38. I Must Be In My Father's House

Isaiah 53:2 & Luke 2:43-52

Key Verse: "Why were you searching for me?"  He asked.   "Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?"

Luke 2:49

The Passover is now over and the Holy family is supposed to be headed for home.   The plan is to go back to their ordinary lives in Nazareth to take up an ordinary existence.   Suddenly, the part of the family that sets them apart is missing!  I sometimes wonder what kind of panic Joseph and Mary experienced when the realized that, not only their son, but God's son, the promised Messiah was lost!  

As a parent, I've experienced that horrible panic of a lost child.   I can't imagine how much worse it must have been for them.   They had been entrusted with this precious life from God Himself and now, it appeared that they had failed!  Without cell phone or any other form of technology or friendly policeman to help, they had no choice but to return to Jerusalem and walk the streets looking for their son. 

When they find Him at the temple, Jesus asks, "Where else would I be?"  My heart still goes out to Mary at this point.   The relief must have been incredible.   No, Mary, this is not the sword that will pierce your heart.   Jesus is simply speaking truth here that may be a bit hard for a mother to grasp quite yet.  In fact the elders and priests surrounding him in the temple, questioning him and discussing things with him had been astonished at his understanding of truth! 

Jesus' whole life was devoted to doing the Father's will.   Jesus had no plan of His own.   He had no personal ambition.   From the first words that we hear Him utter in our reading today, to His prayer in the garden, "not my will, but Yours be done," to His final words on the cross, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit," Jesus' life was completely focused on obedience to His Father God and fulfilling His Father's will. 

The Father's will was to redeem us.   Jesus came to bear witness to the truth, that the only way to be redeemed was through Him.   The only redemption that the Father could accept is through the blood of His Son.   The only way to be redeemed is to believe in Jesus and allow Him to help us surrender to God as completely as He did. 

In the covenants that we reviewed in the Old Testament, God was always seen as either bearing both sides of the commitment, or, at least bearing the majority of the responsibility of what the covenant called for.   As Jesus walked this earthly life, we continue to see Him bearing the major portion of the consequences of our sin, even though he participated in none of it. As the God/man, he perfectly upheld both sides of the covenant. God's righteous decrees faithfully obeyed.

Today, we see Him aware of His commitment and total devotion to commit himself to His purpose.   He visited His Father's house.  He is setting an example of how a child can lead us.   He kept His focus pure.   May Jesus help us to have such single-minded devotion to seeing God's will being done here on earth, as it is in Heaven. 

Hymn:  "Child of theLight"