Evening

April 30

Luke 2:48-49, 52 ⁴⁸When 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?"

⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

We have very few accounts of Jesus' life from birth to thirty years of age. These verses at the end of Luke are all we have to go on. In the tradition of that day a man was a disciple under a master until the age of thirty. Then he was ready to be an instructor. Jesus needed to grow and learn just as you and I do. The author of Hebrews tells us that He learned obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8). The last verse of today's text tells us He grew in wisdom. The humanity of Jesus experienced learning and growing as we do.

In the process of growing up, He was around the age when a young Jewish male was then considered one of the men, when the family went to one of the religious feasts in Jerusalem, the Feast of Passover. This year Jesus was no longer considered a child, so He began to ask the religious leaders questions and answer theirs. Verse 47 tells us that they were amazed at His understanding of the Scriptures. Jesus' mind was fully yielded to the instruction of the Holy Spirit. They probably wondered which Rabbi Jesus was being taught under. Rabbi means teacher. Jesus was listening to The Rabbi, the Holy Spirit.

Jesus' parents were headed back to Nazareth and thought Jesus was playing with relatives. After a while, they grew concerned and headed back to Jerusalem. Mary probably knew right where to look, in the temple. He had "wasted" their valuable time and worried them. Jesus responded, "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" Jesus knew His unique call and mission from that early age.

Jesus went home with His parents and submitted Himself to them as an obedient child until His ministry began. His life, which overflowed with love, joy, peace and patience, gained favor with God and men. He patiently learned and awaited the call for His mission to begin. If you are in a learning period, don't be overly concerned about lack of ministry. The present time may be for learning and growing.

Prayer: Lord, help me to grow in wisdom and learn through suffering.