Eric Hamilton
In the Gospel of Luke, we are given our single story of Jesus in adolescence. On the surface, it may seem like a simple anecdote, something interesting that happened one time when Jesus was young. But the more you dig into it, the deeper its meaning and purpose is made known.
It is found in Luke 2:41-52, and the general gist is this: When Jesus was twelve years old, he along with his mother and father traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover. At the end of the feast, Mary and Joseph are on their way back to Nazareth when they realize that Jesus is not with them. They return to Jerusalem and search three days for Jesus until they find him sitting and talking among teachers in the temple.
One of the first questions a modern reader may have is, how could Mary and Joseph lose Jesus? They traveled an entire day and it wasn’t until evening when they suddenly noticed that Jesus was gone. This is answered when you read verse 44 and consider the nature of travel in the first century. It says, “supposing him [Jesus] to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances.”
Back in that day, most everyone traveled by foot, and to travel alone was dangerous. So people tended to travel in large groups or caravans. It was also the Passover, and a considerable amount of their family and friends from Nazareth were traveling with them. Certainly back then, the same as today, children desire to spend time with children, and adults are grateful when someone else is looking after the kids. Mary and Joseph presumed Jesus was with the other children in the caravan and was being watched by someone they trust. It was like that beginning scene in Home Alone where everyone assumes someone else to have accounted for Kevin.
Mary and Joseph didn’t know where Jesus was, but they were sure someone else was taking care of it. It wasn’t until they had traveled an entire day and they began looking for Jesus that the fear and anxiety start to take hold. Up until then, they were traveling farther and farther away from Jesus, but they weren’t concerned. They thought someone else was keeping track of Jesus.
This is often how many people treat Jesus today. They gather around themselves people that they believe they can trust, who seem to have an interest in knowing where Jesus is. And then they coast for a while. They don’t concern themselves with where Jesus is. Someone else in the church is keeping an eye on him, the pastor, the elders, brother so-and-so. Someone certainly knows where Jesus is, and as long as you’re with them, then you think you will be okay. But after a while it may become evident that no one actually knows where Jesus is. People are following their own doctrines, the church is going down its own path, and no one seems to know or care where Jesus is.
So, Mary and Joseph return to Jerusalem and spend three days looking for Jesus. Have you considered how long three days must be to search for a missing child? Those are long and arduous days, fraught with anxiety and fear. Retracing every step, going to every nook and cranny, checking and rechecking and re-rechecking every spot you can think of. This isn’t a half-hearted attempt to find Jesus, this is desperation. But he is not easily found, or so it would seem.
They finally find him in the temple of all places, and Jesus is talking with the teachers there. Mary chastises Jesus saying, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress” (2:48). That certainly seems like an understatement coming from a concerned mother.
Jesus’ response does not sound like what a lost twelve-year-old would say. In verse 49 he says, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Jesus’ response is an odd one, and in the next verse it says that Joseph and Mary did not understand it. Jesus is saying that they didn’t need to search for him, there was only one place he could have been. Jesus asks, “Did you not know that I MUST be in my Father’s house?”
The answer to where Jesus is, is that Jesus is where he should be, and where he always has been. When we lose sight of Jesus, it’s not because he tricked us, or he went hiding somewhere obscure. He’s right where he’s supposed to be.
It reminds me of the story in the Old Testament when King Josiah is refurnishing the temple, and the priests come to him saying, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 34:15). How long had it been hiding there in plain sight? It was where it was supposed to be.
How many people have a Bible right in front of them or easily accessible, and they still wonder what God might want from them?
Jesus is not hard to find. He’s sitting in plain sight. You can pick up a Bible (or click on an app) and start reading. You can discover him today. Do not trust in other people to take care of Jesus for you. Find him for yourself. He is not hidden. He is where he’s supposed to be. Where should you be?
