Grace to Mature

I read today from Luke 2, seeking to prepare my heart and mind for this Christmas season.  The end of the chapter relates the story of Jesus (age 12) and his parents going to Jerusalem for the Passover feast.  At the end of the feast Mary and Joseph began the journey back to Nazareth only to discover after a day of traveling that Jesus was not with them.  Have you ever read that passage and gotten a little irritated at what seems to be a lack of consideration on Jesus part?  I have.  I've wrestled with how He could leave his parents hanging out there while they searched with anxiety and concern.  I don't in any way mean to sound blasphemous toward Jesus, but my human mommy heart totally understand the anxiety Mary felt when she discovered Jesus was missing.

I'm sure at one point in your life you've been in a public setting and one or more of your children temporarily go missing.  Usually, they are hiding in the midst of a clothing rack, but think back to the panic you felt when you didn't know where they were for that split second.  Once you find that missing child, relief washes over you and then what comes next?  Anger... anger that they caused you such anxiety.  You give them the talk about staying close to mommy and you tell them not to ever do it again.  Think about that situation... was your child acting in rebellion or silliness?

I recently read an article about one parent's struggle not to make his family an idol.  He talked about how we often react to our child's behavior because they've offended or embarrassed us as a parent.  In reality we care very little about the child's behavior and care a lot about how we will look to our friends, family or fellow Christians.  I know I'm guilty of that.

I think back many years to when I was a girl and my brother a young adolescent adult.  If you knew my brother he was very fun loving, silly at times and in general just loved to have a good time.  He didn't always make the best choices, and so he was often criticized, ostracized and labeled a "bad kid" by some.  But he wasn't acting out of rebellion, just immaturity.  Thankfully, my parents had the grace to allow him to mature.  Today he is the same fun loving person he's always been; he is someone I have a great amount of love and respect for because his heart is so full of love for God and man.  He lives out Luke 10:27...

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

My point is this.... when Jesus stayed back to talk with the teacher's in the temple he wasn't acting out of rebellion to his parents.  Because Jesus was God in the flesh, He too had to learn how to mature.  Luke 2:52 says...

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man."

 

In a nutshell... Jesus had to mature!  As parents, we need to remember to give grace in the midst of immaturity. 

 

My pastor preached a very helpful sermon on this topic this past spring.  If you find yourself wrestling with this passage in Luke 2:39-52, it may be helpful to listen to the sermon here.