Jesus at the Temple; Journey with Jesus into a New Year
David W Palmer
(Luke 2:43 NKJV) 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.
As we draw near to the end of the passages about Jesus’s birth and childhood, we come to this story that is perfect for us as we contemplate a new year in God. It began with a routine journey—one his parents took him on every year:
1. A Routine Journey
(Luke 2:41–42 NKJV) His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. {42} And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them, and went on the same journey every year. For them, it was routine; they went annually to Jerusalem according to the “custom” of the Feast. This is like our weekly routine of attending church, or our journey through each year leading up to Christmas—the customary annual festival of much of the world, which leads directly into our new year.
Jesus’s family did this as a habitual routine, and nothing unexpected happened for the first decade. Perhaps like them, you have been journeying into each new year just as you have in the past—having Jesus with you. And of course, Jesus will never leave or forsake us, but …
2. A Journey without Jesus
(Luke 2:43 MSG) When it was over and they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it.
Suddenly, without suspecting it was even possible, Joseph and Mary found themselves in a very embarrassing and alarming situation; they had wandered away from Jesus. After the annual celebration (a bit like our annual Christmas festivities), they embarked on a new year’s journey. Somehow, they just assumed that Jesus would be with them as he had been every year for the previous decade; but he wasn’t.
What’s even more indicting is that “his parents didn’t know it.” They headed out into their new year on what they thought was a routine trip, only to find that they were on a journey into a new year without Jesus. (Naturally for us, Jesus is always with us. This story simply helps us see that it’s possible to embark on visions, journeys, or endeavors that Jesus is not in.)
3. A Journey Seeking Jesus
(Luke 2:44 NKJV) But supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
Like many of us, Jesus’s parents assumed that he was in the crowd they were travelling with. When they realized that he wasn’t with them, they began to seek him. Unalarmed at first, they began to look for him among their relatives and friends. Perhaps their assumption and thinking was: “Surely someone has taken the responsibility to ensure that Jesus is with us where we are headed this year.”
We can all find it too easy to leave it to someone else to have sought for Jesus, found his vision for the year, and ensured that we are going where he is going.
(Luke 2:45 NKJV) So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
This is where the story gets interesting and very personal; this is where it really hits home for all of us.
The “crowd” they were travelling with readily reported that Jesus wasn’t with them. In other words, they were all heading into their new year on a different journey to Jesus—one without personal intimacy and his manifest presence. But even though they were aware of this, they simply and unwisely kept going. Let’s not fall for either trap; let’s not simply assume he’s in the crowd; and let’s not keep going with our routine despite discovering that it’s not the journey Jesus is on. If we continue, we would surely be getting further and further away from our closeness with him, his grace for us, and his full blessing.
