Losing Jesus
We don’t know much about Jesus’ growing up years. The Gospel authors are largely silent about this period of Jesus’ life except for Luke who shares one story of Jesus when he was twelve. Why? What is so important from this story that Luke wants his audience (and God wants us) to know? As we dig in, we not only find some critically important truths about Jesus, we come face to face with the human propensity to misunderstand and “lose” Jesus.
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:40-52
Jesus’ priority was (and is) the Father’s business. His job is not to fit in to our agenda. He has His own agenda. Jesus understood submission to human authority as a way of submitting to His heavenly Father. He is simultaneously fully divine and fully human. God is bigger than the box you want to put Him in!