July 13, 2010
it's My way or the highway
Luke 2:41-52
Kay Wyma
Central Truth
God's ways are not our ways.
Key Verse | Luke 2:49
And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" (Luke 2:49)
Luke 2:41-52
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents 1 2:48 Greek they saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” 2 2:49 Or about my Father's business 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature 3 2:52 Or years and in favor with God and man.
Dive Deeper | Luke 2:41-52
This passage, one of the few glimpses into Jesus' childhood, is so full of thought-provoking aspects and questions. My favorite hits me squarely in the eyes almost every time I read it: Mary's gentle admonishment, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You."
I've often wondered what it was like to have been Jesus' relative—anyone in the family of Someone who never sinned. Can you imagine? A two year old with no tantrums, a brother who always shared, a teenager who considered someone else's desires over His own . . . the list goes on.
Mary and Joseph did live with perfection. Were they so accustomed to this Person in their midst (and ALL of His amazing qualities) that they had grown numb to the extraordinary and forgotten the beginning?
Somewhere along the way, had it become about Mary (as it so often does for me)? In the groove, doing her motherly duty, defining her role as she saw it, were her eyes not open? Before her was an adolescent, dutifully forging His way to a ministry that would change the course of humanity. Completely counterintuitive, as God's approach so often is, the Child was enlightening the teachers. He was transitioning away from His parents in a most unusual way. Maybe to Mary, this was not the way things were supposed to happen. It didn't line up with her expectations.
"Why were you searching for me?" He asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49, NIV)
How many times does God ask me the same question? How often am I searching for Him, coming to Him, with my expectations leading the way? Like Mary, I'm often anxiously searching instead of peacefully plodding. Why the anxiety? Probably because I have predefined the outcome, predetermined the questions and the answers instead of being a blank slate before God and His will as HE defines it.
Hmmm. Maybe the answer, as it seems so often to be, is a little less ME, a lot more Him.
Discussion Questions
1. How is your self-interest meter reading today? Are your eyes anchored on you? Or are they firmly planted on God and His direction for the day ahead?
2. What can you do to help reframe your thoughts to be more in line with God's desires for you?
3. In what ways can your community help or hold you accountable?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever been separated from your parents?
2. How did Jesus feel being separated from his parents? Was He “scared” (verse 49)? Why do you think Jesus was not worried about where His parents were? Whose house did He say He was in? This shows us that Jesus knew what He was to be about: God’s plan.
3. What can you do to be about God’s plan for your life?