29 Dec Sunday, December 29, 2024
Jesus increased in wisdom and years, in divine and human favor. How can that be so if Jesus is both fully human and fully God? I suppose that this statement refers only to Jesus’ humanness. As a human, he might have room to increase in both wisdom and years. After all, as a twelve year old human child, the boy Jesus stresses out his parents as any child might. With great anxiety they have feared for his whereabouts.
In Leonardo da Vinci’s painting entitled “The Virgin of the Rocks” baby John the Baptist kneels with folded hands toward his cousin, the baby Jesus. His mother Mary extends an outstretched arm and hand over and above his head as if to intercept acknowledgement of her son as the Messiah. In Leonardo’s mind she may have been conflicted about his role and fate.
I wonder if knowing what she knew about her son’s destiny, whether Mary was overprotective or not as Jesus grew into adulthood. If death would not come until he reached the age of 33, why would she need to be afraid of any harm that could befall him as a child or adolescent? In true adolescent fashion, Jesus began to act differently and follow his own leanings.
Other variables stayed the same. The family still traveled together to the regular place of annual destination, to Jerusalem for the festival of Passover, or to where their family gathered year after year, following tradition. Going went as planned, as usual, but when the festival ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.
Though there was nothing unusual about making the trip, this year’s trip would have a different ending. Jesus began to identify with a group other than his birth family and began to answer a deep yearning to become more than the son of his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. Jesus was called to be about his heavenly father’s business. I love how the Bible describes the humanity of Mary and Joseph by stating, “His parents did not know that he stayed behind and assumed he was in the group of travelers, so they went a day’s journey.”
Knowing this ought to comfort every parent who ever found themselves feeling guilty or wondering why it took so long for them to realize that their child or adolescent’s identity and orientation were changing. An obvious clue to my parents was me starting to not only listen to records by Alice Cooper but me starting to copy his eye makeup as I headed off to high school.
Even Jesus’ parents, people chosen by God to raise his only begotten son, didn’t catch onto what was happening at first, but only after once something real and quite potentially frightening already happened. We can relate to their feelings of panic.
When Simon and Bess were roughly 5 and 7, the movie, “A Bug’s Life” came out. After entering one of five entrances to the Sears store at the mall, the kids wanted to go back and revisit the loaded display of stuffed movie characters we passed by on a big round table near the photo studio. Busy shopping, I reminded them to stay together and not leave the area, or at least that’s what I intended.
But when they came looking for me and I went looking for them, they were not to be found among a display of blue, yellow-green, brown or purple stuffed ants, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. And as we sought to find each other quickly, my panic level only increased since Adam Walsh had already been abducted and we kept missing each other as we circled around and through the Sears store. I appreciate the Bible’s reassurance that I’m not the only one to ever lose a kid in public.
Like Joseph and Mary, I returned to where we last were together and enlisted the help of others in the search. And thank God, it did not take three days as it did in their case. After three days, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Paintings of this scene often make Jesus the central figure as if he was the one doing the teaching, but it is enough for us to learn that he was sitting among them, listening and asking questions of the kind that causes those listening to be amazed at his understanding and answers. Haven’t we all been in a setting where a certain kind of question stands out or makes an impression?
In fact it’s the reason many of us won’t ask questions for fear of looking dumb or ignorant when in fact, asking questions is the only way you can learn what you don’t know. Don’t let any authority figure discourage you. Let Jesus give you courage to ask by knowing that even he wasn’t asking questions trying to impress the teachers. He just wanted to grow in wisdom and knowledge beyond his years, beyond what they were teaching the average twelve year old boy in Nazareth at the Hebrew school.
Especially regarding confusing issues like faith and doctrinal teaching: Ask, ask, ask. Many complex, seemingly taboo subjects require open discussion, debate or at least, being talked about. In times of high stress, emotions peak. When Jesus’ parents see him, they are astonished. His mother says, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.”
Ooo. If only every parent got paid a dollar for times that we make what happens to our children about us, we’d be rich. Have you ever said to yourself or out loud, “What do you mean you decided or chose to…? How could you do this or not do that? Don’t you care or understand how that affects me or me and your father?
Lord, have mercy. Like Mary, I distinctly remember the first time my son Simon refused to do as asked or chose to do something different than asked or expected. Or when my daughter started making decisions for herself rather than do exactly as I hoped or planned for her to do. I’ll admit that the first time and still occasionally, it causes me to pause
But go Jesus. Preach and teach. “Why were you searching for me?” In other words, “What is your real concern?” “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Ouch. That must have been tough for Mary and Joseph to hear Jesus put their role and orientation toward him in true perspective.
This scenario sometimes happens to spouses of adult children in the hospital. The parents of the patient get territorial and claim rights. They don’t want to take a secondary supportive role. They think their needs come first and forget that their child lives in a home that they share with their significant other, spouse and possibly grandchildren. They no longer live at mom or dad’s place. Mom and dad’s needs are not paramount. They must refocus their gaze and see that there only part of a much larger system.
But nonetheless, being the insightful twelve-year old Jesus, who is both fully God and fully human, realized that they do not yet understand nor have the capacity to see the larger plan as he does. He is obedient and goes down with his parents to Nazareth. “His mother treasures all these things in her heart,” which means today’s experience is not lost on her. It may even have been she who wrote the next verse as she realizes that her son, Jesus, is increasing in wisdom and years, in divine and human favor right before her very own eyes.
Mary herself proclaimed this in Luke 1:46b at being told she would bear God’s son, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for you, Lord, have looked with favor on your lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed; you, the Almighty, have done great things for me and holy is your name. You have mercy on those who fear you from generation to generation.”
And of course every Sunday, you hear me say the Revised Standard Version of Numbers 6:24-26 as a benediction. Here’s how the Amplified Bible reads, “May the LORD bless and keep you, that is, [sustain, protect and guard] you; May the LORD make His face to shine on you, that is, [with favor]. May He be gracious to you, that is, [surround you with lovingkindness]; May the LORD lift up his countenance [or face] upon you [with divine approval] and give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].”
Let us pray. Lord, we do ask that you bless and keep us ever mindful of what you aim to accomplish here on earth. Help us not grow weary of responsibility or fear what might happen should we fail to stay vigilant. Most of all, we never want to lose sight of you. Grow our understanding. Increase our wisdom. Look upon us with favor through the eyes of your son, Jesus Christ in whose holy name we pray. Amen.