Training for Life - Pt 3

And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:42-52 ESV).

As we continue in our series “Training for Life,” it occurs to me that I may not have been as clear as I could have been in the beginning of these devotionals. My hope each day is that anyone reading these little thoughts will be encouraged and find renewed hope in the grace of God. They are not intended to be an exhaustive “study” into the Scripture (no big surprise there). They are merely a glimpse into the thoughts and musings of a fellow traveler. Because of that I may not always clearly state some of the basic principles that direct these thoughts. They are my thoughts and I rarely remind myself of that which has become second-nature to me. However, one of those principles may be important to restate for my readers. When I cite various circumstances and experiences of the characters of Scripture and use the word “training” I am referencing discipline (discipleship), not punishment. God does not punish us, all of that went on Jesus in the Cross. He does teach, disciple, or discipline us. Sometimes that may be a painful experience, but only because we do “reap what we sow” (cf. Galatians 6:7). With that said, let’s look at Jesus in one of the rare references to his childhood. In our reading Jesus is at the Temple, just twelve years old, and asking questions that these teachers and scholars had not encountered in any of their students. He asked questions that these learned men only asked of one another. It was surprising to them. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, the hometown of his parents, Joseph and Mary, in the region of Galilee. Jesus learned life and faith in a community of faithful people. Being without sin, he could undoubtedly learn more deeply and sense God’s purposes more perceptively, but his community and its faithful life was his school. The religious leaders in our text weren’t just seeing a 12-year-old boy. They were seeing what happens when a boy grows up in a community of faithful life, in which values are not just preached but lived, in which faith and its truths are passed along to the next generation. Community is an essential in our training and the training of our children. “Do as I say” does not work without “do as I do.” We learn and teach by that which we see in those we love. How’s your “doing” today?