Luke 2:41-52 (NRSV)
Read Luke 2:41-52 on biblegateway.com
Verse 41Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. Verse 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. Verse 43When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Verse 44Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. Verse 45When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. Verse 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Verse 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. Verse 48When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." Verse 49He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" Verse 50But they did not understand what he said to them. Verse 51Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. Verse 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
Devotion
A missing child has to be one of the scariest things a parent can ever go through. I remember that when I was a teenager, we once accidentally left my 5-year-old brother at Sam's Club. When we got to the next store, my parents noticed that only four of their five kids got out of the car. I remember the panic on my father's face as he frantically rushed us all back into the car so we could return to Sam's Club.
Mary and Joseph spent three days looking for Jesus before they found him in the temple. Other things can go missing in our lives as well. Many people spend their whole lives looking for peace. Some turn in all directions seeking out that peace from relationships, substances, food and even material possessions. We know, however, that true peace is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, and we know where to find him — in the gift of his Word.
Prayer
Holy God, help me to always seek the peace that comes from faith in Christ and not from the things of this world. Amen.