Advent Part 17: Joseph loses God’s son!
Luke 2:41-45 (NLT)
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.
Dear God,
Before we get to the part where they find Jesus, I want to just sit with Joseph and Mary for these couple of days when Jesus was lost. After all these years. After the angel visits/warnings. After the flight to Egypt. After returning tentatively to Galilee and Nazareth. Now, thinking that everything had calmed down, Jesus was lost! I am sure they must have had other kids by now. Did they take those kids with them to look for Jesus, or did they let them go back to Nazareth with their friends and relatives? But forget all that for a moment. Jesus was lost!
As they traveled during the day, slept at night (which I’m sure was fitful sleep at best), what were their conversations like with each other? What were their prayers to you? Were they repenting to you for not keeping a closer eye on him? Were they beseeching you for his safety? Were they trying to figure out where to even start looking for him? Were they afraid that he had been finally found and killed by whomever the king was at the time?
Being a father (and mother) is rife with moments like this, although maybe not to this level, since Joseph knew this boy was your son. As a parent, you know you have messed up. You know that you have done the wrong thing for your child. You know they are in danger, and you did not adequately protect them. You are scared for them. It can be overwhelming.
And as a child you never really appreciate what your parent is experiencing. I am at a point now, with my children being childless adults, that I know there are certain things they just will not get until they are parents themselves. And being parents will give them deeper insights into you and into my wife and me. Sometimes experience is the only thing that can teach us. In this case Jesus was about to learn a lesson in how to bless his parents.
Father, help me to be at peace with my parenting mistakes. Help me to extend grace to my children. Help them to extend grace to me. Help me to reach out and love you as my own father. As much as I am able, I truly appreciate what you do for me.
I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Amen
