JUST JESUS: CHAPTER BY CHAPTER THRU LUKE
California Penal Code Section 273a
LUKE 2:41-52
#JustJesus
INTRODUCTION… www.finder.com/child-in-car-laws
Apparently, Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke, or PVH, is a thing.
Between the years of 1998 and 2020, an average of 38 children a year die by being left alone in hot cars. The state with the most deaths per year is always Texas which since 1998 has seen 132 deaths due to PVH. Most deaths occur in July which has the highest average temperatures in any month across America. Believe it or not, a car can heat up 20 degrees in 10 minutes and in the time it takes to run into a pharmacy, a car can get to 115 degrees. The inside of a car can also reach as high as 133 degrees on a 90-degree day in one hour.
#1 Consider this a PSA and be careful and mindful of kids in cars
#2 Keep in mind Indiana has no PVH laws on the books but does have Good Samaritan laws in place if you feel the need to rescue a child in a hot car so you are not liable for any damages
#3 If there were laws on the books like these or like California Penal Code Section 273a when Jesus of Nazareth was a young man, Joseph and Mary might have been in some legal trouble for something that happened when Jesus was a boy.
TRANSITION
The passage of Scripture that we are going to look at today is the only passage in the Bible that describes Jesus’ growing up years. We do not have any stories about Jesus growing up other than this one. Nothing really on toddler Jesus or teenage Jesus or even 20-something Jesus, but just one story when He was 12.
Let’s read that passage this morning from Luke 2:41-52.
READ LUKE 2:41-52 (ESV)
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 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?” 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 and in favor with God and man.
TRIP TO J-TOWN (verses 41-46)
The passage opens with us getting a look at a little bit of the life of Joseph, Mary, and also Jesus. We find that verses 41-42 tell us that Jesus’ family had a tradition to go to Jerusalem each year for the Feast of Passover. Passover was and is a big deal in the life of a Jewish person.
What is Passover?
Passover is one of the feasts appointed by God in the Old Testament; specifically, in Exodus 12, that is a remembrance that when the Israelites were struggling to leave Egypt, that God spared them and was gracious. God sent plagues into Egypt, but spared the Israelites who had marked their doorposts with the blood sacrifices of lambs. The blood marked those who were saved.
READ EXODUS 12:27 (ESV)
“you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, for He passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.”
Later in Deuteronomy, God commands the people to remember Him and worship Him in the place where God sets His Name. That place is eventually Jerusalem.
READ DEUTERONOMY 16:6 (ESV)
“but at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make His Name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt.”
So, Joseph and Mary each year packed up Jesus and all their other various children and extended family and friends and headed to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. Joseph and Mary followed the commands of God like those that entered the Promised Land in Joshua 5 and Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30) and Josiah (2 Chronicles 35) and like the exiles when they returned home in Ezra 6. They made Passover a priority.
Passover is a big deal because it is a way that God asked His people to remember His power and plan and faithfulness. You see we can and should praise God for what He has done in the past because it indicates what He will also do in the future. Passover is significant because when the Israelites were in Egypt, a sacrifice was made of lambs and the blood marked those who believed in God and death passed over those houses. Salvation came to those who were marked by the blood. This might be the most significant event in the history of God’s people because this event is a huge theological neon sign that points right to Jesus Christ. John the Baptist refers to Passover when he sees Jesus and calls Jesus “the lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Those that were marked in Egypt were saved. Those that are marked by the blood of Christ are saved.
Those are the essentials of Passover and also the reason why Joseph, Mary, Jesus and others are on a road trip at the end of Luke 2. They are traveling to worship, follow godly traditions, connect with God, and act obediently according to what they know about God. It is a great reason for a trip.
In verse 43, the feast ends and it is time to pack up and go home to Nazareth which is 90 miles away which takes 4 days at a moderate pace. In a scene that probably looked a lot like the McCallister family in the original Home Alone movie (1990), they all pack up and in the chaos of packing and loading and getting everyone going, the family leaves Jesus behind.
Several thoughts and questions come to mind at this point in the passage:
* What was the conversation like between Joseph and Mary when they discovered they lost Jesus?
* Did Jesus often get lost or wander away or was this the first time?
* Do you just assume that an angel will be sent to lead Jesus home?
* Did his brothers and sisters know he was gone and did they want Him to finally get in trouble?
* Does one spank Jesus?
* How did Jesus feel when He was all by Himself?
We do not know the answers to any of these questions. None of them are important. Verses 44-45 tell us that after a day of traveling, Joseph and Mary figure out Jesus is not with them. They travel back to Jerusalem and so by this time Jesus has been by Himself two days in Jerusalem. The way I read verse 46 is that they spend the next three days looking for Jesus and found Him on day three. This means Jesus had been by Himself in Jerusalem for five days by the time they found Him on the fifth day.
TRANSITION
I can imagine that Joseph and Mary were frantic. They were searching for their oldest child and when such things happen, imaginations run wild. Fear, worry, guilt, blame, anxiety, stress, and so many other emotions would have been felt by those parents. I can imagine them talking to strangers and retracing their steps and thinking the worst of the worst.
They do find Jesus and they find Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem. What happens when Joseph and Mary find Jesus in the temple?
FINDING HIM IN THE TEMPLE (verses 46-52)
Joseph and Mary arrive at the temple and find Jesus sitting among the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. He is part of their discussion group. Jesus was sitting and learning and asking questions. We might be tempted to think that Jesus was teaching the Pharisees and everyone gathered, but that is not the picture we actually have.
Verse 46 tells us Jesus was “listening” which means He was “giving ear to teaching”
Verse 46 tells us Jesus was “asking” which means He was asking about what he heard
Verse 47 tells us that those who were there were impressed with Jesus. Asking good questions is a sign of intelligence and wisdom. Listening to answers and processing what you hear is also a sign of a quick and good mind. Everyone seemed quite impressed with Jesus. The word used in verse 47 means “to be beside yourself” in amazement. They were amazed by this Kid and His questions and answers and His participation in the discussion.
Joseph and Mary find Jesus and the word used in verse 48 also means “to be beside yourself” but in a different way. The word also means “to expel or blow out forcefully” or “to be struck with panic.” We have a comparison in these verses in that the Pharisees and others are beside themselves with amazement and Joseph and Mary are beside themselves with anger and panic.
In verse 48, I imagine Mary gives Jesus the mother-of-all-motherly-tones although we do not actually know Mary’s tone. She is relieved to find Him, but angry and distressed. Mary describes herself as “sorrowing” and “in intense pain and in torment to the point of anguish.” Those are strong emotions. Joseph doesn’t say anything. I don’t know if he was speechless or Mary was just verklempt to the point that he just chose silence… we don’t know.
I imagine a moment of silence in-between verses 48 and 49. The parents find their child and, in my imagination, there is an awkward silence. After the silence, what does Jesus NOT say?
* Jesus does not say, “Mom, you are embarrassing me in front of my new Pharisee friends.”
* Jesus does not say, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.”
* Jesus does not say, “Later I’ll spend three days in a tomb so five days in Jerusalem is no problem.”
* Jesus does not say, “Don’t worry, I have food you know nothing about.”
* Jesus does not say, “Woman, why are you crying?”
* Jesus does not say, “I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel so I was testing out being lost.”
* Jesus does not say, “Those who are found will be lost and those who are lost will be found.”
Jesus does NOT say any of those things. What does Jesus say?
Jesus asks two questions which seems to be Jesus’ normal way of speaking. He always seemed to ask questions when people talked to Him. Rarely did Jesus seem to give a straight answer to anyone He talked to. As a rabbi I am sure that was endearing and helpful and challenged the disciples, but as a kid I can imagine that was annoying. He had just been sitting in the temple with priests and religious teachers asking questions. In my opinion, Jesus’ questions are linked and form a statement as well.
READ LUKE 2:49 (ESV)
And He said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father's house?”
READ LUKE 2:49 (NKJV)
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
READ LUKE 2:49 (MSG)
He said, “Why were you looking for Me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of My Father?”
What is Jesus saying in verse 49? I don’t feel like Jesus was commenting that they should have just left Him alone and He eventually would have trekked back to Nazareth or that they did not need to be concerned about Him, but I do think He was saying that He did not feel like He was in danger. Perhaps Jesus felt that as a lad of twelve He could have a small adventure. Perhaps He had a thought like the one presented in Matthew 4:6: “He will command His angels concerning you and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” We do see from His two questions that He was not sad, mad, upset, worried, jaded, hysterical, or anything of the sort. He was hanging out in the temple having a good ‘ol time.
What is Jesus saying in verse 49? I think in a small way Jesus is correcting Mary with gentleness and respect. His mother has just said in verse 48, “Behold, Your father and I have been searching for You in great distress.” She said “Your father.” I do not claim to know any of the family dynamics or that she shouldn’t have said what she did, but both Joseph and Mary know without a doubt that Jesus is the Son of God, but much of it is still a mystery to them. Jesus was focused on His identity as the Christ and He never needed to forget Who He was… Joseph and Mary should never forget Who He was… for He will save His people from their sins.
* He is the One to whom Passover points
* He is the Promised Messiah
* He is the lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world
What is Jesus saying in verse 49? I also believe Jesus is stating that Joseph and Mary could have and should have guessed where Jesus was and what He would have been up to. It was obvious to Jesus that His parents should have known He was going to be making God the priority no matter what was going on. He is going to be about His Father’s business. Just as Joseph and Mary had made Passover a priority so too it was obvious to Jesus that His parents should have looked in one place because they knew Who He was and what were His priorities.
He used the word “must” in this verse which catches my eye and makes me think about others verses about Jesus and other things He said. “Must” is a strong word here and elsewhere when Jesus uses it:
* “I must be about My Father’s business”
* “I must preach” (Luke 4:43)
* “[I] the Son of Man must be lifted up (John 3:14, 12:34)
* He had to pass through Samaria (John 4:4)
* “[I] the Son of Man must suffer” (Luke 9:22)
* He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things (Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 24:7)
Jesus made God, His Father in Heaven, His first priority. His Heavenly Father’s work demanded His first attention even when He was a Kid.
TRANSITION
So what? So what about us? What does this passage have to do with us?
APPLICATION
Jesus’ words and His example are meant to sink down deep into the hearts of anyone who claims to be a believer in God. If we have Jesus as our Savior and Lord, God should in fact be our #1 priority as Jesus has already shown us by His own example. Our aim is to walk as Jesus walked in our daily lives and even as a Kid Jesus made God His priority. Our relationship with Him is the test of our daily habits and conversations and how we spend our time.
The application question for us is then: Are we about our Father’s business?
The application question for us is then: Are we walking in the steps of Jesus Christ?
The fact that Jesus said "My Father's business" indicates to me that there is a business that can be done or concerns that may face us that is NOT our Father's business. Each day we live is filled with possibilities of following God or not following God. We can be about God’s business as we live or we can be about something else. There is a lot in the mix that we face each day that are good, bad, ugly, distracting, advantageous, worthless, and everything in between.
Jesus says this same truth elsewhere in John 8:
READ JOHN 8:43-44 (ESV)
Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Jesus describes that for us there are two ways of living. We can follow God and His way of life and be about His business or we can follow the Devil and His way that doesn’t lead to life and be about his business or our own self-centered business. That’s it. There are only two ways and there is nothing in the middle.
The Apostle John says something similar in 1 John 3:
READ 1 JOHN 3:10 (ESV)
By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
In other words, those who are practicing righteousness are about God's business, but those who do not practice righteousness are about the devil's business. The Apostle John says the same thing that Jesus says and Jesus says the same thing that He Himself lived out.
The application question for us is then: Are we about our Father’s business?
The application question for us is then: Are we walking in the steps of Jesus Christ?
By way of applying this, I couldn’t help but think about something I said a few weeks ago about time. In examining ourselves about our Father’s business, it occurs to me to think and examine how much time we spend with Him or doing His business. One way we can be sure we are about our Father’s business is to prayerfully manage our time well and give a chunk of it to God and make Him the guiding priority of our lives. Time is key. It is not the only key, but it is a key. Time. Time. Time.
It is essential that we ourselves do not forget God in our daily lives and we spend time with Him and be about our Father’s business. We need to always keep God at the forefront of our minds and hearts and efforts and our motivations.
* Spend time in the Bible knowing what is God’s business.
* Spend time and energy worshipping God is part of His business.
* Spending time in Church serving is His part of His business.
* Spending time with our kids and grandkids in spiritual conversations is God’s business.
* Spending time praying is God’s business.
* Being watchful at work or in social situations to talk about Jesus is God’s business.
* Helping the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, and ministering to the mentally ill are all God’s business.
CONCLUSION (johndrogerslaw.com/practice-areas/domestic-violence/p-c-273-child-endangerment)
At the beginning of our time together, we talked about Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke because the passage we read today made me think about child neglect and I heard a public announcement in Walmart recently that was about PVH. The title of the sermon is ‘California Penal Code Section 273a’ which is also all about child neglect. California Penal Code 273a is about ordinary negligence in which “he or she acts is so different from the way an ordinary careful person would act in the same situation that his or her act amounts to disregard for human life or indifference to the consequences of that act.”
As I thought more about it, Luke 2 describes an honest mistake and two parents doing their best to find their child so 273a would not apply. The law still caught my eye because of the words “ordinary careful person” and the word “indifference.”
CHALLENGE
So, as I conclude this morning, I would ask you to think about your involvement in our Father’s business and ask if you are an “ordinary careful person” committed to Him and keeping Him as the priority as Jesus has shown us or if there is much “indifference.”
* If you are about our Father’s business, praise God!
* If you are indifferent to our Father’s business, step up!
PRAYER
INVITATION
