Luke 2:42-43 (NLT) When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.
The Bible is purposefully silent on the childhood of Jesus. We only have a fairly detailed record of His birth and this one scene when Jesus was 12 years old. It is important to note that a young jewish male celebrates his Bar Mitzvah at 13, thus becoming a “Son of the Law”. This means that they become personally responsible for their own behavior in regard to God’s Law.
It’s possible to find some humor in the notion of Joseph “losing” Jesus. It’s a silly idea, but you have to wonder if Joseph felt any additional pressure in this situation. After all, he was charged by the angel Gabriel with the care of God’s only Son.
Have you ever felt as though you left God somewhere? Maybe you were just living your life and then one day you look around and wonder “Where is God”. Here is a way back…
Enjoy God’s Favor
Luke 2:40 NLT There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom and God’s Favor was on Him.
Jesus was Joseph’s son and therefore a carpenter, but He was also God’s Son. As Joseph’s son He learned a trade. He worked very hard and grew strong. As God’s Son heaven’s eye was always upon Him. His heart was always pulled heavenward, and God’s attention was always concerned with Him.
Do you think the Father always knew what Jesus was doing? What He wanted? What he was thinking? It is clear that the Father was intimately involved in the life of the Son. The good news is that the relationship between Jesus and His Father displays the full intent of God’s heart toward you. You have an earthly father and a Heavenly father. Your heart is pulled heavenward at all times. And most importantly, just like Jesus is God’s favorite, so are you.
Embrace God’s Family
Luke 2:46-47 (NLT) Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
Luke 2:49 (NLT) “Didn’t you know I must be in my Father’s house?”
Jesus had a deep love for God’s Word. Here we find Him among the heavyweights of Hebrew Theology. He is listening to the greatest minds of the time period discuss and debate Scripture. It seems He asked some impressive questions, and he also gave some very understanding answers. I believe however there was a distinct difference between Jesus and the Experts and it has everything to do with His understanding of God as His Father.
Jesus was the very first Jew to understand God in such a way. Because the Jewish experts had no such understanding of God, their discussions were likely theological and intellectual in nature. Jesus was different because His primary concern with Scripture was relational in that He simply desired to better understand His Father.
It is so important that we also embrace God as our Father. When we do, we soon come to understand that God’s Kingdom is OUR Family.
Trust God’s Goodness
Luke 2:50 (NLT) But they didn’t understand…
Luke 2:51 (NLT) his mother stored all these things in her heart)
There are many mysteries in Life. And we have a choice, we can pretend they make sense or we can embrace the Bible’s revelation of God’s Goodness. If God is Good, then He can be trusted regardless of the difficulties presented. If you will accept that simple idea then you will easily be capable of understanding that God is on your side! If you could believe that God is FOR You, and not against you, it could revolutionize your Faith!
Psalms 20:4-5 (NLT) May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. 5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the Lord answer all your prayers.
Discussion:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? What jumped out at you?
- What do you think Jesus was like as a child?
- Do you think God LIKES you? Why or Why Not?
- Is it EASY are HARD to embrace God as your Father? Explain.
- If God’s Kingdom is like a Family, how could a church be like a family?
- What could you and your family do to better support God’s Family?
- If God is Good, why do bad things happen?
- Read Romans 8:28. Discuss how God might use the bad things that happen.
- Read Psalms 20:4-5. Share any important ideas you get from this passage.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
http://bible.com/events/145069