Belonging To What?

This is the fifth in a series of blogs about Luke 2:1-52.

Your child is lost, you have spent a long time looking for your child, and finally you find him or her. What is your response? relief, anger, frustration, confusion, love…maybe all of them in some form or another, but most likely a lot of emotional mixture.

Without sounding too pious, in this circumstance, we must remember Who this Child is and what His parents have been chosen to do. We are not Joseph and Mary. But under these circumstances looking for our lost child, would that negate having a concerned ‘loving’ response when we found our child? I assume that many of us would be ticked off, and find it very hard to be loving. Is that true of all of us? Probably not; but I would hope that we could have a loving response; at least somewhat of a loving response. But under the emotional stress of looking for our ‘missing’ child, most of us don’t know how we would respond. Do you?

Can you imagine what it might have been like realizing that you didn’t know where Jesus, the ‘Son of God’, was, the One, who had been committed to your up bringing?

Let’s remember what the angel of the Lord had told each of them some 13 years earlier.

Matthew 1:20 (TLV) “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miriam (Mary) as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Rusch ha-Kodash (the Holy Spirit). She will give birth to a son and you shall call His name Yeshua; for He will save His people from their sin.” (inserts mine)

Luke 1:30-33 (TLV) the angel spoke to her, “…do not be afraid, Mariam (Mary), for you have found favor with God. Behold you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you shall call His name, Yeshua. He will be great and will be called Ben-Elohim (the Son of God). Adonai Elohim (the Lord God) will give Him the throne of David, His father. He shall reign over the house of Jacob for all eternity, and His kingdom will be without end.” (inserts mine).

No pressure, right?

Both of them were probably really afraid. Where is the angel when you need him?

Jesus is ‘Becoming’. As I shared in the previous blog, God is ‘presenting’ His Son in the Temple. God, the Father, is giving Jesus, His ‘Bar Mitzvah”. Jesus has become according to the Torah (Law) a ‘son of the commandment’. Jesus is also now entering into ‘Belonging’, ‘Belonging’ to what? He is ‘Belonging’ to the Jewish nation of Israel as One responsible for His own actions and the keeping of the Torah.

This ‘Belonging’ has been directed by God, His Father, according to the Torah in the presence of the scholars/teachers of the Torah in the Temple. I would like to say that this is a ‘special’ moment for the Father in the life of His Son, Jesus.

verse 46 says, that Jesus’ parents “found Him sitting in the center of the teachers listening to them and asking them questions.” Jesus is exercising His wisdom interacting with the teachers of the Torah. Do you think that Mary and Joseph recognized this as a special moment in the life of Jesus?

Before answering that, I would like to share a thought that I cannot prove.

I wonder if any of the teachers involved in this encounter with Jesus, when He was twelve years old, were present in Jerusalem, listening to Him, when He, as an adult, was teaching in the Temple during His ministry? Consider this ‘aha’ moment: “I remember Him… He was… 12… we were in the Temple… He was sitting in the center…we were encircled around Him… we were talking back and forth…suddenly His parents showed up and…

verse 47 (TLV) records the reaction of the Temple scholars, “and all those hearing Him were astonished at His understanding and His answers.” That same amazement was paramount throughout His entire adult life. All who heard Him were amazed. Why were they amazed? They had a difficult time comprehending the depth of the conversation that was happening between them and Jesus. It was the ‘wisdom’ that He accumulated during His formative years .

I see, sitting before the teachers of the Torah, a well behaved, good looking, young boy who spoke like no other 12 year old they had ever encountered before and ‘the favor of God was upon Him’.

What we do not know is the pattern of formal education that Jesus has had as a Child growing up. But, I believe that it is safe to conclude that Joseph made sure that Jesus’ education as a Child was handled properly according to the Torah and to the educational opportunities available in Nazareth. His education provided the back round and the input that became His wisdom.

Deuteronomy 6:4-8 says, TLV

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I am commanding you today, are to be on your heart. You are to teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when to lie down and when you rise up. Bind theme as a sign on your hand, they are to be as frontlets between your eyes, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Part of the mystery of the Incarnation is stated by Paul in Philippians 2:5-8(TLV), “Have this attitude in yourselves, which also was in Messiah Yeshua, Who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal to God a thing to be grasped. But He emptied Himself–taking on the form of a slave, becoming the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself–becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

At this time, all, I want to reflect upon is what does this mean in terms of His ‘wisdom’ as a Child? As God, He is omniscient; but, He emptied Himself of His prerogatives as God. What does that mean in real life, having been born as a Baby and then in the process of growing up as a Child? This is unknown to us.

I sought to find out what Jewish education consisted of at the time of Jesus’ Childhood. There was a lot to read. In short, the father is responsible for his children’s education. There were centers for learning; and there was a time table of education based upon the child’s age. Restating what I said earlier, I think that it is safe to conclude that Joseph made sure that his children’s education was properly taken care of, and that included Jesus.

Two blogs ago, I encouraged readers to read Luke 2:41-50 and consider the question why could, what has been described in this passage, been difficult for Jesus’ mother and father to comprehend?

Let me begin restating, I believe that since the family’s return from exile in Egypt, having been sent there to avoid Herod’s rampage to kill Jesus, they had lived a quiet, respectful, ‘normal’ life in Nazareth. I conclude this based upon Luke 2:39-42. However, we must consider this: that because of the special events surrounding the birth of Jesus, it seems reasonable to assume that His parents must have anticipated a time when things would change; the problem was not knowing when that change would occur and under what circumstances.

We, too, as parents know that a time comes when changes take place in the dynamics of our family life as our children grow up.

Guess what? The time for change has come, according to the Torah. Now that His Son has turned twelve, God, the Father, is moving His Son, Jesus forward, governed by the Torah. Jesus goes to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover traveling with His parents and stays behind to speak with the teachers of the Torah. His parents discover Him missing; like normal parents, they panic; and trace their steps backward to Jerusalem. And finally they find Him. Now what?

What is His parent’s response?

verse 48 (TLV): “When His parents saw Yeshua (Jesus), they were overwhelmed (KJV-amazed; NKJV-astonished)” “and His mother said to Him, Child, why did you do this to us? (inserts mine)

Question: Is this comment a negative confrontation by His mother? “Look! Your father and I were searching for you frantically (TLV)” (KJV-sorrowing; NKJV-anxiously). (insert mine)

I am not a theologian. I have not studied Greek. But as a parent, I think I hear exasperation; at least, surprise. In essence I hear Mary saying, “Jesus you’ve never treated us this way before.” Do you sense what I am sensing as a parent? Many years ago I wrote a note to myself in my Bible about this passage, wondering if, at this moment, Mary had forgotten, “What she had pondered in her heart” (Luke 2:19) (TLV), 12-13 years earlier, when Jesus was born, and she was holding Him, wrapped in swaddling clothes on that first night in a stable.

Looking up the definition of the word ‘frantically’, it means “distraught with fear, anxiety or other emotion; it also means in a hurried, excited and chaotic way.” (Oxford Collegiate Dictionary) . I conclude that Mary and Joseph reacted like normal parents, having been pushed to the edge emotionally, very anxious and distraught because their Child has been missing for three days.

In the KJV, it says, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.” (emphasis mine)

In the NKJV, it says, “Son, why have you done this to us? Look! your father and I have sought You anxiously.” (emphasis mine)

In the TLV, it says, Child, why did you do this to us? Look! Your father and I were searching for You frantically.” (emphasis mine)

Question: Was this confrontation private, or in front of the scholars of the Torah? Did His mother and father walk into center of the circle and confront their Son? I don’t know for sure but just reading verses 46-48 (TLV), and taking the verses at face value, it appears to me likely that may have happened.

I do not know what the Greek tenses are.

Follow this thought: “After three days they found Him in the Temple sitting in the center of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all those who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Yeshua (where was He? He was sitting in the center of the teachers), they were overwhelmed. And His mother said to Him (no indication of movement by Jesus to His parents or vice-versa; therefore, it appears that Mary interrupted the proceedings) “Why did you do this to us?” ” (I suggest Mary, seeing her Son, impulsively interrupted what she saw before her, and blurted out her question. Rude, yes; but I do not think it is totally out of the question.) (inserts mine)

But we do know how Jesus responded as a twelve year old ‘Bar Mitzvah’. I used that designation on purpose. His mother (TLV) called Him Child. Other translations use Son. He is most assuredly a Son, especially The Son; I wonder if His mother still considered Him a Child? I am assuming that the translators of the TLV know that meaning of ‘Child’ is an appropriate translation for the Greek word used. The word ‘Son’ (Strong’s Concordance) means child, daughter, son. So, I am back to my original question, does His mother still consider Jesus as a Child in her eyes, when in reality, He is 12, and according to the Torah, Bar Mitzvah, now an Adult Son? Let’s let the event do the talking.

The dynamics of this Divine Intervention by Jesus’ Father having His Son interact with the teachers of the Torah in the Temple has caused an ’emotional upheaval’ in the life of Jesus’ parents. Jesus’ ‘Belonging’ is undergoing transition. But doesn’t that happen to all parents as they go through experiences that affect their relationships with their children? Discernment is required for letting go; especially knowing when is the right time and how to let go.

So, I will conclude this section with another question.

If Mary considers her Son still a Child, what does that tell us about how Mary envisions her Son at this moment in her life? in her heart?

TBC, a journeyer in Christ, deo

Part 5