Sermon on Luke 2:41-50

When I was in middle school, I grew up in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood. Since it was a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood, the majority of my friends were invariably Jewish. So, having many Jewish friends at the age of 12, I regularly attended bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs. From what I remember, these festivals were coming-of-age rituals, or ceremonies that officially usher a child into adulthood. It was a time when families and friends got together and had a huge birthday party. I remember there being so much food, music and dancing. And at that age we danced with our arms straight out in front of us! Needless to say, this Jewish festival was celebrated with unmitigated joy and gladness. In contrast, when my Jewish friends told me about their participation in Passover, they conveyed a piousness that seemed deep and convicting. Whatever the tradition, there was always a sense of profound emotion, whether in elation or in heavyheartedness.

Now Jesus, at the age of twelve, was one year too young to be celebrating a bar mitzvah, assuming that bar mitzvahs even existed in his day. Nonetheless, he was on the verge of adulthood, celebrating the Passover (vs. 41-42). And this is where the story begins.

Now, it says that Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem while his parents unknowingly leave for home in verse 43. At first glance, it seems like Jesus is playing hooky with his parents. At least I read it that way because I was a young bratty twelve year old that played hooky all the time. I also played hide and seek a lot when I was twelve; was Jesus playing hide and seek?

These initial observations were obviously way off the mark. They were off the mark because Jesus was doing something remarkably unlike what typical children would do. Quoting a seasoned biblical scholar, Professor Glen Taylor: Jesus remains fixed in the Temple in contrast to the frenetic movement of his parents.

Why is this? Why is Jesus “fixed” in the temple? Taylor goes on to say: Note the contrast between mention of Jesus' earthly relatives who are many and who can't keep track of him and Jesus’ single parental relationship and the fixedness of his residency in the Temple. In other words, Jesus is fixed on the Father. We know he is fixed on the Father simply because he chooses to be in the God’s temple, in verse 46. We know that he is fixed on the Father because he immerses himself with conversations about God, in verse 46 and 47.

Now we have to ask the questions: Who is really lost here? Is it Jesus, or is it the parents and the relatives?

At this point in the story, Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus, finally find him. They are obviously shaken from the whole ordeal, having been searching for him for days. Understandably, they express their frustrations in verse 48 saying, “Why have you treated us this way?” We know that Mary is saying this with some forcefulness because she says right after, “Behold!” Mary is crying out for attention here, because “behold”, or ivdou, (idou) in Greek, is often used to make a serious point. What is this point? Mary’s point is this: “Your father and I have been anxiously looking for you.”

And instead of answering Mary’s distress; instead of consoling her, or apologizing to her, or seeking resolution with her; instead of empathizing with her anxiety; Jesus poses two questions that seem to ignore Mary’s state of angst: (1) Why is it that you were looking for me? (2) Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house?

I have to be honest, but I struggled with Jesus’ answer. I could not immediately understand why Jesus answered this way; I couldn’t discern the purpose of his answer, and what he was driving at. I couldn’t understand the questions: (1) “Why is it that you were looking for me?” and (2) “Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?”

After some time of study and reflection, I realized that when Jesus asked “Why is it that you were looking for me?” his parents should have understood that this was an important time in Jesus’ life. You see, this was the year when Jesus was instructed in the law, or the Torah, which was the word of God. He was at an age when most Jewish boys would learn about God, and God’s works in the history of Israel. Jewish tradition stipulates that young boys be educated the year prior to them entering into adulthood; this tradition is now known as bar mitzvahs. So, it is understandable that boy-Jesus was in the temple. It is understandable that boy-Jesus was surrounding himself with teachers of the law. It is understandable that Jesus can counter-ask his mother, “Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” It is understandable because we know that Jesus was fixed on the Father.

Perhaps the second thing I struggled with was: What does it mean when Jesus calls God “father”? So what does it mean when Jesus calls God “Father”? By calling God “father”, Jesus is declaring his “sonship”. Or, in other words, Jesus is saying that he is God’s son, suggesting that this was a particularly intimate relationship.

Jesus displays his sonship by submitting to God. Jesus’ submission to his biological parents is different from his submission to God. In Luke 2:48, Jesus’ parents are surprised by Jesus’ absence. This probably means that Jesus was normally submissive to his parents. It was not until now, on the verge of adulthood, that Jesus willfully chose to submit first to God by staying in the temple. It is not until Luke 2:49 that Jesus reveals that his submission to God is a priority. What Jesus is conveying here is that he willfully subjects himself to God over his biological parents.

Jesus’ submission to God shows how intimate Jesus is with God. New Bible Commentary explains that: “[Luke 2] shows that from an early age Jesus was aware of an intimate relationship to God as his Father in a way which went beyond the normal religious consciousness of a devout Jew, and that he was putting this relationship first in his life—although he was careful to continue to obey his parents.”

God, as Jesus’ father, displays his unique parental relationship by bestowing His grace on Jesus. There is a similarity between Jesus and John. Jesus and John are contrasted throughout the beginning chapters of Luke: (1) the foretelling of John’s birth contrasts with Jesus’ (1:5 – 1:38); (2) prenatal story of John contrasts with Jesus’ (1:39 – 1:56); (3) Jesus’ birth contrasts with John’s birth (1:57 – 2:21); (4) In Luke 1:80, John the Baptist grew and became strong in the spirit. Similarly, in Luke 2:52 and 2:40, Jesus grew and became strong.

So there is a similarity between John and Jesus, but there is also dissimilarity between John and Jesus. Namely, Jesus, unlike John, is explicitly given God’s grace. Using the NASB, I did not realize that the word “favour” in Luke 2:52 was the same word as “grace” in Luke 2:40. You see, the Greek text uses the same word in both Luke 2:52 and Luke 2:40. This Greek word is ca,rij (charis), which means “grace”. This means two things: first, God’s grace is consistently bestowed on Jesus before and after Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem; second, God’s grace on Jesus shows God’s partiality towards Jesus. God’s grace on Jesus shows how intimate God is with Jesus.

So, if Jesus is intimate with God because of submission and grace, what does this mean for us? In other words, when Jesus calls God “father”, what does that mean for us? It means that we can have a relationship with the Father through Christ.

Jesus tells us that there is no way to have a relationship with God except through Jesus. In Luke 10:21-22, Jesus says, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

That’s why Jesus died on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, he brought us near to God. Paul says in Ephesians 2:13, “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” And once we are brought near to God because of Jesus, we are adopted sons of God. Paul also says in Romans 8:14, 15, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” In this way, we are given God’s grace, just as boy-Jesus has God’s grace in Luke 2:40, 52.

Because of Jesus, we can also have an intimate relationship with God.

Most of my childhood was spent living in a predominately Chinese-populated in Scarborough. When I moved to a predominantly Jewish-populated in North York, I felt like an alien in a foreign land. At first, it was hard to fit in at school, being a little Korean boy amongst Jews. Everyday I would hate going to school, dreading the free time that I would spend sitting in the hallway alone. But one day, one guy from my class came up to me in the hallway, his name was Josh, a Jew. He took the time to talk to me. Everyday, he would come up to me and invite me to eat lunch with his friends. Eventually, this turned into a friendship that I cherished. I no longer hated going to school. I no longer was alone. I had a friend! I even went to his bar mitzvah!

Much in the same way, we have a friend in Jesus. Only he doesn’t just introduce us to friends, he introduces us to the eternal God, who is his Father. So let’s cherish this relationship together.