WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:06.339 So we are on part four of a four-part series. We're looking at the childhood of Jesus. 00:00:06.980 --> 00:00:11.880 We've been spending the last four weeks looking at snapshots of Jesus's childhood. 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:19.120 The writers of the Gospels are showing us these pictures so we can better understand Jesus and his whole mission. 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:26.900 Better, more deeply. We've seen Jesus as an infant. He was brought to the temple by his parents. 00:00:26.899 --> 00:00:30.739 And there was an old man named Simeon and a prophetess named Anna. 00:00:30.919 --> 00:00:41.140 And they both declared him, having this been revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, that this was the Savior, the Redeemer, the Rescuer that God had promised. 00:00:41.659 --> 00:00:50.679 And then two years later, some court astrologers would come all the way from Persia to Bethlehem. 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:57.780 And they brought gifts to this who they read would be king of the Jews. 00:00:58.619 --> 00:01:04.260 And it showed us that Jesus would be a king, that he is a king. 00:01:04.299 --> 00:01:07.519 And he is a king for all nations, not just for one. 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:09.519 And we looked last week. 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:21.539 Very soon after that, Herod was a person who styled himself a king and felt threatened by the presence of this young boy who's been called king of the Jews. 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:29.519 And so he ordered all of the firstborn sons in this area of Bethlehem, ages two and under, to be slaughtered. 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:38.280 And so Jesus and his parents, Mary and Joseph, had to flee as refugees into the land of Egypt. 00:01:40.619 --> 00:01:42.719 Tommy preached on that last week. 00:01:42.759 --> 00:01:46.920 And if you weren't here, I'd highly recommend you checking it out online. 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:52.179 Today we jump ahead ten years to an account when Jesus is twelve. 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:59.560 The family has since returned from Egypt, and they have made their way to Galilee, into a town called Nazareth. 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:02.400 This is a fun passage. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:05.360 It's colorful, it's a little confusing, and it's deep. 00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:09.060 And in looking at it, we're going to learn something about Jesus. 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:13.600 We're going to learn about the Father, and we'll learn a couple things about ourselves. 00:02:13.860 --> 00:02:16.640 So the Son, the Father, and us. 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:19.319 Before we do that, let's pray. 00:02:22.180 --> 00:02:29.099 Father, we would seek to understand you more, Father. 00:02:32.420 --> 00:02:33.960 But you are indescribable. 00:02:37.920 --> 00:02:38.400 Ineffable. 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:49.760 We can't understand you without you revealing yourself to us. 00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:53.879 And so that's why we're praying to you right now. 00:02:53.939 --> 00:02:54.520 We need your help. 00:02:55.760 --> 00:02:57.260 To understand you more deeply. 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:02.180 Not just as an idea or as a concept. 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:04.740 But as a person. 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:07.540 We want to know you as our Father. 00:03:09.379 --> 00:03:11.080 Jesus, we want to understand you. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:13.219 And your mission. 00:03:13.219 --> 00:03:19.199 And in doing so, we ask that you'd help us understand ourselves as well. 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:20.599 We need your help. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:24.280 So we ask your spirit to be here, working in our hearts and in our minds. 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:26.919 Opening our hearts to your word. 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:29.020 Opening your word to our hearts. 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:29.819 This we pray. 00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:31.039 In Jesus' name. 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:31.639 Amen. 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:31.759 Amen. 00:03:33.839 --> 00:03:38.559 So I have to say I was pretty excited when I learned I'd preach on this passage. 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:40.519 About a boy. 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:41.699 When he was 12. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:43.839 Because, yeah, I have a boy. 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:44.439 He's 12. 00:03:44.679 --> 00:03:45.719 I have four boys, actually. 00:03:45.819 --> 00:03:50.379 Jen and I have boys ages 4, 7, 9, and 12. 00:03:50.739 --> 00:03:53.099 And a line that we've repeated over and over. 00:03:53.139 --> 00:03:53.959 Like a liturgy. 00:03:54.519 --> 00:03:55.479 Dozens of times. 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:56.259 A day. 00:03:56.259 --> 00:03:58.739 What were you thinking? 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:00.280 What were you thinking? 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:09.179 Now I see a couple of you who have grown adult sons who are kind of nodding with a bit of schadenfreude. 00:04:09.459 --> 00:04:10.019 Like, yes. 00:04:10.399 --> 00:04:10.759 Yes. 00:04:11.079 --> 00:04:15.620 And I see a number of you who have infant sons who look frightened. 00:04:15.859 --> 00:04:18.879 Well, not frightened enough. 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:19.839 I know what you are. 00:04:20.339 --> 00:04:21.839 I know what you are raising. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:26.039 So let me tell you a few things about boys. 00:04:26.259 --> 00:04:32.000 And some of us might be sensitive to gender distinctions. 00:04:32.259 --> 00:04:35.800 But physiologically, boys are very different than girls. 00:04:36.860 --> 00:04:39.539 There are reasons why they do what they do. 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:44.680 The bodies of boys produce less serotonin than that of girls. 00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:49.279 Serotonin is the hormone that suppresses impulsivity. 00:04:51.579 --> 00:04:52.539 That's true. 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:53.379 Come on. 00:04:53.379 --> 00:04:58.420 Now, combine that with the fact that boys produce more testosterone than girls. 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:01.379 You can see why boys do crazy things. 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:03.860 They act aggressively and impulsively. 00:05:05.219 --> 00:05:07.300 And when they're asked, what were you thinking? 00:05:07.379 --> 00:05:10.939 The most honest response for them is nothing. 00:05:10.939 --> 00:05:14.079 Boys just do. 00:05:14.219 --> 00:05:15.019 They don't think. 00:05:15.100 --> 00:05:16.560 They see a drum and they bang it. 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:18.060 They see a tree and they climb it. 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:19.180 They wonder what it's like to fly. 00:05:19.259 --> 00:05:19.879 And then they jump. 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:24.120 They see their sisters' green nail polish. 00:05:24.220 --> 00:05:26.519 And they think, I could look like the Incredible Hulk. 00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:27.579 So they just paint themselves. 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:28.300 They don't think. 00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:29.100 They just do. 00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:30.600 What were you thinking? 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:30.879 Nothing. 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:35.699 Here's some other differences between girls and boys. 00:05:35.819 --> 00:05:39.740 Girls have 15% more blood flow to their brains than boys. 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:44.920 The occipital lobe of a boy develops more slowly than that of a girl. 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:47.399 Boys have less gray matter than girls. 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:50.060 They have less electrical activity. 00:05:50.899 --> 00:05:53.420 Again, this doesn't seem to surprise any of us here, does it? 00:05:55.019 --> 00:05:58.360 But all of this explains why boys are horrible multitaskers. 00:05:59.259 --> 00:06:01.500 It's why they get fixated on one thing. 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:05.920 It's why they become zombies in front of a TV or a video game. 00:06:07.139 --> 00:06:13.779 It's why they seem to ignore or not hear their mother when the mother is standing right over them calling their name. 00:06:13.840 --> 00:06:14.759 They really don't hear it. 00:06:14.840 --> 00:06:15.439 They can't. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:20.779 Like, they're physiologically not able to process their name because of the way that they're wired. 00:06:21.180 --> 00:06:22.779 Now, I mean, sometimes they're being obstinate. 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:26.600 But really, most of the time, trust me, most of the time they just can't hear. 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:28.519 It's creepy. 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:33.120 Why do I labor all of that about boys? 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:39.500 Well, I tell it to you because of the experience that we find Jesus having when he's 12 years old. 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:42.680 And I think it gives us some background to what's going on. 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:46.680 Being 12, he's almost 13. 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:56.920 The year that Jewish boys become what's called a son of the commandment or a son of the law, a full member of the synagogue, officially a man. 00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:09.500 And just as they had been doing every year, Jesus and his family for the last several years had been traveling from Nazareth down to Jerusalem for the Passover. 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:12.579 And they travel through the region of Samaria. 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:19.639 And they go in a large caravan of lots of other people, which is kind of necessary because the roads are not safe. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.740 Samaria is not a friendly place to Israelites. 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:30.100 It was often customary for the women and the children to be in the front and the men and the older boys to be in the back. 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:45.840 Because Jesus was right on the edge there between boyhood and manhood, you can imagine him bouncing back and forth between the front and the back with his mom, with his dad, and then bouncing around to his cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, family, playing, talking, walking. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:53.779 And they're going to celebrate the feast of the Passover, the biggest event in the trifecta of Jewish holidays. 00:07:54.459 --> 00:07:58.399 They've traveled about 80 miles over four days. 00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:00.500 That's 20 miles a day. 00:08:01.319 --> 00:08:06.379 And at the end, they're ascending the Mount of Jerusalem. 00:08:06.379 --> 00:08:11.680 And there's pilgrims from all over the world that are streaming into the city. 00:08:11.819 --> 00:08:17.759 200,000 people would be packed into this walled city, the time of the Passover. 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:20.120 They pass through the gates. 00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:25.519 And there's all kinds of sights and sounds, smells, many different languages. 00:08:26.459 --> 00:08:28.839 Jews have come over from all over the empire. 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:31.699 It's like a big, giant video game, right? 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:33.000 As far as, like, stimulation. 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:39.100 There's vendors up and down the street, beggars on every corner. 00:08:39.820 --> 00:08:41.320 Every room is rented out. 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.259 The day after they arrive is the day of Passover. 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:48.179 Jesus accompanies his parents to the temple. 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:51.240 You know, people are lined up in rows. 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:54.460 The gates of the temple courts are shut. 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:58.039 And around 3 p.m., the ram's horn is blown. 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:01.480 And everyone slays the lamb that they brought. 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:04.480 And up and down, there's these rows of priests. 00:09:04.680 --> 00:09:05.659 And they have these bowls. 00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:07.600 And they're collecting the blood. 00:09:07.920 --> 00:09:11.060 And then they're dousing the base of the altar with it. 00:09:11.700 --> 00:09:14.180 It is a literal bloodbath. 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:17.620 Joseph dresses the lamb. 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:18.960 He throws it over his shoulder. 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:20.980 And they head back to their room. 00:09:22.180 --> 00:09:25.039 They're going to roast the lamb on a pomegranate spit. 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:29.539 And then they're going to go through this beautiful liturgy of the Passover meal. 00:09:29.980 --> 00:09:32.799 Full of prayers, hand washings. 00:09:33.099 --> 00:09:35.699 And at one point in the liturgy, Jesus asks Joseph, 00:09:36.139 --> 00:09:38.259 Why is this night, this is in the liturgy, 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:40.439 Why is this night different than every other night? 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:45.740 And Joseph will give a dramatic review of God delivering Israel from Egypt. 00:09:45.740 --> 00:09:50.460 The celebration will continue into the night. 00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:53.180 And then it lasts six more days. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.120 And this whole time, Jesus is in paradise. 00:09:56.139 --> 00:09:58.080 There's nothing like this in Nazareth, right? 00:09:58.500 --> 00:09:59.620 He's in paradise. 00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:05.200 He's learning also in the temple about God and about the law, 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:09.899 about himself and his mission and his identity. 00:10:09.899 --> 00:10:13.059 He's coming alive. 00:10:14.899 --> 00:10:18.600 And after seven days, if he was any other adolescent, 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:22.019 how zombified would he be, right? 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:27.600 Or impulsive, or fixated, or oblivious. 00:10:28.500 --> 00:10:32.399 The thing is, Jesus is every other adolescent. 00:10:33.179 --> 00:10:34.639 He's every other adolescent. 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:35.039 Why? 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:37.639 Because when the Son of God became incarnate, 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:39.179 he became both fully God. 00:10:39.899 --> 00:10:41.100 And fully man. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:43.299 He had a fully human body. 00:10:43.899 --> 00:10:48.220 And was subject to every physical distress, sickness, condition, 00:10:48.620 --> 00:10:51.759 and vulnerability that you and I are subject to, 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:54.819 including adolescence. 00:10:55.899 --> 00:10:57.500 Yet he was without sin. 00:10:58.059 --> 00:10:58.559 Without sin. 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:01.179 So did you see how he could possibly miss the caravan? 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:02.740 Without sinning. 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:05.699 Physiologically, being an adolescent, 00:11:05.699 --> 00:11:08.559 it would have only taken a window of 15, 20, 30 minutes 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:10.259 to miss the departure of the caravan. 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:11.419 And then he's stuck. 00:11:11.619 --> 00:11:13.179 He can't go running after the caravan. 00:11:13.479 --> 00:11:14.500 The roads aren't safe. 00:11:14.859 --> 00:11:15.839 He's stuck in Jerusalem, 00:11:16.359 --> 00:11:19.000 not willingly causing his family distress. 00:11:21.479 --> 00:11:25.199 Now, some people suggest that he did disobey. 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:29.860 But that's impossible because Scripture tells us over and over 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:32.080 that he was without sin from start to finish, 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:33.620 birth to crucifixion. 00:11:34.220 --> 00:11:35.960 He was blemishlessness. 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:38.440 He was without sin. 00:11:40.280 --> 00:11:43.300 Some suggest that staying in Jerusalem in the temple 00:11:43.300 --> 00:11:47.040 was a higher ethical priority for Jesus at this moment. 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:51.220 So he put that before following his parents in the caravan. 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:54.120 Well, he had a whole week to honor his parents by telling them, 00:11:54.560 --> 00:11:55.680 hey, I'm going to stick around in a few days. 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:57.120 But he didn't do that. 00:11:57.620 --> 00:12:00.860 So, I mean, and it could have also been a simple mix-up. 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:05.420 But I think this is the best explanation. 00:12:05.560 --> 00:12:06.720 I think I'm right about this. 00:12:07.160 --> 00:12:11.300 Because Luke paints such a gritty, detailed picture of Jesus. 00:12:11.940 --> 00:12:14.879 And it's frankly a story that everyone has experienced, 00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:18.879 or most of us, as a child or as a parent. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:21.700 For me, I was at Memorial Stadium when the Orioles used to play there. 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:23.299 I was five or six. 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:26.059 And I got lost. 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:28.279 My parents went without me. 00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:29.939 It was my dad. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:30.720 My mom was there. 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:33.399 And I just started to cry. 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:37.419 And I saw a police officer, so I went to him. 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:40.980 And so he took me into, like, the security room. 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:42.220 What's your name? 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:43.279 I'm Daniel B. 00:12:43.740 --> 00:12:44.580 Oh, man. 00:12:44.899 --> 00:12:45.720 That's probably what I said. 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:49.360 And I know this because my dad found me. 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:50.300 We went to our seats. 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:52.899 And then 15 minutes later, there was an announcement of the PA. 00:12:53.399 --> 00:12:59.040 Would John Beadleman come claim your child? 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:03.639 Yeah. 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:06.300 So, I mean, we've all been there. 00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:09.340 Luke paints a gritty picture of Jesus. 00:13:09.340 --> 00:13:16.120 And I think we're to see the stark humanness of Jesus in this story. 00:13:16.680 --> 00:13:17.340 Fully God. 00:13:17.899 --> 00:13:18.780 Fully adolescent. 00:13:20.180 --> 00:13:20.759 But so what? 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.000 Like, so what that he was fully adolescent? 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:25.740 What difference does it make to me or to you? 00:13:26.680 --> 00:13:28.019 Why are we even talking about it? 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:34.580 Well, I think it shows us how deeply Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses. 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:38.000 Right down to our adolescence. 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:40.519 He's experienced everything. 00:13:41.460 --> 00:13:43.440 I mean, he's experienced the big stuff. 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:44.419 Right? 00:13:44.899 --> 00:13:49.220 By the time he was crucified, he had experienced the big stuff. 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:51.559 He had experienced the death of a family member. 00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:52.960 This is the last we hear about Joseph. 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:59.960 We can surmise that Joseph died somewhere between this point and when Jesus started his ministry. 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:07.059 He's experienced the deep grief of seeing a world wracked with injustice. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:08.879 The big stuff. 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:11.200 But he's also experienced the little stuff. 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:18.039 Like all the little things about our jobs that make us experience futility. 00:14:19.379 --> 00:14:20.740 Or the common cold. 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:26.779 Or whatever is the first century equivalent of constantly misplacing our keys. 00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:28.620 Tearing our pants. 00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:30.480 Breaking our glasses. 00:14:31.179 --> 00:14:32.379 Or a shoelace. 00:14:35.179 --> 00:14:37.679 Or getting overcharged by the cashier. 00:14:38.339 --> 00:14:39.879 Or getting into a traffic jam. 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:42.299 Because of some protesters. 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:44.539 Or single tracking. 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:48.000 I mean, he experienced the first century equivalent of all of that. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:52.860 He understands how all of that just kind of builds up and eats away at your soul. 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:54.840 He gets it. 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:56.059 He's experienced it. 00:14:56.759 --> 00:15:03.159 I mean, how comforting is it to hear that someone has gone through the same thing that you've gone through? 00:15:03.820 --> 00:15:06.460 How comforting is it to hear you're not alone? 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:15.300 I remember when we were financially hit really hard in the real estate crash of 2008. 00:15:15.420 --> 00:15:17.960 And I felt pretty foolish by it. 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:20.240 Like I should have somehow anticipated it. 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:24.279 But our realtor, who was also a friend, said, you're not alone. 00:15:24.740 --> 00:15:26.220 I got slammed by this too. 00:15:26.419 --> 00:15:27.560 We're living in rural Florida. 00:15:28.060 --> 00:15:30.539 So, I mean, we're definitely not alone there. 00:15:30.620 --> 00:15:32.080 Everyone got slammed by it there. 00:15:32.659 --> 00:15:35.519 But to hear it was really comforting. 00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:36.799 That I'm not alone. 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:41.000 Or after a couple years on the mission field talking with a counselor. 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:44.820 Like I experienced some pretty dark thoughts. 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:46.360 It's not easy living overseas. 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:51.240 And he said, I lived overseas too. 00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:53.680 And I experienced those same thoughts. 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:54.919 Actually, a little worse. 00:15:56.180 --> 00:15:57.019 You're not alone. 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:06.200 Our wonderful counselor, Jesus, begs us to talk to him about our stuff. 00:16:06.940 --> 00:16:08.639 Because he's been through it all. 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:14.580 From the day he was born to the day he was crucified, he experienced every temptation we can experience. 00:16:14.580 --> 00:16:19.960 He experienced the full range of human suffering, yet didn't sin. 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:22.379 As Hebrew 4 says, 00:16:23.020 --> 00:16:26.420 We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, 00:16:27.060 --> 00:16:31.580 but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 00:16:32.560 --> 00:16:36.240 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, 00:16:36.680 --> 00:16:41.220 that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:46.580 So, Jesus misses the caravan. 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:50.460 And one might think that maybe it was Joseph and Mary that were irresponsible. 00:16:50.940 --> 00:16:55.320 But Jesus was almost a man, and he was capable of joining up with the caravan, 00:16:55.420 --> 00:16:57.920 meeting them at the right place, at the right time. 00:16:58.060 --> 00:17:03.580 When we lived in Vienna, at one point our oldest son was 7, 00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:08.500 and every day he and another 7-year-old with a 10-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy 00:17:08.500 --> 00:17:12.279 would travel on public transportation by themselves without parents, 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:16.140 taking the tram, walking two blocks, taking the metro 20 minutes, 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:18.700 crossing a really busy street, going to school. 00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:20.640 Every day, we felt fine about it. 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:24.299 And I think in most of the world, parents feel fine about their kids at this age, 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:28.740 like being independent, figuring stuff out on their own, being responsible. 00:17:28.740 --> 00:17:34.480 So, Joseph and Mary probably that Jesus was with the other, 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:40.779 like either in the front of the caravan or in the back or with some cousins or friends. 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:46.200 And not until the end of the first day did they realize he wasn't there. 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:48.539 Where could he be? 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:51.880 Imagine Mary's horror. 00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:56.519 I mean, is he on the road somewhere back there, getting waylaid? 00:17:56.519 --> 00:18:00.759 Is he back in Jerusalem where there's lots of shady characters? 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:03.900 And doesn't feel that safe either. 00:18:05.500 --> 00:18:08.299 Imagine her embarrassment as she has to tell the whole caravan, 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:11.960 could we go back 20 miles to Jerusalem? 00:18:12.139 --> 00:18:13.319 I kind of misplaced something. 00:18:14.019 --> 00:18:14.579 What was that? 00:18:15.420 --> 00:18:17.599 Just the second person of the Trinity. 00:18:18.059 --> 00:18:18.960 Can we go back, please? 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:29.620 So, they return to Jerusalem, and after another full day of looking for him in Jerusalem, 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:32.539 they finally find him in the temple. 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:33.740 And he's learning. 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:37.340 He's learning about himself, about God and his mission. 00:18:37.740 --> 00:18:40.940 These teachers, they're like the brightest around. 00:18:41.819 --> 00:18:44.019 They're like the worldwide web of Jewish wisdom. 00:18:44.019 --> 00:18:47.960 And Jesus is just clicking, clicking, clicking, like can't get enough, right? 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:52.859 Everyone there is impressed with him, with his questions, with his answers. 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:54.680 Very wise for his age. 00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:56.480 And up come Mary and Joseph. 00:18:57.379 --> 00:18:58.700 And they say to Jesus, 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:00.720 What were you thinking? 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:02.940 What were you thinking? 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:05.119 Why have you treated us this way? 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:08.460 We were looking and looking and in deep distress. 00:19:08.460 --> 00:19:11.759 And his response was a bit of a rebuke. 00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:12.920 A loving, gentle one. 00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:14.460 But he basically says, 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:16.100 Well, what were you thinking? 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:19.799 Where else would I have been? 00:19:20.620 --> 00:19:22.059 I've been with my dad. 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:24.000 I've been in my dad's house. 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:25.000 Where else would I have gone? 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:28.840 Now, these are the first recorded words of Jesus. 00:19:29.980 --> 00:19:30.960 In the Gospels. 00:19:31.860 --> 00:19:35.200 Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:39.120 Because they are the first recorded words, 00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:41.019 they're extremely significant. 00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:43.380 As a matter of fact, 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:47.580 I think these words shape how we view the whole New Testament. 00:19:49.019 --> 00:19:52.819 You could say that the main thing that the Old Testament says about God, 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:54.080 what it reveals about God, 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:55.140 is that God is king. 00:19:55.360 --> 00:19:56.140 That's the Old Testament. 00:19:56.580 --> 00:19:57.640 But in the New Testament, 00:19:58.140 --> 00:20:00.480 the New Testament would have us know about God, 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:02.340 is that God is our father. 00:20:03.059 --> 00:20:04.000 God is father. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:04.119 Father. 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:07.940 It's easy to miss. 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:11.099 I must be in my father's house. 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:14.799 These words indicate his relationship to the father. 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:16.059 My father. 00:20:16.579 --> 00:20:18.279 It was a way of thinking about God. 00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:19.220 A claim to it. 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:21.819 A relationship with God that was different and deeper 00:20:21.819 --> 00:20:24.279 than any that had been known before. 00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:26.319 That the ancient Jews 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:28.579 would have said, 00:20:28.900 --> 00:20:29.440 Our father. 00:20:30.380 --> 00:20:31.359 They would not have said, 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:33.400 My father. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:36.319 It's different. 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:38.099 It's deeply personal and intimate. 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:42.079 It described the relationship Jesus had with God. 00:20:42.339 --> 00:20:44.559 And it is a relationship into which 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:47.700 he will bring all others who believe in his name. 00:20:48.180 --> 00:20:52.039 He will teach them to address God as father as well. 00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:55.039 And teach them to pray our father. 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:57.920 And teach them to use the intimate word, 00:20:58.819 --> 00:20:59.299 Abba. 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:04.079 The Aramaic word that a child uses to refer to his father intimately. 00:21:05.339 --> 00:21:07.460 Two weeks ago, we talked about what it means 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:09.659 to be in an intimate relationship with God. 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:11.579 We talked about, because there's intimacy, 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:15.079 we can just blurt out whatever it is we're thinking or feeling. 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:16.940 We don't have to play at before God. 00:21:17.180 --> 00:21:18.259 We know that he accepts us. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:19.740 We can say what we think and feel. 00:21:19.740 --> 00:21:25.640 But if we want to discover the real intimacy we have with the father, 00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:28.579 the kind of intimacy that Jesus had, 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:30.640 that he brings us into, 00:21:31.299 --> 00:21:34.380 then we probably need fixed times in our schedules 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:36.380 to spend with him, 00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:38.839 just to be with him. 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:42.460 It's the kind of time the father wants, 00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:46.019 more than the occasional thought or brief conversation, 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:49.519 but good, quality, intimate time. 00:21:51.059 --> 00:21:52.379 Some of you have never done it before. 00:21:53.460 --> 00:21:54.619 If you've never done it before, 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:55.460 you don't know how to do it, 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:57.799 just put 30 minutes on your schedule. 00:21:58.720 --> 00:21:59.879 We'll start with once a week. 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:02.460 Find 30 minutes there, block it out, 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:04.160 and then find a space to do it. 00:22:04.180 --> 00:22:06.859 It could be a park or a church. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:08.460 It could be outside or inside. 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.440 I prefer to go to the crypt of the National Basilica. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:15.960 And be aware of the things around you as you talk to God, 00:22:16.019 --> 00:22:17.940 as you see children play on the playground, 00:22:18.580 --> 00:22:20.000 or you hear the sound of birds, 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:21.680 or the shuffling of feet, 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:23.440 or the whisper of voices, 00:22:23.940 --> 00:22:26.799 all the while telling him what's going on inside. 00:22:27.740 --> 00:22:29.759 I mean, there's no shortage of things 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:33.100 from these past couple weeks to talk to God about, right? 00:22:33.099 --> 00:22:40.179 In the temple, Jesus found a safe space, 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:44.099 a place where he could rest and be safe, 00:22:44.379 --> 00:22:46.139 sheltered, where he could eat, sleep. 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:50.699 Likewise, to understand God as our Father 00:22:50.699 --> 00:22:54.559 and to spend time with him means we find a safe space. 00:22:56.379 --> 00:22:58.480 The author Brennan Manning, in his book, 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:01.399 Abba's Child, 00:23:01.400 --> 00:23:04.200 wrote in his journal, 00:23:05.300 --> 00:23:07.519 this is a journal that he quotes in his book, 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:09.320 he wrote in his journal, 00:23:09.460 --> 00:23:13.000 to feel safe is to stop living in my head 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:14.400 and sink down into my heart 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:16.440 and feel liked and accepted, 00:23:16.860 --> 00:23:18.560 not having to hide anymore 00:23:18.560 --> 00:23:21.140 and distract myself with books, 00:23:21.620 --> 00:23:24.180 television, movies, ice cream, 00:23:24.820 --> 00:23:25.840 shallow conversation. 00:23:26.900 --> 00:23:28.800 It's staying in the present moment 00:23:28.800 --> 00:23:30.560 and not escaping into the past 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:32.399 or projecting into the future, 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:35.599 alert and attentive to the now, 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:39.039 feeling relaxed and not nervous or jittery, 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:41.759 no need to impress or dazzle others 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:43.139 or draw attention to myself, 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:44.740 unselfconscious, 00:23:45.139 --> 00:23:46.659 a new way of being with myself, 00:23:46.899 --> 00:23:48.259 a new way of being in the world, 00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:50.059 calm, unafraid, 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:52.799 no anxiety about what's going to happen next, 00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:54.859 loved and valued, 00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:56.599 just being together 00:23:56.599 --> 00:23:59.619 as an end in itself. 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:01.679 Isn't that attractive? 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:04.299 Don't we all want that? 00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:09.179 So we've learned something about Jesus, 00:24:09.899 --> 00:24:11.019 that he was fully human, 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:12.979 maybe more human than we thought or realized. 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:14.719 We've learned something about the Father, 00:24:15.719 --> 00:24:17.240 that we're closer to him, 00:24:17.259 --> 00:24:18.919 that we can have more intimacy than we thought. 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:23.220 But we also have a couple things to learn about ourselves. 00:24:23.320 --> 00:24:24.500 Two quick things, okay? 00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:27.259 The first is we don't understand Jesus 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:28.759 as much as we think we do. 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:32.460 So I think this is what Luke is really writing. 00:24:32.560 --> 00:24:34.380 I mean, he's giving us a record of Jesus 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:36.340 and he's writing for a man named Theophilus. 00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:38.460 And he has like a very similar story, 00:24:38.620 --> 00:24:41.180 bookending this gospel of Luke. 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:42.940 There's a couple in the beginning, 00:24:43.060 --> 00:24:45.200 they leave Jerusalem without Jesus. 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:46.600 They come back and they discover 00:24:46.600 --> 00:24:48.460 like they didn't really know 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:50.759 who he was and his mission. 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:52.940 And at the end of Luke, 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:54.160 there's the two men 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:56.259 that are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:57.160 and Jesus is with them 00:24:57.160 --> 00:24:59.819 and they don't recognize him either. 00:25:02.900 --> 00:25:04.360 Now Mary and Joseph 00:25:04.360 --> 00:25:05.799 had been visited by an angel. 00:25:06.140 --> 00:25:07.660 They had heard what Simeon and Anna 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:08.880 had declared about him. 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:10.080 They had had shepherds 00:25:10.080 --> 00:25:12.779 and Persian magicians visit them. 00:25:12.779 --> 00:25:16.059 And yet they still didn't quite understand 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:17.240 Jesus and his mission. 00:25:17.420 --> 00:25:18.759 Verse 50 says, 00:25:19.180 --> 00:25:20.740 And they, Mary and Joseph, 00:25:21.139 --> 00:25:22.480 did not understand the saying 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:23.359 that he spoke to them. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:26.720 Now if they didn't fully understand him, 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:29.200 then surely we have work to do. 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:31.480 This is for those of us 00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:33.399 who have known Jesus our whole lives 00:25:33.399 --> 00:25:34.920 and it's for those of us 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:35.920 who are skeptics, 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:38.019 who also have our minds made up 00:25:38.019 --> 00:25:39.559 of who Jesus is. 00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:43.220 Jesus is not where Moses, 00:25:43.480 --> 00:25:44.019 excuse me, 00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:45.859 Jesus is not where 00:25:45.859 --> 00:25:48.179 Mary and Joseph expected him to be. 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:49.720 He was also not who 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:50.779 they expected him to be. 00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:52.599 We too need to be careful 00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:53.700 we don't make up our mind 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:54.899 about who Jesus is. 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:55.759 We need to diligently 00:25:55.759 --> 00:25:57.220 search for him, 00:25:57.339 --> 00:25:57.740 praying, 00:25:58.159 --> 00:25:58.980 opening the scriptures, 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:00.179 not approaching them 00:26:00.179 --> 00:26:01.039 with our minds made up, 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:01.980 but letting the spirit 00:26:01.980 --> 00:26:03.099 speak through them. 00:26:03.099 --> 00:26:07.119 The second thing is to learn 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:09.699 about our mission. 00:26:12.179 --> 00:26:13.539 When Jesus is saying 00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:14.199 that he had to be 00:26:14.199 --> 00:26:15.399 in his father's house, 00:26:15.459 --> 00:26:17.179 another way to translate that 00:26:17.179 --> 00:26:19.359 is that I have to be 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:21.439 about my father's business. 00:26:22.959 --> 00:26:24.259 The father's business 00:26:24.259 --> 00:26:25.240 is nothing less 00:26:25.240 --> 00:26:25.980 than the renewal 00:26:25.980 --> 00:26:27.079 of all things. 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:30.119 When Jesus brings us 00:26:30.119 --> 00:26:31.240 into a relationship 00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:32.000 with his father, 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:33.559 he brings us 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:35.140 into his mission too. 00:26:36.059 --> 00:26:36.900 We tell others 00:26:36.900 --> 00:26:38.079 about the good news of Jesus. 00:26:38.339 --> 00:26:39.140 We find ourselves 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:40.000 transformed. 00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:42.220 We engage our vocations 00:26:42.220 --> 00:26:43.180 wholeheartedly, 00:26:43.539 --> 00:26:44.359 knowing they contribute 00:26:44.359 --> 00:26:45.259 to the flourishing 00:26:45.259 --> 00:26:46.200 of our neighborhoods, 00:26:46.539 --> 00:26:47.140 our city, 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:48.579 our world. 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:50.440 We work towards mercy 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:51.759 and justice, 00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:53.619 coming to the aid 00:26:53.619 --> 00:26:55.039 of the unloved, 00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:56.900 the unspoken for, 00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:58.840 the widow, 00:26:59.840 --> 00:27:00.460 the poor, 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:02.280 the refugee. 00:27:05.640 --> 00:27:06.500 We'll spend the next 00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:07.460 three weeks exploring 00:27:07.460 --> 00:27:08.140 God's renewal 00:27:08.140 --> 00:27:08.940 of all things 00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:10.820 and what that means 00:27:10.820 --> 00:27:11.400 for the church 00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:11.860 of the Advent. 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:15.219 there's something 00:27:15.219 --> 00:27:15.959 we'll do right now. 00:27:16.899 --> 00:27:17.579 One of our members 00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:18.740 put on our Facebook page 00:27:18.740 --> 00:27:19.099 yesterday, 00:27:19.219 --> 00:27:19.859 there are six things 00:27:19.859 --> 00:27:20.579 we can do to care 00:27:20.579 --> 00:27:21.579 for refugees right now 00:27:21.579 --> 00:27:22.679 to address the situation. 00:27:23.079 --> 00:27:24.719 The first one was 00:27:24.719 --> 00:27:25.519 pray, 00:27:25.719 --> 00:27:27.000 just pray. 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:28.139 She's absolutely right. 00:27:28.679 --> 00:27:29.479 It's in prayer 00:27:29.479 --> 00:27:30.319 that we exercise 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:31.479 authority 00:27:31.479 --> 00:27:32.839 and power 00:27:32.839 --> 00:27:34.199 to carry out 00:27:34.199 --> 00:27:35.139 the father's mission. 00:27:35.140 --> 00:27:38.160 So in a few minutes, 00:27:38.300 --> 00:27:38.860 we're going to pray 00:27:38.860 --> 00:27:39.480 for refugees. 00:27:40.360 --> 00:27:40.900 We're going to spend 00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:41.740 quality time 00:27:41.740 --> 00:27:42.340 with our father, 00:27:43.300 --> 00:27:44.060 telling him exactly 00:27:44.060 --> 00:27:44.700 what we think 00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:45.740 and we feel about this, 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:47.680 knowing that Jesus 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:49.820 and his incarnation 00:27:49.820 --> 00:27:52.480 identifies with them. 00:27:53.840 --> 00:27:54.520 Let's pray.