Saint Luke's United Methodist Church, Washington D.C.

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January 01, 2006

Growing Up

I Samuel 2:18 – 20, 26

Luke 2:41 – 52

Text: "Jesus was in the temple. Sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them question; . . ." . . . Luke 2:46

Family life comes into focus this time of year. We are reunited in many ways through phone calls and visits. You know how it goes, when you go home you are the children of your parents. When they come here, they are known as your parents. The definition of who they are is determined on who is the visitor and who is the visitee.

People who at one time instrumental in shaping and defining the very persons we are now no longer seem to be as present in our ongoing living. The rest of the year, those parts of our extended family move into the background and become relatively insignificant parts of our everyday lives.

But this time of year suddenly reminds us of how important, indeed, the family unit is and we rediscover all over again how fundamental that shaping and defining was and how it really does play a part in our everyday lives.

This morning we get a glimpse on something we don't often see in the Bible – and that is how children were brought up, and how they were raised. The first is with Samuel, the second the pre-adolescent Jesus.

Young Samuel did not live with his parents, but in the sanctuary at Shiloh, the home of the Ark of the Covenant and probably the major worship center among the tribes of Israel. There, he, from time to time, under old priest Eli's supervision, carried out priestly functions in preparation to be the chief priest of Israel. Hannah, Samuel's mother, would only see him rarely, and each year she would bring him a robe – and she would receive a blessing from Eli. Samuel, we are told, "continued to grow in stature and in favor with the lord and with people." (I Samuel2:26)

The story of Jesus as a young child is more familiar to us. And it ends with a very similar line in the Samuel passage, "And Jesus grew in years, and in wisdom, and in favor with other people and with God."

There are, however, other things that we can glean from these passages, particularly the story of Jesus' growing up.

We welcome this story of Jesus when he was twelve – it is, after all, the only glimpse we get at some of the details of what it was like growing up in the Holy Family. And we welcome this story, because, well . . . quite frankly it reveals some warts of the Holy Family's life. Today, you see, we find that Joseph and Mary, upon taking their son Jesus to the Passover feast in Jerusalem, seem to have, ummm, . . . errrrr, . . . misplaced him, lost him on the way home. And, because of the proximity to the horrors of the shopping season, we may remember the experiences of either being lost as a child, or if your old enough, losing one of your children or loved ones in the confusion of THE MALL – and we are heartened to know that it happened even to God's favored family. Whew, . . . they are like us, . . . that is – they were imperfect too.

Let's look at some of the background about how and why this happened. Tradition had it that every adult male Jew who lived within 15 miles of Jerusalem must attend the Passover. Well, at least those of us who have had the good fortune to have visited Israel know that Nazareth is much more than 15 miles from Jerusalem – actually, it is about 75 miles away. But in point of fact it was the aim of every Jew in all the world at least once in a lifetime to attend the Passover feast. At any rate the pilgrimage to Jerusalem by the Holy Family was warranted.

Another point to consider for background is that a Jewish boy became a man when he was 12 years of age. Then he became a son of the law and had to take the obligations of the law upon him. So at age 12, Jesus, for the first time, went to the Passover.

When his parents set out to return to Nazareth – a journey of about 4 or 5 days, Jesus lingered behind, and it was three days before his parents discovered He was missing. Our first reaction must be – "some close knit family this was!" And yet, it was not necessarily through carelessness that they did not miss Him.

First of all, to travel from Jerusalem back to Nazareth in Galilee, caravan traveling was most important, for it involved traveling through the unfriendly region known as Samaria. The caravan would provide mutual protection from roadside robbers (remember the story of the Good Samaritan?), or just the hostility they would experience traveling through this region.

Furthermore, women in a caravan usually started out much earlier than the men for they traveled more slowly. The men started out later and traveled faster and the two sections would not meet until the place of the evening encampment was reached. And since it was Jesus' first Passover there is reason for Joseph to think that such a young child would be traveling with His mother. Likewise, because this did mark Jesus entrance into adulthood, it was reasonable for Mary to think that Jesus would be with Joseph. And not until the two parts of the caravans got together did they discover that He was missing.

With that background in mind, I have three (quick) points.

1. Perhaps the main point of this story is the difficulty that is revealed about knowing just who this Jesus is. Despite all the pronouncements to Mary about Jesus' divinity – they go back to the annunciation, Mary's own song that we have come to call the Magnificat and the revelations at the birth by the angel – Luke writes, Mary and Joseph "did not understand what [Jesus] was saying to them." This only underscores the difficulty of understanding who Jesus is – even now.

But that should come as no surprise to anyone who has or is raising children. Just when we think we have our own children's likes and dislikes, their pattern of behavior down pat; along comes a surprise, and we find ourselves wondering, if indeed, if we do really know these people who reside in our house.

To be sure, Jesus may have posed some different problems to His parents. But just when we think we have this family thing down pat – we find out that our family is too small. When Mary and Joseph finally discovered Jesus in the temple, He calmly said to them, "You should have known that I would be in My Father's house."

Can you hear Joseph? As a father, I surely can. "You little twit, my house is back in Nazareth where You are learning the building business – now get your feet moving, and this time stay with us!"

But there is a different concept of family that we need to understand. And that is being part of the family of God. One of the great features of this small, intimate church is that we have a sense of family-ness. And we all are drawn together by the eternal compassionate parent Whom we call God.

2.) The second point I wish to make is that the growth process involves letting go.

One of the beautiful things about the nativity Story is the down-to-earth human element. There were no special favors for the Holy Family – in fact, Jesus was barn in an animal barn or a cave. It had to be scary, awkward for those young parents. And now we jump 12 years and find them still dealing with the same things you and I deal with in our families – past, present, and future. A child chooses to do something he wasn't supposed to do – and even if it was to spend three days at church with the ministers, it didn't diminish the fact of the young Jesus' disobedience.

And that's the strength of our faith – it meets us right smack in the middle of our lives. Family conflicts, disagreements about priorities, disappointments, are all a part of who we are – and this is where God, Who is called Emmanuel, "one-with-us" – meets us.

But the story doesn't end with Jesus following along in tow as a punished child Who is getting His just due. The "letting go" process is revealed here. When Jesus was found, the answer He gave to His mother was a very calm, "Why are you searching for Me? Didn't you know I must be in My Father's house?" Despite the frantic-ness of His parents, Jesus was calm, He knew where He belonged. It is the beginning of the process of discovering Who He was. And what He wanted to do. It's an awkward time for both parents and child as this happens. Kahil Gibran wrote in The Prophet these words which might help us:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

2. My third point is somewhat unrelated to the other two, yet one that has been of keen interest to me ever since my college philosophy professor, Jose Franquiz said, "You wisdom will be revealed more by your questions than by your answers." Indeed, our questions do reveal our wisdom.

I have been, for a long time, fascinated by the two verses (46 and 47) that read, "Jesus was in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were astounded at his understanding and His answers."

I get the feeling that Jesus, in those days at the temple did not ask those questions that, when coming from a child, can sometimes be incredibly annoying – especially when they are the one word questions, "Why?" "What?"

Instead, Jesus was growing up, and through his questions, He was demonstrating enormous understanding and wisdom, even at the age of twelve. It is not something uncommon to us. We see it happen almost every week during the children's sermons with the responses from the children to the questions that are posed.

But even as we grow into our more sophisticated years, we soon discover that asking the right questions is more valuable than being able to give trivial answers. It is our questions that direct us in the search for knowledge. And when stumped, it is our questions that begin to be our guide on the way out. Questions are the doors that can open us to new understanding, answers are the walls. Questions are dynamic, seeking movement. Answers are static.

And hopefully, this is the lesson to be learned from today's lesson about our faith. Our faith is dynamic, it helps us as we go through the ever-changing experience known as everyday life. As life goes on some things we find that we need to let go of. At other times, usually in the midst of change and turmoil, we discover that we have great difficulty knowing just Who is this Jesus the Christ. But through it all, our faith will be there, and Jesus, the young adult, gives us an example of how to get through – it is often not with answers, but with questions.

Questions that arise right out of our life's experiences.

Questions that find their home to be in our Father's house.

A final footnote. It is reassuring that this story of Jesus concludes on a very positive note. "Then Jesus went down with them to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother Mary carefully kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in years, and in wisdom, and in favor with other people and with God."

Even the holy Family experienced its moments of less than perfect life.

Whew!

For through it all, the family unit prevailed, and another child grew. Jesus, never denying his humanity, was obedient to His earthly parents. And we read that Mary was able to keep these moments of growth in her heart.

Indeed, in the midst of our living, we are met with common problems, and discover, once again, there is hope . . . for our children.