When Things are Beyond our Understanding

Halston, without a care in the world,
celebrating the New Year.

Scripture:

Luke 2:41   Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. ⁴³ When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴ Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” ⁴⁹ He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹ Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Luke 2:52   And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Observation:

Luke gives us one more little pericope into the childhood years of Jesus’ life. This story brings to a conclusion his childhood in the narrative and paves the way to return to the story of his cousin, John. 

We see the commitment of his parents, who came to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. This wasn’t a simple journey and required saving and planning, as they would travel with a caravan of individuals both for companionship and for safety. 

This view at age twelve is significant, as Jesus would be coming of age, preparing for what we call today his Bar Mitzvah. That’s why this moment of Jesus’ life is important, for he is now moving from his childhood into his young-adulthood. It is a milestone where we see that he has adopted practices that he has been taught by his parents. He has been studious and we see his humanity and divinity on display. 

Having traveled with an entire caravan of friends and family, the parents would have simply assumed that Jesus was with the group. He would have known when they were departing. However, it appears that the first evening, they cannot find him. The parents have to travel back on their own to Jerusalem. There they search for him and find him in the temple. His posture us one of humility for he is sitting at the feet of the teachers. Luke is careful here in the words that he uses for the teachers, for they are not ones of derision which he uses in the coming narrative of Jesus’ interaction with religious leaders. In this case, Jesus is soaking in everything that he can learn from the teachers, and asking them questions. His ability to comprehend and question brings about amazement from those around. 

We see a distancing from his earthly parents who are anxious and worried about him. Mary is the one who speaks here and refers to “your father and I” — meaning Mary and Joseph. At this moment, when Jesus is beginning to embrace his manhood, he is also embracing and expressing his divinity, for he suddenly shifts the comment to say that he needed to be in his “Father’s house.” 

While his earthly parents didn’t understand the comment, Luke felt it was important to include this moment, for in every scene he is revealing who Jesus is, and how his relationship is developing with those on earth. So that it does not appear that Jesus is a disobedient child, Luke lets us know that he was obedient to his parents, and his mother kept treasuring all of these experiences in her heart.

Luke ends this entire narrative of Jesus’ childhood with a reference to the life of Samuel. Both men, entirely consecrated in service to God, grow in wisdom, and are favored by both the divine and human. This is just one more emphasis on the human and divine nature of Jesus. 

Application:

Luke is able to bring us this story because he’s looking back with clarity of vision. He understands the significance of what was happening at the temple when Jesus was twelve years old: he wants us all to see the two natures of Jesus at work. Mary and Joseph, on the other hand, did not understand what was happening in the moment. It would all become clear in the years to come, but not now. 

Today is the first day of the year 2021. The last few days I’ve looked back and pondered on 2020 - the year that most of us would say we do not want to repeat. The global pandemic changed everything last year, and in the moment, we cannot see what God is doing. I believe there is much about this past year that is far beyond our understanding. I do know that through the pandemic, God was able to accomplish some things that we would never have imagined, and at some point we will look back in wonder. 

I have to thank God for a slower pace in life. I’ve not been home this much in ten years. I’ve enjoyed my quiet mornings, reading and studying God’s word. I’ve been able to go deeper in the word than ever before in my life. I’ve finished the Gospel of Mark, then studied Philippians, then 1st and 2nd Peter, Jude, and now I’ve begun this journey through Luke. The New Beacon Bible Commentaries have become my companions on this journey, and I have come to appreciate the authors in a new way. 

My husband and I have made the decision together to walk or exercise nearly every day and to eat healthier. This has made a difference in how we feel. We’ve been taking all the suggested vitamins to help if you get COVID, and as a result, we both feel better physically than we have in years. (And as a weird note — my eyelashes seem to be growing longer, and my fingernails growing faster!) 

Early in this pandemic, I lost my father. He didn’t die of COVID, but he passed away because of the isolation from COVID. His death certificate simply says, “failure to thrive.” I think there’s a whole sermon in that, but that’ll have to wait for another time. 

I suppose I could go on and list all kinds of things that were good and bad about the year, for there have been many. Overall however, whatever has gone on this last year, it has been beyond my understanding. Where things stand when we come out of this is a big unknown. When will I be able to resume my work travel again? Will I get to see my daughter in England and my British grandson in person? Will there be full sanctuaries again in our churches? I don’t have answers to these questions because we are living in a state where we don’t know the future. Things are beyond our understanding. 

While things were beyond Mary’s understanding, she treasured all the experiences in her heart. We have been given a gift in 2020, because we don’t know where life is going. The gift is to learn to trust God and depend upon God in every circumstance. We are to keep all these things in our heart, and continue to live in obedience to the Father. Some day, it may become clear to us, but even if it doesn’t, we get to live in awe of the miracle of God at work in and through us, no matter the circumstances. 

It’s hard to plan for 2021, but I do so lightly, as I put all my trust in God. 

Prayer:

Lord, my life, my hope, and my trust is in you. As we embark on this new year, may it be with a sensitivity to your leading in all things. Amen.