Luke 2:41-52 - Dec 27, 2018 - Preparing to Serve

This story about Jesus at the age of twelve in the Temple is the only story that we have in the Gospels about Jesus from between about the age of two (Matthew's story of the Magi) and Jesus showing up to be baptized by John the Baptist.  There were attempts by later Christians to fill in this gap and a number of 'gospels' were written none of which was as far as I know ever considered for the Canon and many were distinctly 'gnostic' in their writing.

For whatever reason, we as humans are often uncomfortable with 'not knowing' something.  And this was why there was this attempt to supplement the four Gospels and to fill in this gap between the age of twelve and around thirty to thirty-three.  Where and what was Jesus doing during those twenty long years?  There are those that have tried to promote that Jesus traveled to India where he was influenced by the Eastern Religions, I don't personally find any of these accounts as credible.  I believe that Jesus did just what it says he did, he went home... and learned...

Now spending an entire life up until approximately thirty may seem like a long preparation for a preaching career that only encompassed from roughly three years to maybe as little as ten months (John's Gospel -vs- Mark's Gospel); but God can and does work that way.  He will spend many, many, many, years forming our hearts and our lives for what may well be in the end a very short duration or even a single event.  It's not for us to judge God in how and where he uses us... it's just our duty as Christians to constantly prepare, to study, pray, reflect, and watch... for where and when our Father needs us to serve.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His service,
Roy

Luke 2:41-52  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents[a] saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”[b] 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years,[c] and in divine and human favor.

Footnotes:
Luke 2:48 Gk they
Luke 2:49 Or be about my Father’s interests?

Luke 2:52 Or in stature