Love of a Parent

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Gospel reading for today is Luke 2:41-52 with a focus on verses 51-52 – Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.    And Jesus increases in wisdom and years, and in divine and human favour.

One of the greatest joys in life is parenthood. Granted not everyone gets to experience such joy. However, being in the presence of young people and seeing babies grow to adulthood is an amazing thing. Danielle and I have been blessed with two wonderful children who are now adults.  We have had the opportunity to watch them flourish and enrich the lives around them. Sure it hasn’t been all roses but the good far outweighs those moments. As a parent, we have had to adapt our styles over time. From being a doer, shower and teacher to that of an advisor. Or in Danielle’s case, peacekeeper. All the while hoping that they don’t make the same mistakes as we did along the way and have a better life than we experienced.

However, with the gift of parenthood comes great responsibility. Our actions and behaviours, both good and bad, tend to influence those around us. The old saying “an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is correct in more ways than one. Whether we like it or not children tend to become the people they are closest to. Those little quirks become part of the tapestry of their character.

The gospel reading gives us an insight into Jesus as he moves from being a child into adulthood. We hear about those who influenced his life such as his parents, teachers and community. And how those influences shape the person that he becomes, his mission and how from humble beginnings, his ministry grew and flourished. 

We pick up the text today with Mary and Joseph returning from the Passover Festival. Nothing unusual. Something that all faith-filled Jewish people would have done back in the day. Some suggest that Mary and Joesph’s annual pilgrimage demonstrates a level of piety. That they were doing it just to be seen or because they had to. We know that Mary and Joseph would have been aware that Jesus was special. We are told in Luke’s account that Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel who said:

 “you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”  (Luke 1:31-33)

Based on this I would suggest that Mary and Joseph’s actions were that of dutiful parents. Being strong in the Jewish faith, they wanted to expose Jesus to ‘proper’ teaching for him to fulfil his calling.

The next part made me think that Mary and Joseph had failed as parents. How could they lose the Messiah? However, we are told by Luke that it is normal for a child to be away from his parents and travel with other people in the community. Not to mention the travelling party would have been quite a large group. Mary and Joseph would have thought that Jesus probably would have been hanging out with his friends. If you have ever been camping with a group of friends like we have, children tend to find kids of similar age and just have fun. Spend the day doing stuff. So this situation is not as unusual as we initially think.

Then the realization kicks in that they have lost their child. We travel with Mary and Joseph on their emotional rollercoaster ride as they try to locate Jesus. Luke emphasises this point by stating:

“When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (Luke 2:48)

Mary exhibits the emotions that every normal, loving and caring parent would. She anxiously searched for her lost son and was overwhelmed to find him. An emotion of frustration and anger that turns to that of relief and love.

There is an assumption here though. That Jesus was “lost.” Luke notes that after Jesus is located, he retorts with “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). It is as if Jesus is saying, “you shouldn’t be surprised, you know who I am. You know I need to spend time with my Father.” Jesus isn’t talking about his earthly father but “Our Father who art in Heaven.” He wasn’t lost at all. He was at home in his father’s house.

And what is Jesus found doing at the temple? He is surrounded by teachers, listening learning, and growing in knowledge. The exact thing that any loving parent would have wanted to see from their child. And to everyone’s amazement, Jesus was excelling. As Luke 2:47 recounts “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” Jesus was demonstrating knowledge beyond his years. A knowledge that was gifted from his Heavenly Father, brought into the world by his earthly Mother and nurtured by the people around him.

And from this platform, we see the boy transition to manhood. To take the initial step towards His calling. To be the Messiah, the single sacrifice for one, for all. As we read a little further, we are told by Luke that Jesus goes on to grow his Ministry, a “Kingdom [which] will never end” (Luke 1:33).  That Jesus “went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:51-52).

If we take a step back to the Old Testament reading for today we are introduced to the story of Samuel. In looking at these stories, we can draw parallels between Samuel, Jesus Christ and their parents.  Between their stories and ours. We know that Samuel is a child of Hannah and Elkanah. He becomes a great prophet and is supported by God in establishing Kings. He unites the tribes under the one kingdom. We are told in 1 Samuel 2:26 that “the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with people.” Samuel was supported by nurturing parents who encouraged and provided the best for him. Just as Mary and Joseph did for Jesus. A wonderful parallel that Luke portrays about Jesus in today’s Gospel reading.

And it is through the characters in the Bible we draw meaning. We can take a moment to reflect on our character. The flaws and imperfections and how they impact us and those around us. That despite our sinful nature we have an opportunity for justification through humble repentance. That there are good examples for us to follow. One that exhibits patience, kindness and love. And that despite the evil and brokenness in the world around us we can trust that God is working in all things for our good. God is working to oppose the proud and exalt the humble.

Friends we are called to reflect Jesus in the world around us today. Just like the loving parents of Mary and Joseph or Hannah and Elkanah, we are encouraged to build people up around us. We are called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and his saving redemption. To shine a light of hope to those that we walk beside. To point the way to salvation, through our words, behaviours and actions. Just as Jesus did in his Ministry and Mission.

How do we do this? Well, we are blessed with the truth of the Bible. A personal instruction book. A tapestry of stories and characters that allow us insight into how they lived. And as we look back on our forefathers, we can learn from their mistakes. We can harness the knowledge and wisdom. And reflect the good into the world around us.

In the Epistle reading, Paul writes to the people at Colossae about how they should interact with each other. He writes about how we behave and how little things can have a huge impact on those around us. Paul says:

“clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14)

Mary and Joseph are glorious examples of loving parents. They were invested in their child’s growth. They were diligent in exposing Jesus to Jewish traditions and the finest teachers. To set him on the path to success. But today’s story is bigger than Mary and Joseph. It’s bigger than the boy Jesus who reconciles the world with God. Today’s story is about a community. That despite being the Son of God, Jesus needs a community of people around him. A community of parents, teachers and travellers. All minor characters with meaningful roles. And it is through this web of interaction that we see him grow and flourish. We see Jesus allowing himself to be nurtured and in turn, nurture those around him. A care so great that it takes him all the way to the cross.

Dear friends, we are part of the community in today’s story. We are sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. We have been adopted into our Heavenly Father’s family. And it is in this family we are encouraged to extend the hand of grace to everyone. No matter how small.  From the greatest to the least we are called to inspire people to live a purposeful life. To grow together in Christ. To bear with each other and build each other up. To be a living vessel, an example of his light, reflecting love in the world around us. A love that binds us together in perfect unity.

Amen.

Let us pray. Lord God, our heavenly Father. Thank you for surrounding us with good examples to follow.  May we humbly grow in your favour, bearing good fruit and sharing the good news with those who don’t know you.  Amen.

Garth Schultz