Luke 2:41-52
“Hide and Go Seek”
As a child I use to play a particular game all the time; hide and go seek. I had a blast and so did my friends. I liked to be the one hiding in some small corner or under the bed. As the years went on the rules to hide and seek changed. As more players wanted to play we had to change the rules so that one person would hide and the rest of the people would seek to find her. When you find the one person hiding you stayed with them until the last person found the whole the group. I believe it was called Sardines-primarily because 5-10 people were crammed into whatever tiny space the hiding spot turned out to be. Other forms of hide and go seek included hiding actual objects that we had to find. Sometimes we had clues to help us, other times we were told we were getting “Cold” or “hot” depending on how far away or close you were to the object. Once you found the object there was great relief, excitement, and a sense of accomplishment on winning the game.
Mary and Joseph’s search for Jesus resembles a game of hide and go seek. Mary and Joseph have been following the Jewish law and teaching the importance the law to Jesus as they traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. They even showed their loyalty to raising their child in the faith when Jesus was born. As customary for Jewish rites they presented Jesus in the temple, dedicated him to the Lord, circumcised him and offered sacrifices. They were religiously obedient and taught that obedience to their child.
As Mary and Joseph headed home after the Feast of the Passover ended, they didn’t realize their son was missing for a whole day. Then panic starts to set in. They realize their son is not among friends and relatives. The level of panic starts to rise and the heart beats faster. Mary and Joseph go in search for their son from the direction they came, traveling back towards Jerusalem. Another day passes and they haven’t found him yet. They begin to search the town of Jerusalem; they search for yet another long agonizing day. By this time panic level has reached a new high, the heart has jumped up into the throat, the whole body is shaking, and the worst possible outcomes cross the mind.
This actually maybe the worst hide and go seek game ever, particularly for Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph are not reported as having help with their search. They are not told that they are getting “cold” or “hot” or even “luke-warm” in their search of their son’s “hiding” place. After three days they are finally relieved as they find Jesus in the temple courts among the teachers asking questions, listening, and answering his elders. What relief Mary must have felt. But that relief felt by Mary turns into a loving rebuke when Mary says: “Son why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
For the first time in Luke’s gospel we hear the voice of the 12 year boy named Jesus and his words are astounding. He turns to his parents and says to them: “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I must to be in my Father’s house?”
This 12 year old boy’s answer is prophetic. It is obvious that Jesus does not believe himself to be hiding from his parents. In fact, Jesus gives a non-chalant response to his parents. It’s what we might call a “DUH…you should know this” type of a response. Jesus says: “Didn’t you know I must be in my Father’s house?” For Jesus this is a simple answer to Mary and Joseph’s frantic, anxiety ridden search.
But if Jesus is not hiding in the temple from his parents, which I believe he was not, what is he doing there at the age 12 by himself? I want to suggest that Jesus was seeking as well. He was seeking for knowledge, wisdom and the will of God. In fact, as Fred Craddock states, Jesus turns Mary’s loving rebuke on its on head. Instead of referencing Joseph as his father like Mary does, Jesus’ references God as his Father.
So now we have two seekers and no one hiding. We have parents seeking their child, and their child seeking God. This makes for interesting new game for children to play “Seek and Go Seek.”
But Jesus’ statement is not just that simple. There is actually a teaching element in his response to his parents and to us. What Jesus teaches Mary and Joseph in this narrative is something more than a son who is eager to learn about God. What Jesus teaches US in this narrative is something more than just an example of how to learn and listen for God’s mission, will and vocation in our lives. What Jesus teaches his parents and what he teaches us is the importance of seeking God.
Just like Mary and Joseph, many of us are religious individuals who strive to raise their children according to the baptismal promises, to know God and teach their faith to their children. I would say that Covenant church does a good job in this effort from Vacation Bible School to WOW to Children’s Sabbath, to Sunday school. But, in our efforts to raise our children in the ways of faith we sometimes neglect the need to seek God. We go from one activity to the next sometimes simply fulfilling a religious obligation. Mary and Joseph certainly have been portrayed by some scholar as individuals who travel many miles to fulfill the religious obligation of observing the Feast of the Passover. Some religious events like going to church, or bible study, or committee meetings simply just become part of our routine. We lose sight of the eagerness, wonderment, joy and meaning which we once had. We lose sight of meeting God and feeling God’s presence in these activities.
It is even harder the 1st Sunday after Christmas to keep the eagerness, wonderment and joy of truly wanting to worship God and wanting to feel God’s presence work in us and through us. It is easy to fall back into our regular routines after the excitement of Advent and the birth of Christ is over.
Fortunately for us, Luke includes this story that none of the other Gospels tell. Fortunately for us we not only have a story of Jesus seeking God, we also have the story of Samuel seeking God. Samuel was a boy who also served in the temple, was consecrated to the Lord, and came to an understanding of his ministry in God’s house. Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men, as did Jesus. They both came of age knowing what their mission and vocation from God was going to be. They both found favor in God’s sight. They both were found in the temple amazing their elders and their parents. They both learned with eagerness and offered themselves as servants. They both seek God with a deep seated passion and desire, avoiding any temptation to rush back home. They linger in the temple; they linger in God’s house.
A 12 year old boy teaches us the importance of seeking, knowing, and feeling God’s presence. He leads us back to the God’s house after we desert it. Jesus leads us straight back to God.
If we were to end the story here we would miss a central theme to Luke’s Gospel because Jesus doesn’t stay in the temple the rest of his life. He takes what he has gained from God and becomes a faithful and obedient servant. He begins his public ministry of teaching, healing, and performing miracles. He continues to lead us into God’s kingdom, showing us that God’s presence is outside the temple as well. God’s presence is in everyone we meet, everyone we touch. Christ shares God with us, pointing God out to us in everything he does, leading us to God everywhere he goes.
Friends, we have met God in the baby born to us this Christmas time. We have met God many times in this very place we now sit, as this is God’s house. It is truly a wonderful feeling and an amazing thought. Linger for just a moment and realize where you are, and what you are doing. Linger for a moment and feel God’s presence.
Now let us follow Christ’s example and find God within our community. Let us seek to find God in everything we do and everyone we meet and everywhere we go. Let us share God with others and help strangers and neighbors alike seek out God. Let us, with God’s help, lead others to God’s house and teach them how to be true disciples of Christ who delight in the joy of finding God in each activity we do, and who lead others to a place where they can take pleasure in the joy of finding God.
In our enough efforts may God find favor with us as he did with Jesus and Samuel. With God’s help let us continue Christ works of seeking for the Kingdom of God. Amen.
As a child I use to play a particular game all the time; hide and go seek. I had a blast and so did my friends. I liked to be the one hiding in some small corner or under the bed. As the years went on the rules to hide and seek changed. As more players wanted to play we had to change the rules so that one person would hide and the rest of the people would seek to find her. When you find the one person hiding you stayed with them until the last person found the whole the group. I believe it was called Sardines-primarily because 5-10 people were crammed into whatever tiny space the hiding spot turned out to be. Other forms of hide and go seek included hiding actual objects that we had to find. Sometimes we had clues to help us, other times we were told we were getting “Cold” or “hot” depending on how far away or close you were to the object. Once you found the object there was great relief, excitement, and a sense of accomplishment on winning the game.
Mary and Joseph’s search for Jesus resembles a game of hide and go seek. Mary and Joseph have been following the Jewish law and teaching the importance the law to Jesus as they traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. They even showed their loyalty to raising their child in the faith when Jesus was born. As customary for Jewish rites they presented Jesus in the temple, dedicated him to the Lord, circumcised him and offered sacrifices. They were religiously obedient and taught that obedience to their child.
As Mary and Joseph headed home after the Feast of the Passover ended, they didn’t realize their son was missing for a whole day. Then panic starts to set in. They realize their son is not among friends and relatives. The level of panic starts to rise and the heart beats faster. Mary and Joseph go in search for their son from the direction they came, traveling back towards Jerusalem. Another day passes and they haven’t found him yet. They begin to search the town of Jerusalem; they search for yet another long agonizing day. By this time panic level has reached a new high, the heart has jumped up into the throat, the whole body is shaking, and the worst possible outcomes cross the mind.
This actually maybe the worst hide and go seek game ever, particularly for Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph are not reported as having help with their search. They are not told that they are getting “cold” or “hot” or even “luke-warm” in their search of their son’s “hiding” place. After three days they are finally relieved as they find Jesus in the temple courts among the teachers asking questions, listening, and answering his elders. What relief Mary must have felt. But that relief felt by Mary turns into a loving rebuke when Mary says: “Son why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
For the first time in Luke’s gospel we hear the voice of the 12 year boy named Jesus and his words are astounding. He turns to his parents and says to them: “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I must to be in my Father’s house?”
This 12 year old boy’s answer is prophetic. It is obvious that Jesus does not believe himself to be hiding from his parents. In fact, Jesus gives a non-chalant response to his parents. It’s what we might call a “DUH…you should know this” type of a response. Jesus says: “Didn’t you know I must be in my Father’s house?” For Jesus this is a simple answer to Mary and Joseph’s frantic, anxiety ridden search.
But if Jesus is not hiding in the temple from his parents, which I believe he was not, what is he doing there at the age 12 by himself? I want to suggest that Jesus was seeking as well. He was seeking for knowledge, wisdom and the will of God. In fact, as Fred Craddock states, Jesus turns Mary’s loving rebuke on its on head. Instead of referencing Joseph as his father like Mary does, Jesus’ references God as his Father.
So now we have two seekers and no one hiding. We have parents seeking their child, and their child seeking God. This makes for interesting new game for children to play “Seek and Go Seek.”
But Jesus’ statement is not just that simple. There is actually a teaching element in his response to his parents and to us. What Jesus teaches Mary and Joseph in this narrative is something more than a son who is eager to learn about God. What Jesus teaches US in this narrative is something more than just an example of how to learn and listen for God’s mission, will and vocation in our lives. What Jesus teaches his parents and what he teaches us is the importance of seeking God.
Just like Mary and Joseph, many of us are religious individuals who strive to raise their children according to the baptismal promises, to know God and teach their faith to their children. I would say that Covenant church does a good job in this effort from Vacation Bible School to WOW to Children’s Sabbath, to Sunday school. But, in our efforts to raise our children in the ways of faith we sometimes neglect the need to seek God. We go from one activity to the next sometimes simply fulfilling a religious obligation. Mary and Joseph certainly have been portrayed by some scholar as individuals who travel many miles to fulfill the religious obligation of observing the Feast of the Passover. Some religious events like going to church, or bible study, or committee meetings simply just become part of our routine. We lose sight of the eagerness, wonderment, joy and meaning which we once had. We lose sight of meeting God and feeling God’s presence in these activities.
It is even harder the 1st Sunday after Christmas to keep the eagerness, wonderment and joy of truly wanting to worship God and wanting to feel God’s presence work in us and through us. It is easy to fall back into our regular routines after the excitement of Advent and the birth of Christ is over.
Fortunately for us, Luke includes this story that none of the other Gospels tell. Fortunately for us we not only have a story of Jesus seeking God, we also have the story of Samuel seeking God. Samuel was a boy who also served in the temple, was consecrated to the Lord, and came to an understanding of his ministry in God’s house. Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men, as did Jesus. They both came of age knowing what their mission and vocation from God was going to be. They both found favor in God’s sight. They both were found in the temple amazing their elders and their parents. They both learned with eagerness and offered themselves as servants. They both seek God with a deep seated passion and desire, avoiding any temptation to rush back home. They linger in the temple; they linger in God’s house.
A 12 year old boy teaches us the importance of seeking, knowing, and feeling God’s presence. He leads us back to the God’s house after we desert it. Jesus leads us straight back to God.
If we were to end the story here we would miss a central theme to Luke’s Gospel because Jesus doesn’t stay in the temple the rest of his life. He takes what he has gained from God and becomes a faithful and obedient servant. He begins his public ministry of teaching, healing, and performing miracles. He continues to lead us into God’s kingdom, showing us that God’s presence is outside the temple as well. God’s presence is in everyone we meet, everyone we touch. Christ shares God with us, pointing God out to us in everything he does, leading us to God everywhere he goes.
Friends, we have met God in the baby born to us this Christmas time. We have met God many times in this very place we now sit, as this is God’s house. It is truly a wonderful feeling and an amazing thought. Linger for just a moment and realize where you are, and what you are doing. Linger for a moment and feel God’s presence.
Now let us follow Christ’s example and find God within our community. Let us seek to find God in everything we do and everyone we meet and everywhere we go. Let us share God with others and help strangers and neighbors alike seek out God. Let us, with God’s help, lead others to God’s house and teach them how to be true disciples of Christ who delight in the joy of finding God in each activity we do, and who lead others to a place where they can take pleasure in the joy of finding God.
In our enough efforts may God find favor with us as he did with Jesus and Samuel. With God’s help let us continue Christ works of seeking for the Kingdom of God. Amen.
