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.
He had to grow up like any other person. He grew physically, mentally, spiritually. He was not a super-boy; he was a human boy.
Development is a part of God’s creation. We have to become who we were created to be. This does not happen quickly, nor perfectly; it does include faith, and the confession of sin. Perfection begins with the confession of our inability to be perfect. And our trust that Jesus was perfect for us.
No one is too bad to be a child of God and no one is too good to not be in need of Christ’s grace and forgiveness. Luther: “ I am at the same time sinner and saint.”
As Jesus grew in his
consciousness of who he
was as the Son of God,
we too have to grow in
our consciousness
of who we are as sons
and daughters of God.
Prayer thought for the week: “Lord, open my heart to be who you would have me be. Amen”
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