Sunday, January 17, 2016

Twelve-Year-Old Jesus

Though we are well into January, I wish that Christmas was still on people's minds. Maybe if we can't think of baby Jesus anymore, we could at least think about what He was like as a twelve-year-old.

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. (Luke 2:43-45)
Can you imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt when they realized their Son wasn’t with them? It wasn’t only their Son whom they had lost, but the Son of God. Did they panic, fearing the wrath of God, or did they understand that God was looking out for His Son?
They had already journeyed out of Jerusalem for a day. Now they had to turn around and go back to look for Jesus. Surely, they turned this problem over to God, asking for His guidance and provision.
Have you ever lost a child or someone you were with while in a store? You looked up and down every aisle, worried that something had happened to them. You may have gotten to the point of contacting store security. Hopefully, about that time you found your child hiding under a clothing rack, or your friend coming out of the restroom.
What thoughts went through your mind while they were missing? Did you pray that God would keep them safe and return them to you? Did you praise God when they were found?


No comments: