Sermon at Beecher Island Church
Luke 2: 41-52
January 6, 2018
by Hunter Irvine
# Luke 2: 41-52 reading
+ I had the dream for many years of studying at Colorado Christian University because my favorite preacher of all time is Dr. David Beckman. Dr. Beckman was a mentor and a friend, and he had much influence on me. At CCU Dr. Beckman had a colleague and friend, Dr. Woody Northcutt. Dr. Northcutt served CCU students for nearly four decades, and he loved students. Also, Dr. Northcutt served at my grandma’s church for five years between 2001 and 2006. Once when I heard him preach, he told this story:
When Dr. Northcutt’s children were young, his family went to church one typical Sunday. Their one young boy fell asleep during the sermon, but they let him sleep since the family had been so active the day before. After church, the family talked with some friends in the sanctuary, but they soon left for home. Driving in the car, they were nearly home when they came to realize one of their children was not with them. They had left their youngest boy at church. Frantically driving back to the church, they rushed in the sanctuary. Lying in the pew right where they had sat during the worship was their son, still curled up and sound asleep.
In this passage, Jesus is left behind in Jerusalem. His parents traveled for an entire day towards Nazareth before realizing He was not with them.
Were Joseph and Mary downright negligent??
First, children around the age of 12 were given more responsibility than children are often given today. In fact the NIV states that Jesus “stayed” behind. He knew what He was doing by not departing the group.
Second, Jesus was surely their “model” child ☺ He was probably the last child they would have expected not to show up for the departure.
Third, Joseph and Mary had at least six children besides Jesus during their marriage as is told in Matthew 13: 55-56. They had at least four other boys and some girls. A few children may not have been born yet, but most probably were. Thus there were definitely a number of other young children Mary and Joseph needed to be concerned with, including possibly an infant.
Fourth, Joseph and Mary were in a large caravan of family and friends. Though traveling was safer within the territory of the Roman Empire, traveling always had an element of danger. Thus many Jewish people would travel to Jerusalem in large groups.
But I am not making excuses for them. His parents were careless!
When I was a youth pastor, I always did head counts when we were going from point A to point B, and I did not even have large youth groups. I wanted to make one hundred percent sure no one was left behind.
Joseph and Mary figured out Jesus was not with them the first evening. They left the caravan and walked back to Jerusalem. This would mean they would have to take the risk of journeying home without group protection.
They looked for Jesus for three days! That is a long time.
There would have been thousands and thousands of Jewish visitors therein Jerusalem from other countries who had come for the Feasts.
After three days, Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the temple courts. Jesus was there having discussions with Jewish teachers. He did not even express remorse to His parents.
Jesus simply asked Mary, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
How could Jesus be so casual about being missing for four days?
First, regarding this first pilgrimage of the year, the Mosaic Law required all Jewish people to attend both the Passover Feast and the Feast of Unleavened Bread!
Everyone was supposed to stay in Jerusalem for a full week!
(Scriptures which give details on requirements include Exodus 12:18 and Leviticus 23:5-8.)
Second, I think Joseph and Mary failed to stay for the entire Feast of Unleavened Bread.
A key word in this Scripture passage is “custom.” Some Israelites followed the “custom” of participating in the Passover Feast, but then they did not stay for the full week as was required by the Mosaic Law.
Luke 2:43 states Joseph and Mary left after the Feast of the Passover was over. Now some people surely called the entire week the Feast of the Passover, but the fact Scripture states nothing about the Feast of Unleavened Bread gives a clue that Joseph and Mary left early. (I looked at an interlinear Bible to double check details.) We do not know for sure, since Scripture does not say they left early, yet I think they did.
Third, Jesus did not leave early!! He obeyed the Mosaic Law.
Obeying your parents is good, and in this passage it states how Jesus obeyed His parents, yet such obedience is always secondary to obeying God.
Speaking of Dr. Woody Northcutt, when I first studied this passage in 2002 or 2003 and came up with this thesis, I wrote a letter about it to Dr. Woody Northcutt. He said my idea was excellent and he agreed with me.
+ So the message is - Jesus obeyed the Father.
+ And the personal message for us is - we should obey the Father!
How do you obey your Father?
By following Jesus!
John 14: 6-7 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
That is because Jesus and the Father are One!
+ That 12 year old boy who was mixing it up with teachers of the Law in the temple courts, a place where animal sacrifices were done day after day, would one day be the perfect sacrifice for the consequence of sins.
Even as a 12 year old, He was God, and as a 12 year old, He knew that one day He would suffer death as the everlasting atonement for sins.
Jesus died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you will have eternal life with the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
+ If you have never opened your heart to Jesus, I invite you to do so this very day. Jesus is One with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Indeed, Jesus is God the Son. If you believe in Him, you will be saved.
