Luke 2:41-52

Recently, I was watching the television game show “The Family Feud.” In this particular episode, contestants were asked: “Name a place where you can count on to find your spouse?” The implication is that we all have places where others can ordinarily find us outside of our respective workplaces. For instance, some of us can be found hanging out at a friend’s house, while others of us can be typically spotted working up a sweat at the fitness center. And the list goes on and on. But, in order to find our spouse, we must know his or her passions and tendencies. Is it any different for finding Jesus?

During the Feast of Passover, Luke comments in verse 41 that Joseph and Mary could always be found in Jerusalem. The Passover Feast was one of the major events during the Jewish calendar year. And being twelve years old, this particular feast was special for Jesus because it marked his preparation for adulthood. On this occasion, Jesus decided to stay behind and not return to Nazareth in preparation for His future ministry. The central problem was that Jesus did not overtly communicate His intentions. After traveling some distance, Mary and Joseph finally notice that Jesus is absent from their company.

As a young child, I remember being lost while shopping with my parents at K-Mart. I decided to stray for just a moment to look at toys. Before I knew it, my parents were nowhere in sight. All-purpose stores like K-Mart are extremely spacious and to a small boy the aisles seemed endless. Eventually I was sighted by a friendly, compassionate lady who brought me to the customer service area, where my parents claimed me. When I looked into their eyes, they appeared visibly distressed. I wonder if this is how Mary and Joseph felt having lost Jesus.

Quickly returning to Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph searched frantically for a period of three days only to find their twelve-year-old Jesus sitting in the temple courts soaking in and responding to everything that the great rabbis brought before Him regarding the Scriptures. Luke tells us that when they located Jesus at long last, Mary acted like any ordinary, aggravated parent and asked him: “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Notice, Jesus responded rather nonchalantly: “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

As you recall, the angel Gabriel directly told Mary that Jesus would be called “Son of the Most High” and be the saving Messiah. However, in verse 50, Mary and Joseph failed to make this connection with Jesus’ actions. They didn’t comprehend that Jesus’ primary interests and tendencies centered on fulfilling His Heavenly Father’s mission. To find Jesus, we must similarly know His passions and tendencies. Specifically, in this example, Jesus required a thorough understanding of God’s word so that He could teach the world about His loving Father. Jesus’ earthly parents could have found Jesus sooner if they knew the longings of His heart.

In our respective Christian journeys, there are moments when we may have difficulty finding Jesus. Followers of Christ are not privy to so-called spiritual GPS navigation systems that identify the quickest route to Jesus. However, this story imparts a fruitful lesson in that we can find Jesus when we know His passions and tendencies. Frankly, our dilemma is that our passions and tendencies commonly diverge from Jesus’. As a result, we may feel that we do not experience Him or feel close to Him.

Jesus was found in His Father’s house because He placed great importance on knowing His Father. In the year to come, I would encourage all of us to become more familiar with Jesus’ passions and tendencies. And expectantly, in doing so, we will find Him. This can be possible by returning to the basics of the Christian faith which are re-reading the Gospels and conversing with Him through prayer. Friends, we can find Jesus when we know His passions and tendencies. Like Mary, may we bury this treasure in our hearts but also exercise it in faith.

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Sermon brief provided by: Matthew D. Kim, adjunct professor of preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA.