The Missing Middle Schooler

The Missing Middle Schooler

Luke 2:41-49

Introduction: The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. We have all seen the Home Alone movies in which the family forgets their son and travels to Europe on vacation!

We often hear about Jesus seeking the lost! The lost coin, lost son, lost sheep!

1. Just like His parents lost Jesus we also have the potential to lose him!

2. Those who are closes to Christ are the ones that may lose him!

3. We should not all assume that everyone knows Christ.

With the exception of Luke’s account of Jesus being in the temple at the age of 12 we know nothing about the childhood of Jesus. We can expect that he grew up like most Jewish boys in his village of Nazareth and this is why they were unable to accept that he could be the Messiah. But when they found him they could at least take comfort in where he was and what he was doing. In this short passage of Scripture we see that Jesus has “got it!”

Every Christian parent prays that their children will have the day or moment in which they “get it!” For some it occurs when they are as young as 7 years old and for others it may take them a lifetime to “get it.”

It was the recognition of what he was and why he was here on this earth. His God ordained purpose for living. A TIME OF SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

For many parents they will watch their children chase after it in sports, cheerleading, degrees, relationships, another pageant, new toys, another career, another accomplishment, another drug or drink, pilgrimages to find themselves, by dropping out of life….and a 100 other ways

How did Jesus get it so early in life?

IN ADDITION TO HIS BEING DEVINE THERE ARE SOME GREAT CLUES IN THIS TEXT AS TO WHY JESUS WAS ABLE TO KNOW HIS LIFE’S PURPOSE AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE.

Jesus is one year away from accountability as Jewish boy!

I. A family that recognized the way of a child to copy--Family priorities--- His priorities were the same as his families. For his family worship and faith was a top priority. The family would go to the Passover each year. Women were not required to attend, but Mary still went! This shows the depth of the families devotion and piety.

Jesus would make this trip twenty one years later and he would be the lamb that was sacrificed on Passover!

--Going to church was fun and worshipping God was what they enjoyed doing.

---If your family tradition is going to the deer stand or the beach, bay, the football game, the Restaurant, the ball field –guess what will be your kids priority when they are able to choose. Guess what will be your grandkids priority! There are few exceptions.

Ill:----My family we open our presents on Christmas AM and my mom always made us wait until everybody was in the room. I do the same with my kids! Luke was coming into the room starting around 2:30.

Ill: 8 Coaches fired from the NFL for not having winning seasons! It all about the wins! They have one goal. ---Quarterbacks are fired….This is a game and yet people invest their time, money, and lives to watch grown me move a ball 100 yards up and down a field.

Ill: Kwame Afakula is a young man that grew up in Togo, West Africa next to Ghana. Kwame commented after finally visiting –Americans love their sports!

Not only did Jesus have the same priorities as Mary and Joseph and the rest of his extended family, but his family invited God into their Children’s lives.

---I believe that some parents do not want their children to have a relationship with Jesus because they are jealous!

--They want their kids to see them as the ultimate role model, provider and sustainer.

---They want their kids to worship them!

Ill: Joseph’s brothers were jealous of their father’s love for him, but Joseph was a good kid! He had character.

II.A family that recognized that the way of a child is to play and dream--Time to be a kid – HE IS STILL A KID!

He is described in verse 43 by the Greek noun pais, "boy, youth, child, a young person normally below the age of puberty."

At the age of 12 he is not concerned with the details of daily life. He probably assumed that they would find him when it was time to go. Maybe he told a cousin or someone where he was going and

no one paid attention.

Josiah was 8 years old!

Jesus healed a girl who was 12 years old!