THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FINDING OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.

In Luke we come across the story of how Mary and Joseph having went with Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the Passover with friends and relations started the journey home and thought Jesus was with them.   After a day's journey they found he had been left behind and went back to Jerusalem to search for him and it took three days before they found him in the Temple sitting with the adults and discussing scripture and all were amazed at his knowledge for he was only 12 years old.    "Why did you do this to us"  Mary rebuked him "we have been searching for three days"   "Why did you search for me" he replied "Did you not know I would be in my Father's House"

Something very special had happened.   Since she had given birth to Jesus, Mary was dealing with just another child like every other child.   He would play with them, laugh with them, help Joseph in the workshop, just another good little boy being loved and loving his parents.    After 12 years perhaps Mary had forgotten who he was, and we do not know how the nature of God interacted with the nature of Man in this one person, but now he had brought Mary back to reality by telling her that he now knew who he was.   God was His Father.   And he with his understanding of scripture knew of his future.    John the Evangelist now tells us that he went down with them until they came to Nazareth and then he was obedient to them.  John wrote this because he knew the significance of the now God child obeying human parents.   And Mary 'pondered these things in her heart' for she knew the baby and boy had gone and her relationship with Jesus had entered a new phase, she would now have to love him as God and prepare him for his mission and death, and the suffering she would face.

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