His (Jesus’) parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 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; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. (Luke 2:41-45, NKJV).
Gracious God, we offer You our love and our devotion. Please keep us close by Your side that we may never lose sight of You. In the name of Jesus the Christ we pray. Amen.
There is always the danger of becoming distracted. In every phase of life that is a real possibility. Many parents have suffered the almost unbearable fleeting moments of not knowing where his or her little one went. Even when it is only a few seconds the feeling is absolutely terrifying. Distraction can be very dangerous, painful and costly.
The almost perfect human parents, Mary and Joseph, also became distracted. What a dangerous situation that could have turned out to be! They were the earthly guardians of the Son of God – the Holy One! God had trusted them to take care of His Son until the time He would become accountable for His actions. Their task was not only to keep Him from bodily harm, but also to help Him develop into an emotionally, spiritually, and morally healthy young man. One wrong move could have put the entire plan of salvation in jeopardy! They could not afford to become distracted.
Added to their distraction was their assumption: “but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey.” We will soon discover how costly the combination of distraction and assumption can be. Listen: “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” (48).
A momentary distraction combined with one day of assumption cost them three days of searching!
They were sure that Jesus was among relatives and acquaintances but they were wrong. They had not only become distracted with Jesus’ whereabouts. They lost sight of His mission here on earth as well. But praise be to God, they had done such a wonderful job of raising Him as the Son of God that even when they momentarily forgot – He did not!
I have found that it is our duty as parents to put into the rearing of our children the best we have to offer, physically, emotionally, spiritually, morally and mentally, by God’s grace. In my own experience, my children have taught me back those lessons when I needed them the most. Their job of training Jesus well saved them from the consequences of their error.
We will continue this conversation.