Luke 2:41-52 "Losing Jesus"
My mom lost me once, or thought she had. I was three or four years old and went down the street to play in a neighbor’s sandbox without telling anyone where I was going. They had the best sandbox with all the cool toys—buckets, shovels, and trucks. I don’t know how long I was there—I’ve always been able to stay focused on whatever I’m doing for a really long time and tune out the entire world. My mom freaked out, organized a search party of neighbors who combed through the neighborhood calling my name. My tricycle was found at the edge of the road and there was an uncovered well in a vacant lot just a couple of houses down the street. It wasn’t the nicest of neighborhoods and I found out later in life that kids had gone missing before. They were understandably worried.
They searched for a long time and eventually found me, happy as could be, playing in the sandbox. I don’t remember exactly what she said before she yanked me up by my ear, told me I was in big trouble and was going to get a spanking from my father when I got home. I remember thinking it wasn’t fair and I hadn’t done anything wrong. Why’d they look all over for me when clearly I was here? Three-year-old logic.
Any of you know the Gospel of Luke well enough to see where I’m going with this? Ha.
Prayer: Father in heaven, as we open Your Word today, show us Jesus. Give us faith and challenge us to be faithful. In Jesus’ name. AMEN
Luke chapter 2 starting with verse 41 (we’ll actually finish chapter 2 today, very exciting.)
Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. Luke 2:41-42
It was required by God’s Law that every Jewish man traveled to Jerusalem for Passover. When it says they went “up to the festival” that means it was in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was always considered “up.” It’s where the Temple was, where worship happened—it didn’t necessarily mean “uphill” or “north.” Going to worship in Jerusalem was always going “up.”
There are at least 15 Psalms that are called “the Psalms of ascent”—songs they would sing on their way to Jerusalem and the Temple. Everyone knew these songs. They were like Christmas carols. The whole caravan of pilgrims would sing them while they made their way to the festival.
Women and children were allowed to go but they didn’t have to. This shows us how devoted Mary and Joseph were that the whole family went every year. Jesus was raised by faithful parents who took the spiritual development of their children seriously. When our kids are young, whether or not they are obedient to God’s commands falls heavily on our shoulders. Do we teach them God’s Word? Do we teach them to love it? Do we faithfully take them to church? Do we show them how important it is to worship with our church family? Even more important—do we let them know how much we love it? Our kids are probably going to have the same attitude toward these things that we do.
But you want to know what’s even more important than those things? More important than God’s commands and going to church?
We’re reading through Luke, which is all about the Son of God coming to earth for a specific reason. It’s called the “Gospel” of Luke but it’s really about the Gospel of Jesus.
The most important thing in the world is that we show our kids what the Gospel is. That we show them grace. Forgiveness. That we love them unconditionally. That we parent them without condemnation or shame or guilt. Too many parents have absurd double standards. Too many parents are harsh and quick to punish when their kids break a rule, or make a mistake, or make a mess, or do something they know was wrong—while at the same time, those same parents are quick to anger, foul-mouthed, unfaithful to their church, absent from their family, and sin up a storm in all kinds of ways (maybe they think their family doesn’t notice. They notice.) “Do what I say and not what I do” creates hypocritical monsters.
We have to model the kind of faithfulness and grace we want to see in our kids. We can’t force it. We can’t just demand it. If you want your kids and grandkids to live up to God’s standard, you have to teach them to love God’s standard. You have to show them that you love the standard. There’s no other way. Show your kids what doing the right thing looks like, and when you fail—and you will (a lot)—show your kids what it looks like to admit your mistakes. The same way we confess our sins to God and He’s faithful and just to forgive us—we have to confess our mistakes to our family and ask them to forgive us. And when your family sins against you, when they disappoint you, when they hurt you or disobey you—you have to show them what it looks like to forgive and restore the relationship.
We have to live in the Gospel. We receive God’s grace because of Jesus, then we have to show that grace to the people in our lives. Faith has to become faithfulness.
Mary and Joseph took the whole family to Passover every year. I’ll bet they went to synagogue on Saturday, too. I’ll bet Joseph knelt down and prayed three times a day, too. I’ll bet Jesus grew up kneeling with His dad and praying to His Father every day.
Verse 43:
After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. Luke 2:43-45
Maybe Elizabeth was traveling with Mary in the caravan and was like, “Seriously? You lost the Son of God?” Mary looks at Joseph, “I thought he was with you?” Joseph knows better than to say anything.
This looks like bad parenting from our perspective—who lets a twelve-year-old boy wander off by himself in the Middle East? It really wasn’t like that.
They would have been traveling with close friends and family in a big caravan. They would have checkpoints every day to account for everyone, that’s why it says they traveled for a day before they noticed Jesus was missing. Also, and this is a very important detail of the story, Jesus was twelve. He’s not really considered a “child” anymore. This is the age when he would stop going to school as a child and start apprenticing at work with His dad. Joseph was a builder, so this is when Jesus would learn His family’s trade. That’s a very important aspect of this story.
Verse 46:
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
They did not find their 12-year-old playing stickball or kick the rock or whatever the kids played back then. They found Him sitting in the Temple courts listening to old rabbis talk about theology. Asking insightful questions. And giving insightful answers when the teachers asked Him something. We shouldn’t think of this as Jesus teaching the teachers, that’s not what this is. This is a very respectful young man listening with great interest to some old men talk about God. And when the teachers asked the students questions, Jesus gave answers that showed He had deep understanding. Especially for a hick from Nazareth.
Keep in mind, these are the same kind of teachers that are going to be called a brood of vipers in the next chapter. These are the same kind of religious leaders who are going to be less than impressed with Jesus in a few years. But this is where Mary and Joseph find their boy—and they were pretty shocked.
Look at it from their perspective: They had walked toward Nazareth for a day, found out Jesus was missing, turned around and walked back to Jerusalem for a day, then found Him at the Temple on the third day. They would have been relieved and upset and confused. There’s also an obvious foreshadowing of the resurrection here—not just because it’s three dark days of being emotionally distraught about Jesus being gone, but also because of what He says when they find Him.
Verse 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.” Luke 2:48
Is there anyone who thinks she’s being unreasonable? My mom would have walked up to me, interrupted the rabbis, grabbed me by the ear, and let me have it. I don’t think that’s what Mary did. I think it’s more likely that as soon as Jesus saw them, He got up and quietly went to them. But Mary does scold the Son of God and tell Him she’s been worried sick.
These next words are the first recorded words of Jesus, and I think we usually misunderstand what He said.
Verse 49:
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Luke 2:49-50
Mary said they had been anxiously searching for Him. They were worried! Jesus is like, “why?” “Why were you anxiously searching for me?” You don’t need to worry about me, I’m always going to be doing what my Father tells me to do?” He’s comforting them, not talking back.
The typical translation of Jesus’ words “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” is very misleading. The Greek word for house is “oikos” and it isn’t used here. It literally says, “Did you not know that it is necessary that I am among the things of my Father?” “My Father’s business.” “You don’t need to worry about me Mom, I’m doing exactly what my Father wants me to do. I’m beginning my apprenticeship to do my Father’s work.” This is Jesus saying with complete clarity at age twelve that He knows who He is—He’s the Son of God. He’s here to do His Father’s business. Notice He says “My Father,” not “The Father.” He knows that God is His Father in a special way that isn’t true of anyone else.
But just in case we got the idea that Jesus was breaking the Commandment about not honoring and obeying His parents, Luke tells us clearly that He wasn’t…Verse 51:
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:51-52
Jesus perfectly honored and obeyed His parents, doesn’t mean He didn’t give them a heart attack or two along the way. Once again we’re told Mary “treasured these things in her heart.” I’m sure she did. I’m sure she pondered all these things and thought about them, but that’s not really what this is saying. Luke is telling us that Mary kept these things hidden. She didn’t tell anyone. Jesus didn’t grow up listening to His mom talk about how He was the Son of God. We don’t think she told Jesus any of these things—which makes His statement at the Temple all the more amazing. But Jesus doesn’t try to stay in Jerusalem, He has to be obedient and faithful to God by honoring His earthly parents. He goes back to Nazareth—notice it says He went “down” to Nazareth. Going away from Jerusalem was always “down.” We won’t hear about Joseph again. For the next eighteen years, Jesus will learn how to be a builder, go to synagogue on Saturday, go to Jerusalem for Passover and live the quiet life of a Nazarene. The boy Jesus grows into a man—grows in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and men.
The story’s going to really kick into gear next week.
That’s the end of chapter two, and the end of the childhood narrative of Jesus. Luke said he interviewed eyewitnesses and got all the details firsthand. We can be pretty sure he got most of these things from Mary—especially since he says that she hid these things in her heart. Who else would know that?
So far this story started in the Temple and returned to the Temple. It’s the story of God sending His Messiah to the earth as a baby. It’s the story of the Divine Son of God, eternally begotten, coming into His creation to save it. To save Israel, to save the Gentiles. We know all these things and the story hasn’t even really started yet. The Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John don’t even mention His birth or childhood.
If you look at where the story of Jesus goes, what He came to do—everything that had to happen, all the conversations and day by day faithfulness it took to get there. How it all had to line up just right: His birth, His childhood, His family relationships. It’s like someone had a plan for all of this.
You’re living a story, too. How do you want it to end? Where do you want it to go? What are the everyday faithful things that have to happen for you to get there?
This little story of the day Mary and Joseph went to Passover and lost Jesus had to be one of the scariest moments of their life. That’s why we need to understand what Jesus actually said to them. He didn’t say, “Geesh, Mom. Where else would I be? I’m the Son of God, remember? Of course I’d be at the Temple. Duh!”
What He actually said was, “You don’t have to worry about me. I will always be doing exactly what my Father wants me to be doing.”
Later He’ll say to the disciples, “My Father and your Father.” When He taught them to pray, He said to say “Our Father.” Jesus came to earth to make us all His brothers and sisters. Adopted children of His Father—so God would be His Father and our Father.
Maybe you need to hear this today: Sometimes life is scary. There’s always going to be trouble. There’s going to be days when we search and search and search but can’t seem to find Jesus. But even when it feels like He’s nowhere to be found, we need to remember that He’s always going to be doing the things of the Father—the Father’s business. And do you know what that is?
It’s the Gospel. He’s always doing the Gospel. He’s always doing for you what you can’t do for yourself. That’s the Father’s business. That’s what Jesus is always doing.
Remember this definition, this is what the Gospel is: The Gospel is everything God does for us through Jesus that we can’t do for ourselves. The Gospel is everything God does for us through Jesus that we can’t do for ourselves. Everything else is law. The law can’t save you. Only the Gospel can save you. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can save you. Put your faith in His faithfulness—only His faithfulness can get you where you need to be.
Why does this matter? Because you’re going to have days that you mess up. Days that you fail. Days that you say and do horrible things to the people you love—and to the people you don’t love. You’re going to say and do terrible things to yourself. And you’re going to feel like a failure, like life is meaningless. Like your life is meaningless. And it’s going to crush you.
Sometimes you’re going to fail to get your family to church. Fail to show them what it looks like to worship God and love people.
And sometimes it won’t be anything you do but things that happen to you—things you have no control over. Sometimes life is going to be so disappointing. People get sick. People die. People abandon you. Hurt you. Dreams are crushed. Things come to an end and we’re left twisting in the pain of our shattered hopes.
If all we know is “try harder,” “work harder,” “faith harder,” “be more faithful!”—search harder for Jesus. Man, I don’t know about you, but that’s exhausting. When I’m tired, all that sends me to an even darker place.
And then Jesus says, “Hey. You, down there in the dark. Looking everywhere for me except the one place I promised you could always find me. I’m right here, always doing my Father’s business. My Father and your Father.”
So, He finds you where you are, not where you should have been. He doesn’t condemn you for all the things you were doing that got you off track. He doesn’t rub your nose in it. The Bible says that we return to our sin like a dog returns to its vomit. Jesus doesn’t rub your nose in the mess you made, He says “turn away from all that puke and come over here—eat at the table with me.” That’s what “repent” means. Turn away from all your foolishness and turn toward God. Change your direction. Turn around. Change your mind. Be transformed. Hear the Word of the Lord and let Him change your heart. That’s not the part you do, that’s the part He does for you.
The Gospel is everything God does for you through Jesus that you can’t do for yourself.
Put everything in His hands and trust that He knows what He’s doing. Your sins and your worries and your sorrows—put them all in His hands. Your hopes and your dreams and your plans—trust Him with them. You’re forgiven because of Jesus, you have favor with God because of Jesus, and He promises that your life is going somewhere good. If at any point in your story you find yourself in a bad place—you know your story isn’t over. You’re not going to find anything good by anxiously searching in all the places Jesus won’t be. You know where He is. You know what He’s doing. He’s doing the Father’s business. The Gospel. He’s doing everything for you that you can’t do for yourself. Have faith in this and let your faith lead to faithfulness.