Dear Christian friends:

When our grandson was five years old he went Christmas shopping with his aunt, our daughter. In one of the stores they came near a man on crutches with only one leg. Our grandson was somewhat shocked who had never seen a one-legged man before poked his aunt and asked, "What's going on here? Is he the bad guy?"

Even at his tender age our grandson knew that one-legged men do not really belong in an ideal and perfect world. He sensed that something was tragically wrong.

Also we adults, although we have become hardened and calloused to many adversities, are from to time shocked and bewildered, disoriented and discouraged by the bad things we see happening to others and to ourselves and our loved ones. We, too, with little Jeffery, may ask, "What's going on here?"

In our text, which is the Gospel Lesson for today, no one seems to know what's going on either. The teachers in the temple are amazed at the boy Jesus because of His understanding of the Holy Scriptures. His parents, Mary and Joseph, don't understand Him at all when He excuses His obedience and in effect scolds them by asking, "Why were you searching for Me? Don't you know I had to be in My Father's house?"

While no one seems to have a clue about what is going on, thank God one person does and that person is Jesus. He knew what was going on then and He knows what is going on now.


Jesus knows what is going on, and what needs to happen. Even at the young age of twelve years Jesus knew what was going on. He knew about sin and the curse of sin. He had experienced lying and cheating on the part of His playmates. He had seen jealousy, pride, anger and hatred; meanness and cruelty. He had seen the curse of sin in nature: thorns and thistles, diseased plants and trees, and unproductive soil. He had seen it also in men subject to diseases, sicknesses and death.

From the Scriptures, which He already knew well through diligent study, He knew about eternal death and eternal damnation. But, thank God, He knew also about His heavenly Father's amazing grace and His plan of salvation for our sinful world.

Most of all, He knew that He, Himself was the plan! He knew that the heavenly Father had sent Him from heaven to earth to take upon Himself the sin and the curse of sin of the whole world that He might suffer God's just wrath on behalf of the world, and so free the world.

Our text tells us that He with His parents had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. Even at the age of twelve Jesus knew that the sacrificial Passover Lamb was merely a type of Himself, that He was to be the real Passover Lamb, "the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

Mary and Joseph should have known this also from the Holy Scriptures and from the angel of the Lord. Mary had been told by Gabriel that she was to be the mother of God's Son, the Messiah, by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:26-38)

And Joseph when he was minded to divorce Mary because he suspected her to be pregnant by some other man, was told by the angel of the Lord in a dream, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you shall give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21) The prophet Malachi had even prophesied that the Lord God Himself would "suddenly come to His temple." (Malichi 3:1)

Mary and Joseph should have known what was going on here, but apparently they forgot or they just didn't really believe it. So Jesus rebukes them, saying,"Why were you searching for Me? Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?" (verse 49) Mary had scolded Him, saying, (read verse 48) Notice the contrast between Mary's, "your father," meaning Joseph, and Jesus', "my father," meaning God! Jesus was reminding them that He is the one and only Son of God, who came in human flesh, to be the Savior of the world.

They really didn't need to worry about His safety. He would not be harmed or die until the appointed time.

Thank God that Jesus knew what was going on here! Thank God that He lovingly reminded Mary and Joseph and the temple teachers! Thank Him also that in reminding them He also today exhorts and reminds us, we who so quickly forget or if we remember have a difficult time really believing such wonderfully good news, that God would give His one and only Son that we may not perish etc.

Jesus also knows what is going on in our individual personal lives, and He knows what needs to happen with us so that the Father's will for us may be done although this may cause us a of distress and pain. This was true in the case of Mary and Joseph here in the text.

When Jesus deliberately stayed behind in the temple and let Mary and Joseph travel a whole day's journey on the way home to Nazareth He certainly caused them a great deal of physical, emotional and spiritual pain.

In the evening when they realized that He was not in the company of travelers, as they had supposed, they must have been frantic and distressed. They no doubt felt that they were failures as parents and experienced a lot of guilt. They may have also blamed each other for the failure and for the resulting crisis. They probably also experienced a few sleepless nights since it took them three days to find Him.

While this crisis that Jesus allowed to happen was most distressful and painful for Mary and Joseph, Jesus and His heavenly Father felt that it was necessary for their eternal welfare and blessing. Their faith needed a jolt and a revival. And God in His love and mercy allowed it to happen.

In a similar loving way Jesus sometimes deals with us, allowing certain adversities and calamities to overtake us that we might be disciplined.

The Bible says to us who are God's dear children: "My son; do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

In the depths of our being disciplined by the Lord we may not realize what is going on, but Jesus does! He is in control at all times, in good times and in bad. (Use illustration here!) (Tell of Aunt Christine losing here right forearm in an auto accident.) Really, there are no accidents, just incidents.

Thank God that Jesus always knows what's going on. He knew here in our text; He knew when He later went to the cross and the tomb; and He knows what is going on in our lives today, and He is able and willing to do the Father's will on our behalf for our eternal blessing. We need to be patient, to submit and believe!

Amen.