity, His Role in Creation, His Delight in 'the Elect of' humanity, and His Appointment as Mediator.

Key Aspects of Gill's Interpretation of Proverbs 8:

• The Persona of Wisdom: Gill identifies Wisdom as the Divine Logos (Word), Who is all along speaking from v. 12, just as in John 1:1.
• Eternal Existence (v. 22-31): Gill emphasizes this passage as a strong proof of the Divinity of Christ and His Existence before any creatures were made.
• Role in Creation: The "Set Up from Everlasting" (v. 23) refers to Christ's Designation as the Mediator, and His Presence with God during Creation (v. 30).
• Delight in Men: Christ’s "Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth" and His "Delights were with the sons of men" (v. 31) are interpreted as His Eternal Complacency in the Elect, whom He was Appointed to Save.
• Practical Application: The chapter is an exhortation to listen to Christ's Instructions, with the Promise of finding Life, Favor, and Righteousness in Him.
• Righteousness: In v. 8, the "Words of My Mouth" are considered to be concerning the Necessity and Excellence of Christ's Righteousness.

Gill's interpretation is consistent with his broader Calvinistic theology, emphasizing Christ's Pre-Existence and Covenantal Role, in the Eternal Covenant of Grace, as Taught in the Doctrines of Grace, etc.

 

[Aaron]

Jesus became a man to prove that a human, physical man could obey God perfectly, on an even footing without the slightest advantage. I showed that the slightest leg-up on us would have ruined the proof. That Jesus could not have felt, known or seen anything that we cannot also feel, know or see or He would have failed to prove His point.

The law was given to show that man could NOT obey God. Jesus became a man so that he could serve as a priest for man, and offer a sacrifice that was able to take away man's sin. Hebrews 2:17