Finding Jesus

“And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it . . . After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” (Luke 2:43 and 46, ESV)

The Bible tells us very little about the childhood of Jesus. The Gospels skip from the events surrounding His birth to the beginning of His ministry. Nothing is recorded about His childhood. But one passage at the end of Luke 2 relates an incident that happened when Jesus was twelve years old.

It was the family’s practice to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem each year. This year was no different. Today the journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem by car would take us perhaps two hours. Walking, as Mary and Joseph would have traveled, would be a journey of four days. For safety and companionship, the family traveled in a group with others going to the feast.

This year’s visit to Jerusalem was much the same as other years. When the celebration ended, the caravan of travelers began their journey back to Nazareth. It wasn’t until they stopped for the night that Mary and Joseph realized Jesus was not with them. He was nowhere to be found among the group of travelers. Jesus was missing!

Back to Jerusalem

Retracing their steps back to Jerusalem, the frantic parents began to search the city. They finally found Jesus in the Temple, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions.” This was no typical twelve-year-old. The passage goes on to say, “And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”

Mary, in typical mom fashion, questioned, “Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere” (verse 48, NLT).

Mary and Joseph thought they knew where Jesus was when they set out for Nazareth. They assumed He was somewhere among their fellow travelers. Only later did they realize He was not with them. No one had seen Him.

Assumptions

Sometimes we make assumptions as well. It’s easy to assume our relationship with the Lord hasn’t changed. After all, we still make it to church most Sundays. We still read our Bible and pray. Oh, perhaps not as frequently as we had before, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to spend more time with Him. We’re sure He understands our busy lifestyle.

Is it possible that we’ve traveled quite a few miles down the road without noticing that Jesus is missing from our journey? Do we assume that sitting on a church pew each Sunday means we still have a close relationship with the Lord? Perhaps it’s time we do a little self-examination to see if we’ve misplaced the Lord somewhere along our spiritual journey. Are we still close to Him, or do we just assume He’s “around somewhere?”

Second Corinthians 13:5 tells us to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test” (ESV).

Mary and Joseph returned to the last place they saw Jesus and found Him in the Temple. If Jesus is missing from your life, it’s time to return to where you last felt His presence. The sooner you turn to find Him, the sooner you can rebuild your relationship with Him. He is eager to welcome you back to His side.

Devotion by Mary Loudermilk