DAY ELEVEN | Luke 2:42-52 by Abigail

“His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that 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 astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

My Father’s business…

I have always found this story so encouraging. When I was younger, I was always wanting to make a difference. I was continually impatient to be older, so that I could do something important. One day, I decided to go on to my Bible app and search it, to try to find a story that I had heard my mom and dad talking about. When I found this passage, it made me hopeful to hear that Jesus already was doing important things before he was an adult.

When the Bible said, “So it was that 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 astonished at His understanding and answers.” I‘ve always liked this story because I felt like I could relate to it. Since I was a young child, I have really enjoyed engaging in conversations about Scriptures with other people.

Today, when I read it, I see the same encouraging thing as I did when I was younger, but I also see something more. This time, I got to the part, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?,” I was so confused! I had never seen it before! It was like someone added that phrase to the Bible.

I was astonished that somehow I had missed that Jesus had been going about His Father’s business, even when He was young. I had remembered reading about Him saying that before when Jesus talked about doing this in His later years, but it didn’t click that that was something He had always known that He was born to do.

From the time He was young, Jesus paid attention to what He saw the Father was doing. That is how He said that He did all of the miracles. In fact, He was doing His Father’s business when He gave His life for us so that we can become children of God.

We can follow Jesus in paying attention to the Father’s business. I had realized this before, but I had never put two and two together that we are called to live like this. I think that it is one of the BIGGEST ways we can look like Him.

Jesus lived His life looking at the Father. That was his plan for changing the world – nothing more and nothing less. Every day he asked his Daddy, “What are we going to do today?” And as Jesus did that, He changed the world.

That plan of, “What are you doing, Daddy?”, honestly seemed a bit small and weird to me as I thought about it. I thought, “Of course we should ask God about our plans and pray about what we want to do. But Jesus, this seems way too easy to be how I can change the world.”

I mean, I had always talked to Jesus. He was the best friend I had, and I would ask Him about my big decisions and other things. I even did it in the every day. But that just seemed WAY too simple. And as I thought about it some more, it made more and more sense. God’s heart’s desire is for His children to do life with Him, like every good father does.

But as I began to talk to Jesus in this way, I have found myself having more “world changing” things happen. I also found more of my dreams coming true, just out of doing life intentionally with Jesus. I am learning Jesus’s world changing plan to be quite effective. I am still learning how to do life with God as my father every day, and am still adjusting to the new (and better) plan for being an effective world changer.

I am thanking God for bringing me other people who have that as their plan too, and are being active in their walk with our Father. God is showing me that He wants me to do His more effective life plan and not my stressed over idea of what my life should look like. I pray that as you seek after Jesus, that like Him, you will be able to do our Father’s business and change the world just by seeking out God’s plan by asking Him what He wants to do today.

JOURNALING QUESTIONS // LINK TO PLAYLIST

Examine – How would you describe what this passage reveals about the life of Jesus?

MindShift – Is there anything about what you read in this passage that challenges the way you think about what it means to follow Jesus?

Prayer Focus – Is there any prayer that you can pray to co-operate with Holy Spirit to see your mind renewed to become more like Jesus?