127 of 365 - My Father's Business

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. Luke 2:46-47
 
Not much is told of Jesus’ childhood. He came to earth as a baby. Like all of us, He learned to eat, to walk, to talk, to play. I wonder when He was fully aware that He was the Son of God; that He WAS God in the flesh.
 
The second chapter of Luke swings from His birth, to His presentation at the temple as an infant, to His family at the Passover celebration in Jerusalem when He was twelve.
 
The Jewish faithful traveled in large groups of family and friends each year from their hometown to Jerusalem for the Passover Celebration. You can picture the children as they journeyed with cousins and friends…laughing and playing along the way. At some point on the way back home, Mary and Joseph realized Jesus (age 12) was no longer with them. Imagine their panic as they frantically bounce from family member to friend asking if He was with them.
 
After three days they find Him. The entire time He has been planted in the temple, sitting at the feet of the various teachers listening and asking questions. We are told the people are astounded at His understanding at such a young age.
 
When His distressed parents find Him and question Him, He says, “Do you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” Twelve was the traditional age for young boys to start learning their fathers’ trades. While Joseph was a carpenter and Jesus was likely learning this skill, His true calling and business was that of His Father in Heaven. We are told that Jesus “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” This is all we learn about Him until He begins His public ministry 18 years later.
 
Questions: For fun, think about yourself at age 12. What were you doing? What were your priorities? What would you sit hours for?