Our Situation:
I love stories of God working. Can you picture those times when you have seen, without a doubt, that God was at work? From time to time I have recorded the events in our lives that, when we look back, the only explanation is that God did it. I haven’t been very consistent in writing those down, but those stories are amazing.
It shouldn’t just be the big God moments that we recognize. God is at work all the time. I love Camp New Frontiers moto, “Live Intentional.” When we are intentional to let God live through us, the results should always amaze us. When it’s God Himself at work it will be amazing.
The Passage: Luke 2:40-52
- What was Jesus doing in the temple?
- What was the response of the religious leaders, and his parents when they found him?
- When his parents found him, what was his response to them?
- From what we have seen from John 1:1, 9, 14, 18 and Isaiah 7:14 what was the “Father’s business” for Jesus?
- How was Jesus carrying that out, even at age 12?
The Purpose:
As a parent, I can imagine a little of what Mary and Joseph were feeling. When our children were little, we visited Niagara Falls on a beautiful sunny day. One of our children wandered off without our notice. There were hundreds of people there viewing the falls, and our child was no where to be seen. Thankfully a couple minutes of frantic searching found him talking to a police officer. But, those couple minutes were very stressful to say the least. Mary and Joseph had 3 days of stress!
Where was Jesus? What was he doing? Can you imagine Mary and Joseph’s discussion. “I can’t believe we lost the Messiah! This child is the chosen one, what must God think of us?”
Matthew Henry said, “Mary and Joseph had spoken with an angel and seen the miracle of Jesus’ birth, yet still their understanding of Christ’s mission was limited.” What had they seen in raising him for the past 12 years?
When his parents found them, McGee describes the scene like this, “He was standing in the midst of the learned doctors of that day, both hearing them and asking them questions. Apparently He was asking them questions they could not answer. And they were astonished at His answers—remember, He was only twelve!”
A good indication that God is at work is amazement. Seeing something that only God could do! These religious leaders were clearly seeing something that only God could do. A 12 year old boy confounding the scholars!
While his parents understanding of Jesus’ mission was limited somehow, even at age 12, Jesus had a pretty good idea of what his mission was. He was God’s Words in the flesh. He was the light to shine on what was invisible. The light to make visible, bring to light, God Himself! “Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me to be in My Father’s house and [occupied] about My Father’s business? (AMP)
The Plan:
Ian Thomas asks the question, “What do you have that your neighbor doesn’t? What is going to compel Him to become a Christian by what He sees in you?” If our life is not any different than their’s except that we are religious, we are missing something. At the age of 12, God the Father, in the Son, acted miraculously. His wisdom and understanding confounded the scholars of the day! But, he was simply going about “his Father’s business.” Because God the Son was available for God the Father to work through Him, what He was able to do was amazing.
That is true of us as well. God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, lives in you! He wants to use your life to display what He is like so that when people look at you, the only explanation they have is, “God did that.”
That’s my prayer for you today.