I Must Be About My Father’s Business
Luke 2:41-52
As we begin a new year on our journey to eternity, I’m sure that many of us have spent some time contemplating how we can make 2021 a better year. Some things are out of our control, but some areas we can grow within.
Today’s text is the last account of stories from the childhood of Jesus. The Bible does not offer much information about childhood of any of it’s characters. Charles Swindoll: “While the Gospels don’t tell us all we would like to
know about the childhood of Jesus, we actually have more information about his early years than any other person in the Bible.” Following the accounts of Anna and Simeon, who both awaited the coming of baby Jesus to the temple, Dr. Luke skips to the 12th year of Jesus’ life. His parents have taken him to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. Jewish law only required men to make the journey to Jerusalem for Passover. Families often made the journey together (3-4 days from Galilee). Craddock: Jesus was a true Israelite, from birth brought up in the moral and ritual life of Judaism. Home, temple, and synagogue formed him." Traveling in large caravans protected the pilgrims from robbery during it their journey and surely added to the joy of the celebration.
This festival is over and verse 43 tells us that “while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day.”
It’s not hard to see that traveling with hundreds of other pilgrims, including dozens of friends and extended relatives - Joseph and Mary discovered that Jesus had not come along with them. The search for Jesus took them back to Jerusalem.
Luke 2:46-50 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[ or be about My Father’s business?” ].
I’m sure that was a surprising response - but a needed one - to remind Mary and Joseph that God was his father. Verse 50 says they didn’t understand, but Jesus had clear perspective on his mission and path in life, even if he did not know everything his future held at this moment.
As we enter into a new year of following Jesus, His initial statement about his life’s goal should encourage us to Be About Our Father’s Business. It’s too easy to be distracted by the million details of life. We are very identified by our careers, our recreation, our lifestyles, our families -but we are to be identified by one thing above all: Our Father’s Business!
Recently our elders and deacons met with Bob Turner to help identify a visio and mission for Forsythe Church of Christ going forward into the new year. Bob consults churches across the nation in a professional capacity to help them in this same way. Many great ideas were shared. Later the elders met and settled on a vision statement to identify what we want our church to be:
A Family that grows, serves, and loves together.
It’s hard to imagine a clearer idea of what it means to be about our Father’s business. You are going to hear that statement more often, as it is used to guide the hearts, hands, and minds of our work together in this community.
What does a church about the Father’s business look like?
1. A Family.
That the church is a Family of Believers gives us insight into God’s purpose and plan for the church. Notice that the church is a family… Into which we must be born - born again of water and spirit. Through which we have brothers and sisters and a Father. Which encourages support, unity, strength, and identity. Requires grace and forgiveness as we are made up of prodigals and elder brothers, those who are stronger and weaker, younger and older. God doesn’t just call us into a church, he calls us into His Family.
1 Peter 2:17 ...love the family of believers
Hebrews 2:11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.
Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers.
Matthew 12:48-50 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”49 Pointing to his
disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.50 For whoever does the will of my Father
in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
The church is a family made up of believers in Jesus who may have different opinions, strengths, weaknesses,
viewpoints - but are united in love.
2. A Family That Grows
Growth is an essential characteristic of a disciple of Jesus. Personal growth as we study, pray, and devote ourselves to God. Growth together as a body of believers, developing supportive relationships that give strength and endurance. Growth of the church - a critical component of getting the gospel to the entire world.
Ephesians 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Growth may be more challenging than ever during this ongoing pandemic, but we should be praying to grow personally, as a church, and as we reach out to the lost world around us.
"We never grow closer to God when we just live life. It takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness." -Francis Chan
3. A Family That Serves
Jesus set the greatest example of being a servant.
Romans 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then
prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to
encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is
to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Well known John Wesley quote: Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the places you can at all
the times you can to all the people you can as long as ever you can.
1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
The Church is the Church only when it exists for others- not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men
of every calling what it means to lives for Christ, to exist for others. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
4. A Family That Loves
Love is the hallmark of Christianity. Christianity without love is not Christianity The love we are to have is given the greatest measure - a love like Christ.
John 13:34-36 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Love is demonstrated in a thousand ways, but it can never be the missing element.
Charles Colson: “The life function of [the local church] is to love the God who created it – to care for others out of obedience to Christ, to heal those who hurt, to take away fear, to restore community, to belong to one another, to proclaim the Good News while living it out. The church is the invisible made visible.” -Charles Colson
5. A Family Together
1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy
people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord
and ours…
The Corinthian church had a lot of troubles.Here Paul begins his letter to them calling them to be holy people together with other Christians in the world.
Nicky Gumbel: "Stop looking for the perfect church. It does not exist. Even if it did exist, the moment you or I joined it, it would no longer be perfect."
Ephesians 2:22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
3 John 1:8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.
Conclusion
Luke ends this chapter with a word about the growth of Jesus he has traced from birth, to 12 years old, and ultimately into a man.
Luke 2:51-52 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
We are individually on a growing journey, and we are on that journey as a church.
As we forge ahead into 2021 let us grow, serve, love together. In doing this, we look to involve every member in using heads, hearts, and hands of every disciple at Forsythe church to glorify God.
What individual decisions and steps do we need to take to move us in that direction?
Jesus is the hope of the world and the local church is the vehicle of expressing that hope to the world. -Andy Stanley
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Resources
Swindoll, Charles. Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke. Zondervan, 2012.
Craddock, Fred. Luke: Interpretation Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press, 1990.
