Losing Jesus

Have you ever misplaced a child? My wife and I did just that when our youngest daughter was four years old. We were shopping for some school clothes for our oldest daughter in a large department store. I thought both girls went with Sherri to the dressing room where Susan was trying on some clothes, but Leigh had decided to hide in some of the hanging clothing displays. I wandered off to find a place to sit. When Leigh discovered that she was by herself she set out to find one of us. Great panick set in the moment when Sherri and I discovered our little girl was missing. We immediately let it be known that our daughter was lost. Leigh’s description was announced over the store intercom, and the employees began searching with us for our misplaced daughter. It wasn’t long before we heard a familiar cry, and saw a nice man caring our frightened little girl to the area where we were waiting.

There is a well known story about a twelve year old boy who went missing, and just like my wife and me, his parents were very upset. This young boy was exceptionally smart. He was interested in things that most boys his age cared little about. There was an insatiable desire within him to learn all he could about his father’s business. In his search for this knowledge he spent hours listening to and questioning the experts. He, his parents, and I suppose his brothers and sisters had been in a large city to attend a very important festival. There were other relatives traveling with them. I guess in the same fashion as the movie Home Alone, everyone left Jerusalem  thinking that young Jesus was in the crowd caravanning back home. A day had passed before Mary and Joseph realized their son was missing. I think I know how they must have felt. Maybe I don’t because I’ve never misplaced the Son of God, but Mary and Joseph had.

The two parents headed back to Jerusalem. They searched feverishly everywhere they thought Jesus might be, but they failed to look in the temple. After three days of searching  they found Jesus right where they should have looked first, sitting among the teachers. There must have been many others in the temple because the scriptures say that all who hear this twelve year old boy were amazed at his understanding and his answers. Mary said, “Jesus why have you treated us this way? Your father and I have been in great distress!”  Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know I that I would be in my Father’s house?” Or put another way, “Did you not know I must be about my Father's business?” Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus meant. They didn’t understand that he was talking about his Heavenly Father, not Joseph.

Jesus got up and went with his parents back to Nazareth. The scripture says that he was submissive toward them, and that he grew in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and man.

What do you think Jesus learned those three days in the temple with those men of God? What did Jesus learn from the experience with his parents after they had searched for him for so long, never giving up? What lessons might we learn from this story? Jesus’ Father is our Father. If the Son of God thought it necessary to be in His house and learn about His business how much more important for us, sons and daughters of the same God, to do the same thing? If the Son of God spent so much time studying and listening and asking questions about his Father, how important is it for us to do the same? Christian people gripe and complain about the evil in the world today, and blame everybody from the President to the dog catcher about the world's problems, yet they rarely open God’s word, hear a sermon, meet with others of the body of Christ or pray. A Holy, Sovereign God might have a problem with that, don’t you think? Maybe it’s time for more Christians to put more effort, more time, and be more dedicated in being about our Father's business.