Luke 2:41-52 - ...Jesus speaks... - An excellent pattern to follow

 

The icicles are growing!  I am thankful this is not a walkway.  I am also thankful that the heat tapes are doing their job because I don't have a roof rake long enough to reach this pitch.  The snow is continuing to come down in Grand Lake and we are creating our own mountains of snow.  Our President's Day weekend brought in some more visitors from the Front Range to worship with us.

We finished up our in-depth study of the first coming of Christ, Christmas.  Our guide was pretty much Luke 1 and 2.  We ended with the Luke only account of Jesus at the age of 12 in the temple with the teachers after being left behind after this family headed back home after the Passover.  This time through this passage I noticed a few things I hadn't recently seen.

One was that they were amazed and astonished at this 12 year old answering questions as He was.  The Greek word picture is that Jesus was "out of place" as a 12 year old to be able to do this.  Jesus comes back with a response that "He must be about His Father's business..."  The Greek word for "must" is "necessary" or "in place."  Jesus looked out of place as a 12 year old but this 12 year old said He was in just the right place.  

Another interesting observation was Jesus' 12 year old responses to the temple teachers in Luke 2:46-47.  

Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. (Luke 2:46-47, NASB, underlines are mine)

Do you see the 4 actions of 12 year old Jesus?  First He was listening, then He was asking questions, then He was understanding, and then He was answering.  What a great example for us to follow.  In our day we don't even let the other person finish their sentence.  Maybe they have said a trigger or buzz word and we jump in to correct.  Oh to be more like 12 year old Jesus.  I say this from very current experience.

I had been studying this passage all week and this was going to be a major application point.  That very Sunday morning in our 9 am adult class I jumped from barely listening to someone to answering them abruptly.  I went back and apologized for that especially as I was convicted preaching this principle with the person sitting in front of me a little later in the worship gathering.  An after service foyer conversation was needed to say I was wrong and that I was sorry for not listening better, asking questions and understanding before opening my big mouth.  I asked for forgiveness and it was received.  Being the under shepherd of Jesus' flock means I need to lead with I do things right and when I do things wrong.

My late mother said to me many times, "Adam, 2 wrongs don't make a right."  So true.  I will never get to the right by keep performing wrongs.  I have learned over the years that those restorative conversations need to happen sooner rather than later.  Maybe that's why there are couches and chairs in the foyers of churches, a place to make things right.

We are back into Matthew next Sunday with chapter 10.  Jesus is picking His team.  I am looking forward to walking along with Jesus again and seeing what new things He wants me to see.

Adam



A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

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