"Where is Jesus?"
Luke • Sermon • Submitted
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39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Do you ever feel like you are running 100 MPH in a million directions without much sense and purpose? Life can be like this when we get busy, we have a timeline, and things are becoming more of a burden rather than an opportunity.
At times if we begin to get off focus we begin to find ourselves aimlessly wandering around through life, totally disconnected and discouraged.
I pray that a few practical examples within this text move us closer to being on point and focused on things that we should be.
Follow me to Luke 2:41
41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
There are a few key things we must know about this place, Jerusalem.
It was a called a “City on a hill". David purposed in his heart for this to be a place of dedicated worship. He even felt the need to defend this territory and bring the ark of the covenant. It seems as if in the OT between many events, everything back back to this place. Things seemed to be reset. David recognized the need, and between various battles he returned for dedicated worship. Solomon his son builds the first temple here. It is a special place to our God.
We must note the significance of how God chooses.
Jerusalem was:
Insufficient in water supply to serve a large population-Gehon spring on the east side
Not enough tillable land
Limited economy due to land access
These tend to be three things that make a location sought after and successful. Nothing seems desirable about this land for growing a large city. If anything this city would have a tendency to push people away- but yet God wanted it.
Yet God chose it to be His.
“I want you and you are mine”
42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
It was custom to go to Jersualem every year for the feast of passover. Exodus 23:14-15
The law described that Jewish males should attend three festivals each year; Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Overtime, due to distance, the feast of passover became the most attended festival in celebration of Israel's deliverance from death in Egypt. Mary and Joseph appear to remain faithful to this custom.
43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
We must note the root word “Lingered”. Jesus felt the need to fall back. This word was also used in Luke 1:21. May I submit to you that Jesus may have started to feel the pull towards being flexible in His life and sensitive to opportunities that we are about to look at. This aligns with how Christ runs His earthly ministry later on in life. He was willing to have “interruptions” in His schedule and follow hard after them. We was willing to visit all the surrounding cities while on His journeys (Matt. 9:34-35
34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
Another critical word is “supposing”. Mary and Joseph assumed that Jesus was with them in the caravan heading back home. I know anytime I assume, things get ugly. Some scholars have suggested that a caravan typically had women out front, children in the middle and male adults in the read. Jesus was on the fringe of being a man but yet was still a child. Mary may have assumed He was either in the middle or with Joseph, while Joseph may have assumed the opposite. It appears that the family members of Christ were focused on returning while Christ wasn’t.
Among their family they sought after them. The way that Luke is writing, suggests some concern and anxiousness through Mary and Joseph.
1) They did not necessarily know exactly where the Christ would be.
Have you ever lost something that you had intended at one point or another in your life to really keep track of? One of my fears as a dad is forgetting one of my children on a trip. Often times I look in the back seat of my truck to verify my youngest is in fact with us. You get anxious! You get worried! Mary and Joseph seem to have been experiencing this reaction to the missing Messiah.
2) They recalled where He may be.
45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
You have to wonder if Mary looked at Joseph and realized that Jesus must be back in Jerusalem. “Joe, we haven't seen him, our family hasn’t seen Him; could He be back in Jerusalem? Did you notice how engaged He seemed to be when we were in the temple?” Mary’s mind must have been racing.
3)They sought Him and They found Him!
46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
Jesus is found among teachers and educated men listening and asking them questions. During the feasts and Sabbaths the temple Sanhedrin did not conduct hearings and judgement. Instead, on these days they would sit in the temple and informally receive questions and state their traditions. Jesus sat absorbed. "As a young disciple he enacts a prelude to a future scene in which, on these same temple steps, he will be teaching his disciples. Our Bible tells us that they (the teachers) were amazed at His wisdom (Luke 2:40). At this moment Mary and Joseph were amazed also, not only did they find Him but they found Him on mission. Later on in his life John writes about what it is like to find your children “on mission”. 2 John 1:4
4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received a commandment from the Father.
Are we seeking Him? Once the couple realized where He ought to be based on Who He is, and consitently sought Him-they Found Him!
We find Him and His truths when we seek Him.
Where we we be found? Dads? Friends? Employees?
At this moment I am sure Mary especially, had very mixed feelings. “He is alive, man I should have known He would be here”. In this moment Mary asked a very positional question that puts this entire text into place. Luke 2:48
48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
4)They Forgot Who He is
“Mum- did you forget who I am? Did you forget my purpose?” In Jesus’ mind, there was no question (I must)-I must be in the temple attending to my Father’s business. Position-ally, He may also be having a side conversation with Joseph, stating that Elohim, God, is His father. During this positional statement, Mary and Joseph simply did not understand what Jesus was saying. This is a great indicator of their heart condition and focus. They were not focused on the same things Christ was.
They seemed more focused on Christ being with them, rather than them being with Christ. Boy oh boy we can certainly do this! “God I got us to the 90 yard line- you gunna jump in?”. We expect God to just bless our planning and actions- when in reality are we in alignment with His plan?
"Here we see for the first time the inauguration of the mission of Jesus. His messianic character is also set forth". The only account of his boyhood is this story, the discussions He was having with "teachers" in the temple. Here we must noted the beginning indicators of the transition from boyhood to full adulthood with a mission and purpose.
5) Christ Submits and Mary Meditates
Even through this positional teachable moment, Jesus still recognizes the need to submit to His earthly parents. I am sure His parents then recognized His mission focus moving forward and also the respect and submission He had for them. Jesus still had some growing to do. Some had suggested that as a boy Christ was not omniscience, all-powerful- He was human, -He had do undergo a developmental process prior to His ministry.
There are some practical takeaways we must consider.
A) Much like God choosing a underdeveloped and unsought place Jerusalem, He also chose us likewise.
B) Jesus was aware and sensitive to ministry opportunities and the need for spiritual growth.
C) Through the reaction of Mary and Joseph, we can be for God without God. That is to say that we can do a whole lot, without God.
D) We encounter worry, anxiety and stress, when we are displaced from God. Think about the fact why we worry, and experience anxiety? Its a control issue- and if He who helps our self control is not involved we should worry!
E) Jesus, although the Messiah and part of the trinity-still had to grow as a human being. Luke 2:52
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Jesus experienced ordinary life from birth to adulthood (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus limited himself to the weak position of having to learn and grow. Hebrews 5:8
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
As the Son of God He did not have to suffer, but as the Son of Man, He did. In essence Christ chose to endure through extremely unpleasant and major challenges to fulfill the will of His Father- HE was to be busy about His Father’s business.
F) We must realize that all Power, Wisdom, and Strength is given from God through the Son. We must spend time with God, to be used by God. When we seek Him for Power Wisdom and Strength it is given James 1:5
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Luke writes this so that you may know for certain the things that are about to happen. We can be for sure that We need God, We need to Be with God, We need to Follow God, and we need to Grow in God. Time spent with Him is the step of action!