When did Jesus realize His deity?

[AaronBDisney]

I think I put this question on the other forum once and it didn't spark much conversation. It's always been a puzzling question to me though. Not that it matters that much.....but when and how do you suppose Jesus came to understand His deity?

Did He have memories from eternity past or did He discover His deity from a relationship with the Father and study of Biblical prophecy? Seems He would not have memories of the glory He knew prior to His birth at age zero. He was fully human and had to come to learn things, but there are parts of Scripture that indicate, to me anyhow, that He had recollections of His pre-birth conditions. In His prayer in John 17 and when He mentioned Abraham rejoicing to see His descending to earth.

Any thoughts?

[Michelle]

Hi Aaron, it's so great to see you here again. I've been wondering how you were doing. How is your little boy?

I've wondered from time to time about the same thing, perhaps because I've studied child development which has made me wonder if the child, Jesus, moved through the same stages of understanding as all human children do. I kind of think he might have, but I'm not totally sure. I think that at the age of 12 he had some idea since he was able to amaze the scholars in Jerusalem and told his parents, "Why did you seek Me? Did you no know that I must be about My Father's business?" It's interesting because there is a significant development of cognitive ability that happens around the age of 12. I wonder, also, if something more was revealed to him at his baptism and the 40 days in the wilderness.

Really, I'm not sure at all -- I'm just guessing. I mostly wanted to say, "hi" to Aaron.

[darinhouston]

I tend to think that He was just like us in such respects, except that He had the fullness of the Spirit in Him, and walked fully with the Spirit, so the Spirit was able to reveal truths to Him that it does not reveal to us. I suspect there were other 12 year old "prodigies" that could recite Scripture in the synagogues in a way that would amaze us, today, but I tend to think that what amazed them was not complete knowledge of Scripture, but His remarkable insight as to what they meant. This, it would seem, could be available to us but for our sinfulness and lack of holiness, and failure to walk completely by Faith and in the Spirit.

[Suzana]

I also wonder how much and how early Mary & Joseph would have revealed to Jesus of all the events that transpired - apart from the angel Gabriel's pronouncement -
"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”, there was also the prophecies of Simeon and Anna.
Maybe while still a child, it was only a general awareness of a particular destiny still to be fulfilled, and fully revealed by the Spirit at some unspecified time? -
Luke 2:39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

[AaronBDisney]

Hi Aaron, it's so great to see you here again. I've been wondering how you were doing. How is your little boy?

Hey Michelle, it's good to hear from you too. And thanks for asking about Gabe. He's 3 years old now and has a little brother on the way in May, so things are good. Hopefully all is well with you and yours too.

I had considered that also about him at 12 years old. It doesn't seem to introduce us to the time of the awareness being revealed to him, but it almost seems like he speaks about something he's been aware of for awhile. I can see what you all mean by his ability to fully understand what was written about him, being given the Spirit without measure, but it just always seemed to me that his thoughts and memories of the past extended beyond that night in Bethlehem.

[TK]

aaron wrote:

but it just always seemed to me that his thoughts and memories of the past extended beyond that night in Bethlehem.

i used to believe this but I have changed my mind. I used to imagine jesus lying in his crib getting his diaper changed and at the same time recalling how he created the zeta reticuli star system. and i remember reading something max lucado wrote- he wondered if Jesus saw any crucixions as a child and whether it gave him a sense of dread.

Now I think Jesus was a normal human baby, i.e. he wasnt the wisest person in the universe and just did a really good job of faking it. no, i think he thought baby thoughts, did toddler things (even perhaps the terrible twos) etc. however, I am also pretty sure that he had a couple of very good godly parents who taught him well. i am sure that as he grew, his parents told him about the events surrounding his birth. perhaps this did instill a sense of destiny within him, and as his relationship with his Father grew, more was revealed to him, just as it is with us. But as darin said, his sinlessness left untainted his ongoing intimate relationship with the Father; i.e. there was not the "one step forward, two steps back" type of spiritual life that characterizes the walk of most Christians. So by the time he was 12 he was far ahead of the game; i think his mission was likely revealed to him during his 40 day fast, although it may have been sooner.

excellent question- i've often thought about it.

TK

[Jess]

I have wondered the same thing and basically came up with the same passages that have been mentioned so far. By age 12, in the temple, He obviously was aware that His true father was God and that earlier He had "grown in wisdom and stature and in the grace of God".

When I asked this question of a friend, however, he replied with a question, "How do you know it wasn't the other way around, that is, He was aaware of His diety but gradually became aware of His humanity as He grew, developed, became aware of His surroundings, people, etc.?"

I'm still turning it over in my mind from time to time but realizing I probably won't ever get an answer this side of Heaven.

[Paidion]

TK, I see it pretty much as you do. He referred to Himself as "the son of man" more often than He did "the son of God".

The second-century gnostics, on the other hand, saw Him chiefly as Deity and denied His humanity. In their false accounts of His early life, they had Him as an infant, giving magnificent, articulate discourses to learned men.

This type of gnostic thinking carries over even into our day. As the Xmas carol expresses it, "The little Lord Jesus no crying He makes."

[Homer]

Just my two cents, but I think Jesus learned as we do, the difference being He had perfect faith, even as a child, and learned who he was from His parents. He knew who He was by faith. I believe the Holy Spirit came on Him at His baptism. He had no ministry, did no miracles prior to that event.

Hey Aaron, good to hear from you again!!

[steve7150]

TK, I see it pretty much as you do. He referred to Himself as "the son of man" more often than He did "the son of God".






But even "son of Man" means more then just an ordinary person and could be a messianic allusion (Dan 7.13).
However since we are told he was like us in every way (Heb 4 i think) it's likely he did'nt know of his diety until long after he was tempted in the wilderness by the devil or the temptation would be less meaningful.