So many thoughts run through my head as I read this passage.
- How frantic Mary and Joseph must have been. Have you ever lost your child, even for a moment in a store while shopping? Remember that feeling?
- Did Jesus or the religious leaders ever take a break and sleep during the 3+ days Jesus was “missing.”
- How could they not know what Jesus meant, had they forgotten he was the “Son of God?”
- If the religious leaders were all amazed at his answers at age 12, what happened to them when at age 30 they wanted to kill Jesus?
Did you have another revelation or thought when you read this passage? Perhaps there is something missing in your life that you want to find? I suppose the mother in me really resonates with the first one and can’t imagine the anguish Mary felt.
Granted, a twelve-year-old boy is probably not at the same risk for danger as a 2 or 3 year old would be. However, lost is lost. I do have to agree with Jesus a bit here in that why did it take them 3 days to figure it out after searching high and low around Jerusalem.
Perhaps Jesus as a little boy was just that. A little boy. His parents put out of their minds, somewhat, that he was also God. Since no accounts tell us of what home life was like in Nazareth, we can only assume it was normal. Jesus grew up learning the trade of his father, carpentry.
So what speaks to you today? What is your take away? Maybe you are going to search for what is missing-a closeness with God, estrangement from a friend. For me, I long for wisdom and favor with God.
While I wasn’t the most obedient of children, always pushing the envelope and testing boundaries (I guess that’s what first born children do), I treasure my parents now. There is such a trend these days for parents to try and be friends with their kids. That does a disservice to both parent and child. The friend part will come. It’s important for parents to be parents in the formative years.
As for wisdom and finding favor with God, that is my goal for life. I don’t want to limit it to just a day, or as a new year’s resolution. No, I want to seek wisdom daily. I have come to realize that there is way more to life than what I already know. I want to be like Jesus and ask questions, seek for more wisdom and understanding.
The Word of God is full of this wisdom. We just need to tap it and let it speak to us. Close your eyes and be still. Listen for the voice of God today.
Let’s pray. Father God, I thank you for reminding me to seek understanding and wisdom. I want to have the growth mindset that I teach. Help me transition from the fixed mindset I have had for so long. Thank you for the opportunities you have given me in retirement to change patterns in my life. I pray that others don’t wait this long. The freedom and exhilaration it brings to be in communion with you is something I look forward to and cherish. Use my words God to work in the hearts of others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
