FIRST WORDS – PART 2
And he said unto them,
How is it that ye sought me?
wist ye not that I must be about
my Father's business?
Luke 2:49
In “First Words – Part 1,” we looked
at the background to Jesus’s first words as the incarnate Son of God. Now we
will examine what He said, its significance in that context, and what
application it may have in our own lives. Let’s refresh our memories with the
words His mother spoke to Him after looking frantically for Him and finding Him
among the teachers:
Luke
2:48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him,
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought
thee sorrowing.
Susie: At
first glance, we may think Jesus was being disrespectful, but I think it was a
genuine surprise that they would not realize where He was. What do you think,
Susan?
Susan: I’m
certain Mary and Joseph would have told Jesus from an early age about His
miraculous birth, the angelic announcements, the shepherds, the wise men, etc.
It may have been an often- requested bed-time story.
Susie:
Assuming they had shared the truth about His conception with Him as He came to
the age of bar mitzvah, He would have been sincerely confused that His earthly
parents would not think to look for Him at the Temple.
Susan: If
indeed His bar mitzvah occurred during this trip to Jerusalem as some commentators
speculate, studying with the most learned rabbis would be the first logical
step of His entry to manhood.
Susie: Jesus described
it as “being about my Father’s business.” What did He mean by that?
Susan: Unlike
the Blues Brothers, Jesus truly was “on a mission from God.” His mission was to
preach, teach, heal, and make disciples on the way to His ultimate purpose. Jesus
was sent to be the perfect Lamb of God, the sacrifice for the sin of all those
who would trust in Him, the One sent from God.
Susie: Even
as a 12-year-old child, Jesus knew He was the anointed One, the long-awaited
Messiah. Learning and demonstrating His wisdom in the Temple was a foreshadowing
of His earthly ministry.
Susan: He
astounded the rabbis with His intellect and deep understanding of the
scriptures.
Susie: The Bible
does not tell us Mary’s reply to Him. The narrative simply continues with:
Luke
2:50-52 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he
went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his
mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man.
Susan: Mary
and Joseph were present for Jesus’ miraculous birth. Mary knew the truth of His
conception without an earthly father. Therefore, I am a little bit baffled at
their confusion. Do you understand it?
Susie: Not
really. It seems it would be difficult to forget all those events even if Jesus
seemed to be an ordinary child in their home. The interesting thing to me is
that even though Jesus was aware of His mission to some degree, He returned
with Mary and Joseph and submitted to their authority as His parents. HUMILITY!
Susan: Jesus
controlled the exercise of His authority as God during the years He lived with
Mary and Joseph. He made the choice that submission was the appropriate response
in this situation.
Susie: The
Son of God, the Creator, honored His father and mother according to the
commandments His Father God had given to Moses. The one who formed Mary and Joseph
obeyed them. WOW!
WAYS
THIS MIGHT APPLY TO OUR LIVES:
· Like
Jesus, we should be about God’s business by leading others to Jesus and
discipling them
· Jesus
consistently demonstrated humility, and we are to be like Him
· When
we are children, we must obey our parents
No comments:
Post a Comment