The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Jesus: He Shared Our Trauma

Did Jesus come from a dysfunctional family? At one level, probably not; there is no evidence that either of his parents had addictive or compulsive personalities. But at a different level, it is clear that he experienced many of the childhood traumas that we associate with dysfunctional homes today. Read Matthew 1 and 2 to gain some perspective.

Just before his birth, Jesus underwent a several-day trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a dangerous and difficult undertaking so late in a pregnancy. He was born in an unsanitary stable and placed in a feed trough. Shortly after his birth his parents had to shuffle him to another country to save his life.

Like many of us, Jesus must have been affected by feelings he picked up from his earthly parents. He likely absorbed some of the fear his parents felt as they tried to hide him from King Herod. He must have noticed the look on their faces, the moments of panic whenever a knock came at the door, or whenever they had to be in a public place. As Jesus grew, he surely must have sensed at times that he was “different,” that he didn’t fit in with everyone else; his parents may have even fed that feeling. And finally, it is likely that Jesus’ “stepfather,” Joseph, died before Jesus reached adulthood, so the loss of a parent was also part of Jesus’ young life.

The point? Many of the difficulties and possible traumas we experienced in our childhood have parallels in Jesus’ childhood. When we turn our lives over to him, or bring our needs to him in prayer, we can trust that he understands what we might have gone through, and that he will give us a sympathetic, listening ear.

Taken from the NIV Recovery Devotional Bible.