Sermon, January 17, 1999

Luke 2:41-52 vs.49
"Jesus said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’"

Today’s scripture lesson is the Bible’s version of ‘Home Alone’. Hollywood has the parents going off on vacation and leaving their child at home. The Bible has the parents returning home and leaving the child at the vacation spot.

You may recall hearing the story about a truck driver who found a child sleeping and strapped in his car seat in the middle of an abandoned parking lot. It seems, the parents had arrived in separate cars. They had been arguing. When they got in their cars to leave, each thought the other had picked up the child in the car seat and put it in their car.

You hear these stories and you wonder, how could a parent leave their child behind. How could Joseph and Mary, leave Jesus behind?

Let’s remember, why they were in Jerusalem in the first place. They were there because it was Passover. It wasn’t as if Joseph and Mary had said to each other, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to spend Passover in Jerusalem this year’. Like every Jewish male, Joseph was required to go to Jerusalem for Passover. Simply stated it was their duty to be there.

Jerusalem would have been wall to wall people. Caravans of people from all over would have descended on Jerusalem. Joseph and Mary would have been part of one of those caravans. Mary would have been traveling in the front of the caravan with the other women and children. Joseph would have been traveling with the men in the back of the caravan. Caravans stretched out over a mile or more, which meant that families usually didn’t gather together until evening.

Since Jesus was twelve years of age, he would have been considered almost an adult. This meant that he had more liberties. It was also an age that when traveling, He could choose to be either with his mother or his father.

Mary, who was keeping a watchful eye on Jesus’ siblings, most likely figured that Jesus was with Joseph. Joseph, on the other hand would not have been alarmed by Jesus’ absence and apparently figured that Jesus decided to travel with Mary.

It wasn’t until the end of the days journey, when Joseph and Mary were reunited that they discovered Jesus wasn’t there. I would venture to guess that they diligently searched for Jesus amongst, their fellow travelers. Asking each person and family, ‘Have you seen Jesus? Is Jesus hear with you?’

Since travel was next to impossible at night, Mary and Joseph had to spend a sleepless anxious night while they waited for day break. At the crack of dawn they did what any parent would do, they went and searched for their child. They searched because they loved Jesus and because it was their parental duty.

We are told it took them three days to find Jesus. They probably checked out all the places a typical place a twelve year old would go. Having tried all those places they began to expand their search.

What’s the chances that a twelve year old would be hanging out at temple? Yet that is exactly where they find Jesus.

Can you picture that scene. Mary and Joseph running to Jesus. On the one hand they are so very grateful that they have found him. On the other hand they want to strangle him for wandering off.

In the midst of her embrace Mary asks, "Child why have you treated us like this. Your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." I guess this the 1st century way of saying. "You almost gave me a heart attack. What were you thinking? We have been looking for you all over. Don’t you ever do that again to me."

Jesus simple asks,

"Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house."

Jesus was not questioning his parents love for him nor was he questioning the sincerity of their concern by saying, "Why were you searching for me." He was simply pointing out that if they thought about it, there would be one place and only one place where he would be and that is right there in the temple.

"Did you not know that I must be in my father’s house."

In light of what the shepherds and wisemen told Joseph and Mary about Jesus. In light of what the prophets Simeon and Anna had said of Jesus ten years earlier, what Jesus is saying does make sense.

Jesus’ answer is just one more thought for Joseph and Mary to ponder. By His answer Jesus for the first time makes a distinction between His earthly father, Joseph and His heavenly Father, God. It was if he was saying it is my duty to be here, as much as it was your duty to search for me.

Which brings me to the question,

Why are you searching for Jesus?

Fame, fortune, success, financial security, peace, happiness.

Why are you searching for Jesus?

Never thought about it, always come to church, it’s a habit.

Share fellowship, to learn His will, to obey His teaching.

I would like to share a story. I read this story in Thought For The Day.

The story took place early one morning, a mother went in to wake up her son.

"Wake up, son. It’s time to go to school!"

"But why, Mom? I don’t want to go."

"Give me two reasons why you don’t want to go."

"The kids hate me for one and the teachers hate me for two."

"Oh, that’s no reason not to go to school. Come on now and get ready."

"Give me two reasons why I should go to school."

"Well, for one, you’re fifty-two years old, and for another, you’re the principal."

Sometimes we have to do things, even when we don’t feel like doing them. It’s called a sense of duty. This concept of duty has been taken out of faith and church. We talk about the importance of doing things for God because we want to, NOT because we have to.

If we only serve God when we really feel like it, our service would be minimal indeed. Sometimes feelings aren’t there, and we need to continue to serve knowing that it is the right thing to do.

You and I should be here because it is our duty to be here. We are being faithful to the promises we made to God when we made our confession of faith. It is by faithfully performing our duties that we reap the benefits of God’s presence, grace, power, comfort and love.

As Jesus said,

"Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will be added to it."

Amen

Reverend Richard Hayes Weyer