Where is He?
Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem at the time of Passover, and took their oldest child with them to celebrate (
Luke 2:41-50).
Following the feast, they made the necessary preparations for the return to their home. Traveling with family and friends, they made sure that they had enough food and water for the animals, as well as themselves.
They probably discussed the plans: who would lead the caravan, when would they stop for the night...the usual give and take that goes on when a lot of people travel together.
However, Mary and Joseph made a mistake in judgment. Knowing that the child wasn’t with either of them, they thought He was with one of the family members.
Luke 2:44, from TLB, “...they assumed He was with friends among the travelers.” They took it for granted that He was there, but He wasn’t.
It seems strange to us, but they traveled a day’s journey before He was even missed. In this dangerous hour that we live in, we would never assume our children were with someone else. We would make the proper arrangements, and take all of the precautions to see that our child was in the best of hands.
Well, these parents loved their child, too, and must have made all of the necessary preparations. Yet, after making sure the bundles were secured to the camels and donkeys, and checking every detail, they still left their most precious possession behind...their son.
On the return to Jerusalem, they had to have been franticly looking everywhere they thought He might have been. Running up and down the narrow streets and through the market place they must have searched every building and back alley.
Stopping strangers, they probably asked, "Have you seen Jesus? Do you know where Jesus is?" They may have asked each other, "When and where was the last time you remember seeing Him? Who was He with? What was He doing? Where
could He be?"
If you are a parent, perhaps you can relate to the helpless feeling of not knowing where else to look, or who to ask. They couldn’t call the FBI. There were Amber Alerts, or milk cartons where they could place the picture of their missing child.
They continued to look for Jesus. “And it came to pass, that after three days they found Him in the temple...” (v.46). THREE DAYS! How incredible that for three days this mom and dad searched, and where did they find Him? In the church!
It seems strange that the church was the last place they looked. Our first thought probably is, "Well, where else would Jesus be, if not IN the church?"
But, allow me to submit to you that the glory has left many lives and many churches because we failed to recognize that Jesus was IN the building. In the midst of the formality of ‘having church’, Jesus has been right there.
He has been there all the time, wanting to reveal His glory, hoping we would step back and give Him free course. But, the spirits of jealousy and envy ("it’s MY turn!" "What about ME?!"), bitterness (some long ago hurt), greed (stopping the move of God to continue with the ‘program’), and more have prevented us from seeing Jesus.
Mary and Joseph took care of the business of travel. They were doing all of the necessary things, and just
assumed Jesus was with them, but how wrong they were.
Lord, help your people to lay aside personal agenda so that we might see You!!
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