Moving forward then, it
is learned that this trip did not go exactly according to plan, which serves to
explain why Luke chooses to tell the story of twelve-year-old Jesus making what
may have been the annual trip to Jerusalem, even though the pilgrimage was
something that could have been customarily undertaken by the family.
While the story is learned from Luke, the larger purpose of his writing is kept
in mind, and the crucifixion and the Resurrection are always very close to the
surface of thought. That said, Luke writes that “when the feast was over,
as they were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.
His parents did not know it, but (because they assumed that He was in their
group of travelers) they went a day’s journey. Then they began to look
for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find
Him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for Him” (2:43-45).
It is not terribly
difficult to imagine His mother’s mind-set at this terrible thought concerning
what has happened to her son upon this visit to Jerusalem. The first time
she visited Jerusalem with Jesus, she heard and was amazed as a man named
Simeon refers to her son as the “salvation” that God “prepared in the presence
of all people: a light, for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your
people Israel” (2:30-32). Additionally, Anna had spoken of Jesus as “the
redemption of Jerusalem (2:38b).
So even though Mary
is said to have been amazed, one must remember that the words of Simeon would
not have been completely surprising, considering the reported visit to Mary of
the angelic messenger that announced the event of conception. Before those things were said by Simeon and
Anna, Mary had heard the voice of an angel that “the child to be born will be
holy; He will be called the Son of God” (1:35b). Much of what Simeon and Anna had said can be
said to have been implied in the information that the son of Mary would be
called the “Son of God”.
As if the idea that
her child would be the “Son of God” was not enough, that same voice had informed
her that “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and
the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will never end”
(1:32-33). Her relative Elizabeth has said to her “who am I that the
mother of my Lord should come and visit me?” (1:43) Shepherds were said
to have visited her at the birth of her child, telling her what they had heard
from angels, that the Savior was born in the city of David, and that He is
Christ the Lord (2:11). According to Luke, “Mary treasured up all these
words, pondering in her heart what they might mean” (2:19), and one can be sure
that the pondering never ceased throughout the whole of her life.
Now, however, with
all that she has heard about her Son pounding in her ears, she has lost this child.
This is tragic. Though Jesus has most likely been to Jerusalem before, it
is a big city, overflowing with people that are there to celebrate the
Passover. Mary, herself being naturally overcome with fear, could be
relatively certain that her Son must be fearful as well. In the midst of
her fear, she can be forgiven to have not borne in mind Luke’s editorial
insertion that between His birth and the age of twelve, “the child grew and
became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him”
(2:40).
In that moment then,
it is not difficult to be quite certain that all Mary can think about is
getting to her Son and making sure that He is safe. With this, as one imagines
Mary pondering the great and swelling words that had been spoken concerning
Jesus, it could certainly be surmised that her and Joseph’s return to Jerusalem
was frantic. Luke tells Theophilus that it took them a few days to find
Jesus. In fact, it was “After three days they found Him in the Temple
courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them
questions” (2:46).
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