The Bible gives us only one glimpse into the life of Jesus as a boy. It's a familiar story. The twelve year old Jesus had gone, as was the custom, to Jerusalem with His family for the Passover festival. On the return journey neither His mother or father were aware that their son was not among the travelers on the road toward home. When He didn't show up that evening, they went dashing back to Jerusalem to search for Him.
It isn't difficult to imagine the fear that raced through their hearts. They must have imagined every kind of evil possible on the crowded streets of the city. They frantically searched for three days before finding Him sitting in the Temple completely absorbed in a discussion with the religious teachers.
When , in relief and a good bit of frustration (I imagine), His mother said, "Son, why have You done this to us?" He calmly gave what to His exhausted parents seemed like a puzzling answer:
"But why did you need to search?" He asked. "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49)
I've always read that verse from a Mom's point of view. Can I just be honest? I thought it might have been a teensy bit thoughtless of Jesus. But when I read that passage the other day, I saw it from another perspective. Jesus' perspective.
Please join me at Laced With Grace for the rest of the story.
Blessings,
Linda
