Was Jesus Spanked as a Boy?

[tawser]

NOTE from Michael - The first 2 posts of this thread were originally posts #3 and 4 from the topic "Spanking As A Religious Practice." I felt that Tawser's anecdote is a classic and very humorous, but also raises a question that we discussed on our old forum - "Was Jesus ever spanked?" So I have decided to move his post and Garth's response to a new topic so that it can receive it's own attention. Thank you - Michael

My stepfather was a staunch Bible believing Christian, and if I had ever been foolish enough to question his parenting methods, he could have rattled off a long list of biblical citations in his support. He loved the Bible and knew much of it by heart. I remember one time he was about to give me a whipping for leaving the house and going to a movie with friends without telling anyone. Desperate to avoid a licking, I pointed out that Jesus had once left Joseph and Mary to go to the temple without telling them. Without missing a beat, my stepfather looked me dead in the eye and said, "And if I had been Joseph, I would have done to him just what I am about to do to you now!" And I have no doubt that he would have too!

[Garth]

I remember that story in the Bible very well. Unfortunately little is known about Jesus' childhood though we can assume if he was raised according to the cultural norms of the day he was spanked. In fact I guess religious scholars assumed Jesus was spanked as many artist painted pictures of the event - one of which I have added to the Gallery under Spanking in Artwork.

[Michael]

From Luke 2:41-52 (The Voice translation):

41 Every year during Jesus’ childhood, His parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. 42 When Jesus was 12, He made the journey with them. 43 They spent several days there, participating in the whole celebration. When His parents left for home, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem, but Joseph and Mary were not aware. 44 They assumed Jesus was elsewhere in the caravan that was traveling together. After they had already traveled a full day’s journey toward home, they began searching for Him among their friends and relatives. 45 When no one had seen the boy, Mary and Joseph rushed back to Jerusalem and searched for Him.

46 After three days of separation, they finally found Him—sitting among a group of religious teachers in the temple—asking them questions, listening to their answers. 47 Everyone was surprised and impressed that a 12-year-old boy could have such deep understanding and could answer questions with such wisdom.

48 His parents, of course, had a different reaction.

Mary: Son, why have You treated us this way? Listen, Your father and I have been sick with worry for the last three days, wondering where You were, looking everywhere for You.

Jesus: 49 Why did you need to look for Me? Didn’t you know that I must be working for My Father?

50 Neither Mary nor Joseph really understood what He meant by this. 51 Jesus went back to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. His mother continued to store these memories like treasures in her heart. 52 And Jesus kept on growing—in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with others.
__________

The Voice adds this commentary to the above passage -
Little is recorded about Jesus’ life between His birth and the age of 30. But this one episode tells so much. First, Jesus’ family life is a lot like anyone’s—full of mishaps and misunderstandings. Second, as Jesus enters young adulthood, He begins manifesting an extraordinary sense of identity. (Remember, a 12-year-old isn’t “just a kid” in Israel—he is becoming a man.) He isn’t just “Mary’s boy” or “Joseph’s stepson.” He has a direct relationship with God as His Father, and He knows His life will follow a path of working for God.

This biblical passage does not give many details about how exactly Joseph and Mary reacted to Jesus' "disappearance," but as Garth mentions, the customs of the day might suggest that Jesus was punished for worrying His parents so.

True, Jesus states that as the Son of God that He was doing His Father's work. But it is also true that Mary is His earthly mother and that Joseph is His earthly stepfather, and as such they should have authority over Him just as they did their other sons.

It must have been an unimaginably difficult position in which to be - parent of a boy who is also the Son of God. Even if you assume as the Bible teaches that Jesus lived a sinless life on earth, you can't assume that His parents didn't ever punish Him for what they perceived as misbehavior. And speaking as a father myself, I would (rightly or wrongly) believe that my son had misbehaved if he had done the same thing. Therefore, a spanking may be in order.

One thing is certain - verse 51 states that Jesus "was obedient to them" - Mary and Joseph. So even the Son of God also recognized that His earthly parents held positions of authority over Him - even if He was "almost a man" in Jewish culture. To me, "almost a man" also means "still a boy."

[P.J.]

The debate here rests in the theological aspect that Jesus was sinless and needed to be in order to provide atonement. I wholeheartedly support the idea of Jesus being fully God while being fully man ad therefore being sinless and, yes, I think it is crucial to the doctrine of the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus.

With that said I think two points are in order.

I think an interpretation of John 11:35 leads me to believe that Jesus experienced all aspects and emotions of human life. Also, spanking is now and was then (chastisement) not reserved for misbehavior (sin) but was used for development and discipline (the real meaning of the word.)

What those points in mind I feel Jesus was spanked.

[Garth]

I think God is a part of all of us. As it is written in the scriptures "I am that I am". Of course few realized God's consciousness like Jesus. As a child I think Jesus had gentle, kind parents who set limits just like any good parent would. I doubt they had time outs back than and their is plenty of proof that corporal punishment was very popular in the day. No doubt Jesus did get into his share of mischief as he was an inquisitive and probably precocious child who no doubt was a risk taker. Spankings were probably quite common for Jesus before his parents could reason with him but I doubt they were all that severe and basically symbolic.