Then [Jesus] went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.
The Perfect Gift
What was the best gift you received for Christmas? Was it just what you hoped? Sometimes we receive a gift that is exactly what we wanted, and after opening it, we say, “It’s perfect!”
Unfortunately, even the best gifts don’t last forever. We grow tired of toys and games. New clothes wear out or become unfashionable. Things break or get lost. We discover that perfect gifts aren’t so perfect.
Except, Jesus. Jesus is God’s perfect gift to us. Jesus perfectly obeyed God’s holy law, including being obedient to his earthly mother and father. Think of it—the all-knowing, all-powerful God obeyed his sinful human parents. He did this, not because they were always right or fair, but because it was his heavenly Father’s will. Children are to obey their parents. So Jesus did, perfectly.
Can we say the same? Not one of us can. We have all been guilty of disobeying our parents and others that God put in authority over us. That’s why we needed Jesus. We needed Jesus to do for us what we were supposed to do. Jesus obeyed for all the times we have disobeyed. Jesus honored his parents for all the times we dishonored ours. His perfect life is God’s gift to us so that when God looks at us, he sees Jesus’ perfection. He sees children who are worthy of his heavenly kingdom, and through faith in Jesus, he freely gives them the gift of an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 3:4).
Even the best gifts you receive will lose their luster eventually. But not Jesus. He is the perfect gift.
Lord Jesus, thank you for doing what I have failed to do. Give me the strength and humility to honor those you have placed in authority over me. Amen.