When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents went to Jerusalem as they did every year at the feast of the Passover. When the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their relatives and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
The story is narrated by Luke's gospel chapter 2. This is the only canonical story of Jesus’ boyhood, accepted by early fathers to be part of Holy Scripture. Apocryphal works tell other stories that seem fanciful and out of character, such as Jesus striking down children and raising them up again. The forefathers did not choose those stories as genuine and excluded from the divine scriptures.
At certain times in life, we may find ourselves away from God and try frantically searching for Jesus. And one more thing to notice: Jesus was not lost! Jesus was with his heavenly Father. “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). That means Jesus was identifying himself as the Son of God even though He is also the son of Mary. If she had know that, she would know where Jesus would be. To Mary, Jesus is the son of Mary. But Jesus is also the Son of God. His home is where the Father is. We may find ourselves missing God’s presence in our lives and searching for him in the wrong places. We use our knowledge to search for Him where it is most convenient of most fitting. Just like the wise men searched for him in the palace, only to be surprised to find him in a carpenter’s home. Mary and Joseph were searching for Jesus in the wrong place.
Mary and Joseph were traveling away from the Temple while Jesus never left the Temple. They were traveling away from God. Jesus was staying where He was supposed to be. When we may find ourselves separated from God, remember that God has not moved. He is the same unchanging God yesterday, today and tomorrow. If we change our direction and decide to go back, God is waiting for us.
It was only when they had travelled a whole day’s journey and pitched their tents that they had realized they had lost Jesus. Just before we write them off as being bad parents by not watching their kids – we need to understand they were travelling in a large group. A group of men would travel faster and go to a camping place to make tents and prepare for the night. By evening time, the other men and women along with children will catch up. I guess Mary thought Jesus was with Joseph and Joseph thought Jesus was with Mary. So it wasn’t until evening they found that they had lost Jesus. “After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:46,47).
We cannot take our faith for granted. Eternal vigilance is the price for faith. I guess it is part of Christian living that the longer we are Christians the greater the danger we can lose God’s presence. We take our faith for granted. Some might rely on our parents or grandparents faith. “My parents are Christians, and that is good for me.” This passage teaches us that being close to God is a personal relationship. Your parents or grandparents or husband or wife cannot take care of your faith in Jesus, or eternity for you.
We can even get caught up in doing God’s work and still drift away. The Bishop of Oxford, John Pritchard wrote in an issue of Christianity (Dec 2012) in his article named “God Lost and Found”: if you could see through the bubbles above many heads who are worshipping here, you would find rather less faith than the Pastor would like to think.” John Pritchard goes on to say: “The reality is that most of us at some stage of our Christian journey enter a grey period when the vivid awareness of God that we used to delight in has disappeared.” What was once bright and shiny is now tarnished and dull. Many keep a mask on because it would be just too embarrassing to stay home or go jogging on Sunday morning, but deep down many are going through the motions.
The famous Dutch born Catholic priest and Christian philosopher Henri Nouwen – author of the book “The Wounded Healer” who died in 1996 said this about his own spiritual journey: “After sixty-three years of life and thirty eight years of priesthood, my prayer seems as dead as a rock. The words “darkness” and “dryness” seem best to describe my prayer today”. We can be involved in Church – but then we can miss out on where Jesus is. Amid wars, destructive natural disasters and terrorist atrocities committed in the name of religion, it is not surprising that many have stopped believing in God, lost their faith and go through the physical motions like church-going but with no belief.
As I was preparing this sermon, I was reminded of what God said to the Church in Ephesus in the book of Revelation in Chapter 2. verses 1-7. This is what Apostle records as he heard God speaking: “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
The writer of the book of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 2:1 that we must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. The Church in Ephesus didn’t go out of its way to walk away from Jesus. They got caught up in other things. Check our lives constantly to see if we are moving away from God or towards God on a daily basis.
We can all lose Jesus at some time in our Christian life - if we don’t watch out carefully. The challenge in our Christian journey is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus day by day. Today we have doctrines of all kinds, preached in the name of Jesus. You can pick any doctrine that fits your agenda. You can join your choice of church that fits your life style or social status. There is a constant struggle with priorities in life. There is a tension between the Son of God and the son of Mary. Jesus is God and came as a human being, but to bear the witness of the Father in Heaven.
Ministry must be based on love toward God and toward our brothers and sisters. When Jesus was reconfirming Peter in the ministry after He rose from the grave, he did not ask him about why he denied him or ran away at the trial and crucifixion. He asked, "Peter, do you love me?" then told him to feed the sheep. A love toward God that translates into the love toward others.
It is not too late to go back to where you left Jesus and start over because God does not change. He is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. I want us to take away for the new year is to understand the priority as a Christian. You may need to retrace your steps and find him again – find him where you left him. His priority was to do the will of His father. It is never too late. Consider Our Opportunity - Jesus used the opportunity at the temple. “They found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:46,47). Just like the Revelation given to the Church at Ephesus, we need to stay close to Jesus both in time and in priority.
God hasn’t moved! He’s waiting for you to come back. It is not Jesus but we are the ones who needed to turn around. Mary and Joseph needed to redirect their journey toward Jerusalem, not away. They were the ones who needed to search for Jesus—not because he was lost, but because they were lost without him. Search for Jesus by turning your life around and you will find God. All of us would be lost without Jesus. It is a journey towards God.
The Story is also about growing up. Though the story is about the growing up of Jesus, it is also a story of Mary and Joseph growing up. It is about you and me growing up. Growing up is not about how old we are. It is really about moving into deeper and more authentic relationship with God, our world, each other, and ourselves. Maybe you’re still looking for the Jesus of your childhood and pray to Jesus as an as a baby God wants us to grow up as adults who can relate to the relationship with God. We may know Jesus as a child or a prophet or a saint or a good man. But that is not enough. The knowledge that He is the Savior and Lord. Peter says, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that you will not be carried away by the lawlessness of the world." (2 Peter 3:18).
Growing up spiritually involves leaving our comfort zone, letting go of what is safe and familiar, and moving to a bigger place, to the Father’s place. This letting go is a necessary detachment if we are to grow in the love and likeness of Christ. It means we must leave our own little homes. We all live in many different homes—homes of fear, anger, and prejudice, homes of grief and sorrow, homes in which we have been told or convinced that we don’t matter or we are not enough, unacceptable, or unlovable. Some may be shut in at homes in which they have been hurt or continue to be hurt or wounded. Homes in which we have hurt or wounded another. Homes of indifference and apathy. Homes of sin and guilt. Homes of gossip, envy, pride and list can go on.
Every one of us could name the different homes in which we live, homes that keep our life small, our visions narrow, and our world empty. The problem is that sometimes we have become too comfortable in these homes. They are not our true homes. They are not the home God offers us. We may have to pass through them but we do not have to stay there. Jesus says that there is not only another home for us but He invites, guides, and makes us grow up to that home. It is a place He knows well. It is the Father’s home in which we can know ourselves and each other to be His beloved children, created in His image and called to be like Him. So why would we continue to pay rent on a place that can only impoverish us when we could move to the Father’s home for free? In the Father’s home our place is at the banquet table. It is a home in which we live in rooms of mercy, forgiveness, joy, love, beauty, generosity and compassion.
A missionary went to Japan where he was looking for a particular church he was scheduled to speak. He followed the instructions on the hotel booklet and got a train to the nearest station, but as he left the station he realized that he didn't have a clue where to go next. He wandered around a bit and eventually found a map on a corner of the street. However, when he looked at the map he realized it was in all in Japanese. The map was covered with letters, but not a single word that he could understand. A mild anxiety started to rise: He said, "I am lost in Japan!" But as he scanned the map, amidst all the strange streets, one little symbol suddenly jumped out at him. It was a tiny cross in a corner of the map. "As soon as I saw it I knew that that was where I needed to head for", he wrote. Go to that cross, we will find God who will give meaning and purpose for life.
The story of searching for Jesus is an invitation to consider where your are in your journey. Maybe you are just starting out. Maybe you haven’t even started. Maybe you’ve been journeying with Jesus for years. If your relationship with God has grown stale, the good news is that Jesus is right where he is supposed to be, just waiting for you to find him.
Blessings
Mathew Philip
