This is good. It is like “a favorite Sunday School story.” It is a simple story, down to earth, mundane, and natural. Almost to be expected…
A lost child. Panicked parents. A frantic search. (“Have you seen?”) …missing signs… stapled to telephone poles, milk cartons, Amber alerts, and the whole nine yards. The gospel that starts with angels – ends paging for a lost child on the p. a. system at a local Wal-Mart Store!
I like it!
My thinking is…the background to this text is – remember, Luke wants to write an “orderly account” in the acceptable fashion of the days’ writings. Some say that he is writing for an educated Greek-Roman audience, Gentile, at any rate.
In the Greco-Roman world of the time, biographies usually featured one childhood incident – that was taken to “foreshadow the character of the adult.”
Now, for the record, such honorific biographies would comment on such things as education, nurture and the quality of the mind of the person. This passage from Luke provides that kind of “one-shot-testimony” about Jesus.
We also know from various writings that the twelfth year was a year of separation from the blood family. (Especially from the mother.) Twelve was the year of preparation for coming of age from boyhood to manhood. At this time a boy would normally move from the private sphere and influence of his mother—to the more public sphere of men.
We also know, and I have shared with you before, that travel was always dangerous. That’s why there were caravans. That’s why we had wagon trains. That’s why it was done in groups of family, friends and neighbors. It was for the protection of everyone involved.
To let Mary and Joseph off the hook a little here – traveling together in a group did not require the direct supervision of a 12 year old boy-almost-a-man. So it would not be until the end of the day, when families would gather together for the family meal and for sleeping that an older boy’s absence would even be noticed.
The return to Jerusalem by Jesus’ parents would be risky as they would no longer be with a larger group of travelers. It would also be “shameful” – as it would make public – that their son had not been obedient to them.
You just know it’s a bad day: when you have only been entrusted with one thing-and you blow it!
Seriously, does it get any worse? Could it possibly be any worse, to be entrusted with “the only beloved Son of God” – then, you go ahead and lose him?
Oy!
This had to be somebody’s textbook definition of a “bad day.” Poor Mary and Joseph!
I actually laughed out loud when I thought of some of the parables that Jesus told. Let’s see: There was the lost coin. The lost sheep. And finally, the lost son…or the prodigal son…hmm.
Three days they spent looking for him! Three days! Where did he sleep? What did he eat? Who was he with?
And we should note, he just wasn’t schlepping around with anyone! These were some of the highest credentialed Rabbi’s in the Temple. He is with the wise and the powerful, the knowledgeable. He is with some of the most influential scholars of his day and time. This is cool stuff!
And of course, what I picked up on – is Mary is the spokesperson here…not Joseph! She is the one who “calls him out.” She is the one to ask all the questions…while Joseph meekly and silently takes a back seat to Mary’s parenting.
Sure, in front of these high-faluting Rabbi’s his Mommy has to try and put him in his place.
And that’s where I picked up on it…whenever Jesus seems to be in a tight squeeze or doesn’t seem to like the question that is asked of him – he answers back with another question.
This became his rabbinical style. Please allow me to ask you – just one question first! And it always worked for him.
Hey Mom, didn’t you know that I would be in my father’s house? What gives!
The story ends with great relief! And although it will be a dangerous journey, the family returns home to Nazareth and normalcy. Jesus is obedient and all is cool on the home-front.
For Luke, as for Matthew who wrote before him, it is important to locate Jesus’ birth in circumstances of place and time that anchor him in Israel’s history. His genealogy in Matthew and his close-family ties in Luke are important markers of his humanity. Luke’s Jesus begins life in surroundings that are grubby, poor and human, with two very human parents.
And “the kid” even messes up from time to time – and gives his parents a few grey hairs along the way! Just like we all did!