"My Father's House"

 “And he said to them, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?’” (Luke 2:49 ESV)

Having celebrated the birth of the Messiah, our Savior Christ Jesus, we look forward from that blessing towards the cross. There is not much written about the life of Christ before His ministry. We know that He was preceded by John the Baptist, but there is no mention of Jesus's childhood, except in today's passage, which is part of Luke's narrative.

Joseph and Mary had taken Jesus with them to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem as was their habit. In this passage, Jesus was about 12 years old. The Passover had concluded, and the family was on their way home when Mary realized Jesus was missing from the caravan.

Both Joseph and Mary went back to Jerusalem to find Jesus. It took them three days, but they found young Jesus in the temple. Jesus was sitting amongst the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Needless to say, both Mary and Joseph were shocked.

Like any other child, the parents reprimanded young Jesus because they were worried about Him and felt He had treated them poorly. Then Jesus said the most telling thing, which, luckily, no one had caught saying, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” In other translations, this is written “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” Jesus was clearly expressing His awareness of His divine identity, inspiring reverence and awe in us as believers.

Like a proper son, Jesus went home with His parents and was obedient. The last verse of this chapter of Luke says, “And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” (v51) Mary was told by Gabriel she would bear the Messiah, the Son of God, Immanuel. I wonder if this information was forgotten until today. Up until that day, things were most likely normal. Jesus was like any other child, or was He? Then this incident opened a door.

Perhaps the words of Simeon, that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul, came back from deep inside her. This was the beginning of Jesus’ turning from the son of Mary and Joseph to the Son of the Most High God.

Being God, Jesus knew the plan of redemption that the Father sent Him. But when did He know it? Scripture does not tell us, but I have to imagine He knew it all along. He was then and is still God. He is omniscient.

Joseph disappears from scripture. So, in His life with Mary, I wonder if Jesus told her what would transpire. Did she know the plan? Did Mary expect the cross, or did Jesus save her from that pain and trouble until it occurred? We will never know. We know that it appears Jesus gradually separated himself from Mary.

We see the first instance of this at the wedding in Cana, where Jesus calls her woman, not mother. We no longer see Mary in scripture after Acts 1:14, and her presence at Pentecost in Acts 2, but there are only a few words from her after Cana. It makes one ask why the Catholic Church holds her in such high regard. There is no mention of her life or death, though it is implied that she lived with the Apostle John. We, as Reformed believers, give Mary her due praise for her obedience to God and being favored by the Most High.

So began the ministry of Christ following John the Baptist's announcements. Do you know Christ as your Savior? Do you believe in Him as the risen Son of God? Do you understand that salvation can be found by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross? If not, seek the Lord today. If you have questions, contact us here at In Messiah, and we can guide you to the scripture that explains salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Grace and Peace!