Our devotions this Lenten season have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church. Today’s devotion is by Dennis Hutchison. Also, if you would like to join our staff in praying the liturgy for Responsive Prayer/Suffrages just click here.
After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Luke 2:46
Can you imagine how the story of Mary and Joseph frantically looking for their lost 12-year old child might have played out in the context of the world we live in today? We would have seen television reports of concerned neighbors and citizens interviewed on the street, passing out flyers, combing vacant fields, and speculating the worst. However, this passage of Luke speaks less about the moment frantic parents find their child and more about a child who has found himself.
After a day’s journey back to Jerusalem and a second day spent looking for Jesus, Joseph and Mary finally find him at the temple, listening to and asking questions of the teachers. It is not clear where within the temple Jesus is found listening to the teachers and responding to questions, but Jesus’ discussion with officials present leaves those who listen amazed at his calm insightful answers that suggest wisdom beyond that of even the teachers present.
In this passage, Luke is describing a blessed child for whom respect is beginning to grow among adults. The 12-year old Jesus now speaks for himself for the first time; and in so doing, shows the sense of mission and self-awareness he possesses—the awareness that he has a unique relationship to God and a clear sense of his calling, one that transcends his relationship to his earthly parents.
Reading and reflecting on this passage reminds me of being in church when young confirmands stand before the church as their essays, read aloud to the congregation, reveal their relationship with God. Just as Jesus was finding his purpose in life, we are called to find our voice in following God’s will.
Let us pray: Lord, as we go through life, we know there are times we become lost. Help us to regain our sense of mission through your voice and wisdom so that we may live our lives in the way that brings you gladness and glory. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
March 21, 2012 at 8:15 pm |
Wise.
Teachers, or rabbis, were speaking the wisdom gained from the prophets and Jesus was listening. He did not disagree. He added His Father’s insightful wisdom through questions. A value added discussion.
Thanks, Randy