About God’s Business

Introduction

When I first looked at our passage today, while the translation I read did not state it, I knew at some point I had heard verse 49 differently. In my head, I heard about my father’s business. Sure enough when I start looking at different translations, I did find that wording.

49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? (KJV)

In some ways it is strange because in looking at the original language text neither house nor business in present. These words are added so it makes sense in the English language. However, they are necessary in order to understand what Jesus was doing there in the Temple.

In some sense we too need context for not just scripture understanding but for also understanding our own purpose. Today we will explore what this simple little phrase means to us.

Trouble in the text

Jesus as a young boy, on the edge of adulthood in some ways, had left his parents and they could not find him. While it might have been typical that Jesus was travelling with relatives, he was not though. Why did Jesus stay behind in Jerusalem after the Passover festival? Why did this child leave his parents and stay in Jerusalem?

As a parent or grandparent, I can imagine we all would feel the same panic as Mary and Joseph. Why in the world would Jesus do this? Wasn’t he supposed to be the perfect child? Why then would he cause such a panic and worry with his parents? What would they do if/when they found him? What would happen if they did not find him? So many questions and in the moment nothing could soothe the panic and worry they felt.

There is always more than what is initially seen. Jesus too had more going on than what they had observed. Jesus was in some ways already about God’s business at 12 years old.

Trouble in the world

While we understand the outcome in the story, we probably have all at some point in our lives have experienced that panic and worry, and in the moment there was little anyone could say or do to calm us down. If I confess, this goes beyond just raising a child doesn’t it?

We worry about what our children and grandchildren are going to grow up to be. We become worried when bad choices are made that we know will cause them hardships. We worry if they will stay close with God or even really get to know God at all.

Yet we know worrying won’t change one thing in the end. In some ways, we can more closely relate to Mary and Joseph in this passage than we can Jesus. We know what it is like to have children to become lost. However, if we look closely in our own lives, we probably have also felt like that lost child rather than Jesus who was confidently going about God’s business in that place.

Today though I want us to take a hard look at this being lost part. In our own spirituality are we becoming lost or are we truly about God’s business? How confident are we that we are doing what God wants us to be working on?

We have reached a weird place for me where this pandemic has made this difficult situation where people had to choose between what was more important in life. People had to make a decision about church in that list of things to choose from. What grieves me is church was decided on as not being as important as other things in life.

So if we are not active in church or any church, are we becoming more lost by the day? Do we stay away from church because of fears or panic? Do we skip church because it is online and can be watched at any time later in the week? Do we treat bible reading the same if we are not engaged in church?

My conclusion is that we are becoming spiritually lost in this time and God is searching for a way to bring us back home. God wants to bring us back to a state where we can be about God’s business rather than wandering lost in the world.

Grace in the text

In returning back to Jesus’ story, there is relief when Jesus is found. Jesus, while only 12, is in fact not lost. On the contrary he is working in the temple asking spiritual questions. He is already working on skills in articulating to others the meaning of scriptures.

Jesus at 12, is already teaching others about God. In fact, he is teaching the teachers in some ways. They were astonished that this 12 year old boy knew and understood what he did at such a young age with likely little or no education or training. In all fairness perhaps he did learn at the local synagogue but at any rate, Jesus even at this young age was already going about the mission of God.

Most kids his age would have been working and learning their father’s occupation (carpentry with Joseph). Only a select few might be chosen later to become scribes and teachers and spend years of training to become qualified. Yet here is 12 year old Jesus already amazing people with his knowledge and wisdom.

I love how this passage is rounded out though. While nobody quite understood his response, he was obedient to his parents and Mary treasured all these special moments in her heart.

Grace in the world

What about our own special moments? Where are we obediently following God? These are questions we come back to often. It is not hard to find the challenges and troubles in church today but where do we see God at work?

I would like to spend the next few minutes talking about the future of this church. Think about who is here today. Think about who was here last week. Think about the people you used to see but don’t anymore. Any any of God’s children missing or lost?

If you are like me, you probably have certain people come to mind. Today we need to start praying for them daily. In your prayers though do not simply pray they come to church but if they are wandering or lost that they find their way back to God. Please make praying for them a daily habit. Without them, this church becomes smaller. We miss these extended family members and we want them to be closer with God. Prayer is often the place where God’s grace begins

Second, work on your own lives. What can become easy is following routines and becoming lost in the routines. What I mean by this is that we can easily follow the routines and go through the motions yet feel no different for having done them. Think of it this way, you can sing worship songs, pray to God, and read your bible. These are habits we talk about almost every Sunday to make part of our lives. Perhaps you have made them part of your routines. Yet, if we feel no different week after week for having done these things then perhaps we are going through the motions alone in hopes they will create something.

Remember the purpose in all these things. We desire to draw closer with God, to get to know God and to be in a close relationship with God. These things we do are not to impress anyone else or make us look more spiritual than others. These are meant to work on our relationship with God.

We are coming up on a new year and a new opportunity. While I am not a huge fan of making new year’s resolutions, perhaps this year we need to take to heart this spiritual condition we find ourselves in. Perhaps our resolutions should include praying for those we miss. Perhaps our resolutions should include focusing on growing our relationship with God.

We have a long road ahead of us but God’s grace will help us through the journey. Our goal is to make sure we are about God’s business just like Jesus.