Luke and the Lost

In the midst of our busy, very earthly lives, do we get so caught up in the rush that we forget that Jesus is God’s Son? Do we forget that He should be leading and we should be following? Do we lose track in the loud noises and grow deaf to His Spirit speaking to us? Do we spend more time worrying and less time in worship? Do we spend to much time at church instead of being the church? Even good things go sour if we forget Who we love most.

As a the baby grew in a child, strong in body and wise in spirit, Jesus seemed like any other human. Joseph and Mary may have settled into a new “normal” and seemed to live life like everyone else around them. Did this normal cause them to forget that they were raising the Son of God?

We get a glimpse in the next small passage which gives us only a few words about the childhood of Jesus, the Son of God. But as moms and dads we relate to the story.

Luke 2, The Message
They Found Him in the Temple
41-45 Every year Jesus’ parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up as they always did for the Feast. When it was over and they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it. Thinking he was somewhere in the company of pilgrims, they journeyed for a whole day and then began looking for him among relatives and neighbors. When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him.

46-48 The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt.

His mother said, “Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you.”

49-50 He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?” But they had no idea what he was talking about.

51-52 So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.

It was human to be fearful for their son who they thought was lost in the crowd. Have you ever lost one of you own for a time? It seemed like eternity until you found them, right? Fear led to hurt…”why did you do this to us?” Then Mary and probably Joseph realized just as quickly as those words tumbled from their lips, Who they were raising. Oh yeah, YOU’RE GOD’S SON! The boy belongs to and is the Son of God. They took him to the temple for Passover…a remembrance of what God had done for His people. Now, they remember more. The memories of his birth come flooded back to mind. And Mary, who would later watch the boy grow to manhood and become her Savior, “held these things dearly, deep within herself.” I have a feeling, that after this episode, she never forgot Who was entrusted in her care, even for a little while.

Dear Heavenly Father,
May we never forget Who died for our sins, rose from the grave, defeating death, and Who will come back again. May we never forget Who walks and talks with us today…if we listen.
In Jesus Name, we pray, Amen. I believe.