“Lost”

Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, Tarzan and other literature explore the lives of individuals lost on deserted islands and in lonely jungles. Our Bible reading for today considers a young boy who was lost in a big city during a major national and religious holiday season.

Luke 2:41-52

• Every year in the springtime the whole family would travel to Jerusalem for the passover (v. 41).
• This was the boy’s 12th such journey (v. 42).
• But this year was different. This year, after the celebration was over and the parents packed up and headed home to Nazareth, the young boy was not with them. He had been left behind (or did he intentionally or absent-mindedly stay behind?) (v. 43).
• The parents were a day’s journey away from the city before they realized that the boy was not with them. No doubt they looked franticly for him among the other traveling family and friends (v. 44). But they couldn’t find him. So they turned around and went back to Jerusalem (v. 45).
• Three days later (1 day out, 1 day back, 1 day looking) Mary and Joseph found Jesus (v 46), in the temple, sitting, listening, and asking questions of the religion teachers.
• Those who witnessed this, including Joseph and Mary, were astonished at the understanding of God that this 12-year old had (v. 47-48).
• His parents were understandably upset with him (v. 48), but Jesus politely remonstrated that he was doing his (heavenly) Father’s business (v. 49).
• Neither Joseph nor Mary comprehended Jesus; nevertheless he went back to Nazareth with them, leaving Mary to wonder (v. 50-51).
• And he continued to grow physically, mentally and spiritually (v. 52).

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