Have you ever lost something as significant as a child? I have. In fact, with 5 kids, I'm embarrassed to say that we've lost a few of them a time or two. From a parents perspective, this brings no small amount of anxiety - frantically searching for their child.
Well, Mary and Joseph had a similar experience with Jesus(see Lk. 2). At the age of 12, Jesus and his parents along with a caravan of others in his family, made their way to the temple in Jerusalem. It was the Feast of Passover where it was estimated that nearly 200,000 Jews gathered to celebrate and remember the passover. It was into such a place that Mary, Joseph, Jesus came. All was well, I'm guessing until the Feast was over and the caravan began to make it's way back toward Nazareth. It wasn't long before they realized and recognized that Jesus was not with them. They quickly made their way back only to find (albeit three days later) Jesus hanging out in the Temple. Apparently, he'd been asking all sorts of questions. The response of the people was "amazement," considering he was only 12.
Mary and Joseph weren't all that excited, more like relief I'm sure. "Why have you put us through this?" Mary exclaimed. "We've been searching frantically for you." The response by Jesus in verse 49 is what gets me here. He responds with two questions: "Why were you searching for me?" followed by "Didn't you know I had to be in my father's house doing my father's business." Mary and Jospeh didn't quite get it. They didn't quite notice the signs or they chose to ignore them.
You see, while Mary and Joseph thought they were searching for their Son, what they were really searching for was the Savior of the World.
This fact had somehow alluded them. Even though Gabriel had announced to Mary that Jesus wouldn't be your average boy, even though Simeon had so much as said that Jesus was the Lord's Christ (or Messiah), they still didn't quite get it.
You see, while Mary and Joseph thought they were searching for their Son, what they were really searching for was the Savior of the World.
As many of us miss things right in front of our eyes, they too missed the very fact that their son, Jesus, wasn't just any son. During this holiday season, let's not miss the true reason for the season. As many of us seek peace of mind, prosperity, and help, let us be reminded that what we're really searching for is the Savior of the World. Only he can truly give us that peace of mind and prosperity that we all long for.
