The apostle Paul once declared, “When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16, NIV). For Paul, the most important thing in life, second only to worshipping Christ, was preaching the gospel. He stated that he was “compelled” to preach, meaning that he was driven by an irresistible influence on his life.(1) In Romans chapter 10, he gave his reason for preaching as this:
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things” (Romans 10:14-15, NKJV).
Paul actually felt compelled to do the very thing that Jesus was led to do Himself, which is to be involved in the Father’s business of preaching and teaching “glad tidings of good things” (Romans 10:15), or rather, sharing the “good news” of the gospel. He did not make the matter complicated either, by adding feel-good messages or elaborate church programs. He testified,
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).
Paul shared only the simple message of Jesus Christ (his life and miracles), and Him crucified (His death and atonement on the cross, and His resurrection). In our message today, we will see how Jesus personally demonstrated the primary task that is expected of all believers, which is share the clear, unembellished message of the salvation found in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Joseph and Mary Upheld the Customs (vv. 41-44)
41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 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; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
In the book of Luke we find the only account within the Bible depicting Jesus during His childhood; specifically at the age of twelve. We read here that His parents went to the Passover feast held in Jerusalem, taking Jesus along; and when they departed there, Jesus decided that He was not going with them (vv. 41-43). His parents went an entire day’s journey before they even realized that He was missing (v. 44); and if we look ahead to verse 46, we see that it was actually three days before they finally located Him in the temple.
Luke testified, “His parents went to Jerusalem every year” (v. 41) and “they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast” (v. 42). These statements hint of custom and tradition. A. T. Robertson says that all Jewish males were once expected to attend every celebration, such as Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles; however, this tradition changed after the Dispersion. Robertson elaborates, “But pious Palestinian Jews made a point of going at least to the Passover. Mary went with Joseph as a pious habit, though not required by law to go.”(2)
Luke said, “When they had finished . . . they returned” (v. 43). They followed the same routine each and every year. They went and they left. There was no “dilly dallying” around; no time for play, no time for chit chat, and no time to stick around for the Father’s business. How many churches operate like this; establishing and maintaining certain programs primarily for traditions’ sake, and allowing no room for flexibility to meet a need outside the parameters of the program? Jesus understood that the Father’s business entails more than ritual; more than routine; and so much more than tradition.
Next, Luke said, “And Joseph and His mother . . . supposing Him to have been in the company” (vv. 43-44). His parents thought He would follow the exact same program as they did, joining the yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and sticking with their own particular group of travelers. Their annual trek, however, was not really about obedience, but rather upholding a “pious habit,” as Robertson earlier stated; and following the ways of their own family unit.
They sought Jesus where? “Among their relatives and acquaintances” (v. 44). Joseph and Mary stuck with their own family and friends, and the expectation was that Jesus should have done the same. How many times do we fail to be involved in the Father’s business, because our priority is to stick with our own group, and maintain our group’s traditions? If we’re not careful, we can become inward focused and fail to look beyond the church walls to where the lost are actually located.
Jesus Focused on the Father’s Business (vv. 45-49)
45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 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. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?”
Mary and Joseph finally realized their son was missing, and they returned to Jerusalem searching for Him. When they found Jesus, He was sitting inside the temple, presenting questions to the teachers of the law. His mother asked Him, “Why have You done this to us?” (v. 48), and Jesus replied, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (v. 49). According to commentator Albert Barnes,
Jesus reminded them here that He came down from heaven; that He had a higher Father than an earthly parent; and that, even in early life, it was proper that He should be engaged in the work for which He came. He did not enter, indeed, upon His public work for eighteen years after this; yet still the work of God was His work, and always, even in childhood, it was proper for Him to be engaged in the great business for which He came down from heaven.(3)
His purpose was to be involved in the Father’s business, doing the Father’s work. In John 5:17, Jesus declared, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working,” and in John 9:4, He stated, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” If Jesus was supposed to be involved in the Father’s business, then the question remains, “What is the Father’s business?” This question is best answered by looking closer at what Jesus was doing inside the temple.
So, in what part of the temple was Jesus sitting? In order to answer this question, we must gain an understanding of where the temple leaders would sit. “The grand Sanhedrim sat in the sanctuary, in the room Gazith . . . in the gate of the court of the Israelites.”(4) The lesser Sanhedrim, which consisted of twenty-three persons, and the bench of three . . . [sat] in the gate of the mountain of the house, or court of the Gentiles.”(5) Commentator John Gill states, “It seems most likely, that He was in the room Gazith, where the grand Sanhedrim sat.”(6)
So, who all sat in the grand Sanhedrim? The principal leaders at this time “were Hillell and Shammai, the one the president, and the other vice president of the council; and Rabban Simeon, the son of Hillell, who succeeded him in his office.”(7) The Sanhedrim sat in a semicircular forum so they could see one another. There were “three rows of the disciples of the wise men, or scholars; and in each row there were [twenty-three] men . . . and in every row they sat according to their superiority in wisdom.”(8) Commentator John Gill says,
In one of these rows, I think, Christ sat among the scholars . . . Upon the questions He put, and the answers He made, He was taken particular notice of by the [leaders], who might call Him up, and place Him between them; for this, in some cases, was done to scholars.(9)
So, Jesus sat in a learning and teaching format with the greatest religious minds of His day; and this, He said, was His Father’s business. He sat among then listening intently, and making inquiry; however, He did more than just listen and question. Luke stated, “All who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers” (v. 47). He also provided the leaders with “answers.” This means that He not only listened and inquired, but He also spoke and taught. Therefore, the Father’s business involves teaching and preaching. For the Christian, this equates to sharing the gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Matthew portrayed Jesus’ business as this, in Matthew 4:23: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus declared of His own mission and purpose, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
In the Great Commission, Jesus stated the business of all believers as this: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a).
So, how can we become competent at the Father’s business? What is the most effective way to share the gospel? It has been said, “A good teacher like John the Baptist, clears the way, declares the way, and then gets out of the way.”(10) Actually, there is much to be learned from viewing Jesus. Roy B. Zuck says, “Read through the gospels, and you quickly conclude that Jesus was a dynamic, remarkably effective teacher. Never boring, always stimulating. Never obtuse, always clear. Never pompous or distant, always personal and lovingly concerned.”(11)
In looking at Jesus, we see that He listened, asked questions (v. 46), and answered them (v. 47). This is an ideal model for sharing the gospel. We need to first of all be willing to listen to a person’s heart, showing our genuine care and concern. Secondly, we should ask questions to invoke contemplation and introspection, leading one to consider the error of their ways. And thirdly, we should teach the person what the Bible has to say about Christ and repentance.
Time of Reflection
So, I want to ask you a few questions in closing: “Are you going to allow yourself to become distracted by customs and traditions – which can include time consuming church programs, and often aimless busy work – thereby, being only slightly effective for the kingdom?” “Or will you be certain to become totally focused on the Father’s business of sharing the simple, yet effective, gospel message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9); thereby, allowing the gospel to become ‘the [dunamis] power of God to salvation for everyone who believes’ (Romans 1:16)?”
I also want to ask another question. Are you here this morning having never heard the gospel? Paul once stated, “I declare to you the gospel which I preached . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3). What Jesus taught, and what Paul was compelled to preach is that Jesus died for our sins, He took our sins to the grave with Him, and He rose up from the grave revealing His power over sin and death. Paul said, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
NOTES
(1) “Compelled,” Dictionary.com: dictionary.reference.com/browse/compelled (Accessed August 29, 2011).
(2) A. T. Robertson, Robertson N. T. Word Pictures, Power Bible CD.
(3) Albert Barnes, “Luke,” Albert Barnes’ New Testament Commentary, on Power Bible CD.
(4) “John,” John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, Bible Study Tools: www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/luke-2-46.html (Accessed August 29, 2011).
(5) Ibid.
(6) Ibid.
(7) Ibid.
(8) Ibid.
(9) Ibid.
(10) Derek Prime and Alistair Begg, On Being a Pastor (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2004), p. 136.
(11) Roy B. Zuck, Teaching as Jesus Taught (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1995), p. 10.
