But . . .
Lk 2:41-52 NIV
Purpose: To focus in the good and positive of
each small or big situation in our lives.
41 Every year
Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem
42 When he was
twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.
43 After the
festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed
behind in Jerusalem
44 Thinking he
was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for
him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they
did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem
46 After three
days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening
to them and asking them questions.
47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at
his understanding and his answers.
48 When his
parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this?
Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I
had to be in my Father’s house?”[a]
50 But they
did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he
went down to Nazareth
52 And Jesus
grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Footnotes:
- Luke 2:49 Or be about my Father’s business
This Is the Word of God,
For the People of God.
Praise be to God.
But . . .
Lk 2:41-52 NIV
Purpose: To focus in the good and positive of
each small or big situation in our lives.
What Does It Take to Be One of These People???
Outline
I. Introduction
How our human tendency is to always be ready with the word
“but.”
There are very uncommon persons who see the good in every
situation
even the situation is very bad. These people have amazing
vision
and strength in God's wisdom and Word. What
does it take to
be like one of these people? Many of the amazing people that each
one
of us knows, because we all know at least one of this kind of high
quality
human beings, have reached such a confidence in God in their
lives
that it is obvious to the believer and unbeliever that they have
this
amazing confidence in God's plan for their lives. But the challenge nowadays
for us is to get the same confidence that
they have early in our lives. What does
it take to be one of these people???
II. Why did
Jesus learn how to be obedient?
Jesus Christ from the time He was a young boy, 12 or
13 years old,
was so confident in God's plan that He was totally obedient
to His Father’s Will. Why??? The
Scriptures says that Jesus grew in wisdom
and stature, and in favor with God and man.
III. Explanation
of the Text Luke 2: 41-52
Historical,
sociological, psychological, and theological views.
IV. Conclusion
[s]
V. Prayer
But . . .
Lk 2:41-52 NIV
Purpose: To focus in the good and positive of
each small or big situation in our lives.
What Does It Take to Be One of These People???
It is nothing
new that Christmas is a big event for a lot of people. Christians and
non-Christians are affected by the mixture of emotions in the midst. These
emotions and perceptions can affect us very easily. For example, they can
affect us by the joy and excitement because everybody is buying presents with
the hope that these presents can bring happiness to some of our beloveds, or
they can affect us by sorrow and sadness because of our past experiences of
losing someone in this season, or they can affected us by the stress, because
the stores are full, and the traffic is heavy.
This
mixture of feelings and the effect of the season and stress support the fact
that the true self of us comes out. So, have
you noticed that the great majority of the time, we are people of the word
“but”??? Yes, we are always ready
with the word “but.” I come to the store to look for milk but the line is
so long. I come to the store because I need a specific present for my
granddaughter but it is gone. I couldn't find what I want for her. We come to
the restaurant to eat dinner but the waiting list is 35 minutes long!!! Ok,
what did we expect in this season or in life, that the line in Wal-Mart was
going to be free just for us, or that the cute thing we saw for our
granddaughter was going to be waiting for us, or the waitress and staff in a
restaurant were going to be ready to welcome us with no waiting list??!!
Have you thought about the word “but”???
Sometimes it reflects much more that we can imagine or say. The word “but”
reflects inconformity and even our ungratefulness for what we have in life. And I am
not applying settled psychology to us. I am talking based on facts and on our
human natural tendencies.
On
the other hand, have you noticed that there are some extraordinary people, the great minority of our friends,
maybe one or two of them at the most or less, that they are able to see the
good of every situation, even if the situation is very bad? These people have
amazing vision and strength in God's Wisdom and Word. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE??? They are people of
high human quality. They have reached such confidence and peace in God, in
their lives that it is obvious to the believer and to the non-believer the way
they are. They don't have to say that they are Christians, because we know that
the Spirit of God who lives inside them gives witness to each one of us. They
reflect such confidence in life that we ask, what do they have??? They have the assurance of God's plan for their
lives, even if they don't know the entire picture. It seems like, they are
not worried about anything. If we ask them their secret, they answer is, the understanding of God for their lives.
Here, the Scripture says that Jesus grew in
wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Jesus Christ in the
temple. According to biblical historians, He was around 12 or 13 years old. The
historical context, the circumstances that are described here do not present
Jesus as an extraordinary child, a child-prodigy. A Jewish boy was considered a
man, accountable to the Law's demands, following his bar mitzvah at age of 13. Bar
mitzvah, meaning "son of the commandment," is a religious practice
that
help young males to change their
intellectual and spiritual condition about their understanding of God. It could
be the equivalent to our confirmations classes or catechism. So Jesus’ visit to
the temple at this age, as well as his questions of and by the teachers of the
Law, are according to and consistent with normal Jewish practice. Jesus took his relationship with God very,
very seriously. As a result, his understanding of God was remarkable and
exceptional. In this context the
word understanding
means superior power of discernment.
Pay
attention also, when Mary says to Jesus, “Son, why have you
treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
Are you familiar with the saying, “knowledge is power?” Because one of the main things that
knowledge beats is fear. Here in Jesus, we have a clear example of how the
knowledge of God gives Him power and frees Him to be Himself and to do God’s
Will, not fear at all. It is clear that Jesus was answering with such assurance
that through His words He exposed His understanding about God. He was not
afraid to be alone without His parents and friends from the caravan.
Of course, what Jesus reached is not a
strange or alien knowledge for us. What Jesus accomplished is the same kind of
thing that we can accomplish in our earthly life. Jesus had a deep and
solid understanding of God. We can have the same understanding that Jesus had.
The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside each one of us already. We
need to start applying more seriousness to our relationship with God.
A
good starting point is asking ourselves, how can I improve my relationship with
God??? The answer is simple, how much time do we spend
alone with God through our day??? How
much of our time do we give to the reading of the Scripture through our day???
How much of our time do we give to a serious self-analysis and meditation???
These questions are very important to answer because is a measure of the
seriousness of our relationship with God. There is always more to learn about
God.
Let us pray,
Good Father,
Thank
You for the opportunity to learn more and more about You every day in our
lives. Thank You for the example of Jesus in the temple. He was exceptional
because He had a great understanding of You and Your Word. Help us to accept
the challenge to make time for You through our everyday busy lives and spend
more time with You alone. In this way we will be able to have the power of Your
knowledge and discernment which will help us to live better lives.
In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.
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