“The Missing Years of Jesus”
BIBLE
READING: Matthew 2; Luke 2. 39-52
When it comes to the childhood years
of Jesus I have so many questions: was he ever spanked as child? Did he
ever catch a cold or have a fever? When was it that He understood that He was
the Creator of the Universe? However, in God’s infinite wisdom, He chose to not
include anything from His childhood years. Instead, we have a gap
in the story from his birth until he was twelve years old. Luke’s account
of Jesus, at twelve, in the Temple may offer us a little insight as to when
Jesus understood He was not your typical twelve-year-old boy. As Mary and
Joseph begin the journey back home from Passover, they notice that Jesus has
gone missing. Parents imagine how they must have felt, God had entrusted
them with the Savior of the world and now they had lost him. As they
frantically look for him, they retrace their steps back to the
Temple. It is there they find this young man sitting among the
scholars, listening and answering their questions. What they were
discussing with Jesus is also omitted from the story, but by describing the
teachers, using words like being amazed and astonished at Jesus’ intellect,
reveals to us that He is becoming aware of his purpose. That is further
evidenced as His mother scolds him for running off and not telling them where
He was, as he replies “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I
must be in my Father’s House?” Although they did not understand, yet,
Mary kept that response in her heart. Although we don’t have anything
that describes what the childhood of Jesus might have been like, what we do
have within this story gives us insight that He was fully aware of His purpose
here on the earth. Although His purpose was divine, ours should be summed
up in a similar way; should we not also be about the Father’s work?
Prayer
Requests:___________________________________________________________________________________
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