41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. 43 After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 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."
49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Jesus wasn’t the perfect child if we think of being perfect as always obedient, always predictable, always meeting his parents expectations.
He gave them some anxious moments, fearful moments, bewildering moments. Something burned within Jesus (God’s plan) which he may not have understood as a child of 12 but which led him in ways which left his family anxious.
He had to find out who he was and what he was here for. (Don’t we all?)
No one can do this for us - we have to each do it for ourselves and it can create anxious moments for those who love us. As one writer said of these words:
“There are times when we get caught
up in things which scare our parents,
not because they are wrong,
but because there is danger as well
as beauty in what we are doing.”
Prayer thought for the week: “Lord help me to to love when I am anxious and let my children grow - in wisdom and stature with God and with self. Even Jesus had to do this! Amen”
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