Where in the World? :: Luke 2:40-52
Part of what makes Christmas so meaningful is that it becomes so easy for us to find Jesus when we need him and when we want him. We know exactly where to look. “The Angels we have heard on high,” announce every year with great fanfare that “what child is this who was laid to rest on Mary’s lap sleeping” (LSB 370) is “the little Lord Jesus” (LSB 364).
Christmas is a big deal. Despite what the world has done to this sacred season, stretching it from the twelve days of Christmas to Epiphany to the 30 days before, the truth is, and we Christmas always seems brings people back to church. Because when you have been baptized, you know, you really do know, where to find Jesus.
A recent poll found that nearly 70 percent of Christians attend church during at least one of the Christmas services. We had 80 people here for the children’s service! Another 81 attended Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or both. Polls also find that of those who don’t attend during Christmastime, nearly 60 percent would attend if someone they know simply asked them to come. Did you ask someone to come to church with you?
God bless you. We know where to find Jesus.
But what about after Christmas? What about after the angels who once were singing sweetly o’er the plains have “left ... and gone into heaven” (Lk 2:15)? What about after the shepherds have returned to their fields (Lk 2:20), and the stars in the sky stop shining brightly where he lay and the holy Child of Bethlehem vacates the stable and flees to Egypt, from where God, at just the right time, called forth his son?
Where do we find Jesus then?
The days and weeks following Christmas can leave us disoriented, confused, even depressed. Jesus begins a life with no place to lay his head. He will live his life the same way. So where do we look for Jesus then? Where do we find Jesus?
This is the underlying theme of our text from Luke chapter 2: Seeking and finding Jesus. We need to know ...
THE LORD JESUS IS FOUND IN THE TEMPLE OF HIS CHURCH
It won’t be long before all the Christmas decorations are gone. But their absence need not lead to confusion about where we should look for God’s grace and presence. God is with us ... He is Immanuel. God is with us ... He is incarnate ... that is, in the flesh ... in his Son, Jesus Christ. God is with us ... through his means of grace, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. He is always with us ... just as he has promised to be wherever and whenever two or three of his people gather in his name, and his word of forgiveness is proclaimed. He is with us in His word. He is with us in our baptism. He is with us in the Lord’s Supper to come.
So why do we have such a hard time finding Jesus?
I.
The short answer is, the world searches for the Lord of heaven and earth in all the wrong places. And too often, so do we.
In our text from Luke chapter two, we are surprised to learn that is exactly what happened. The parents (of Jesus) journeyed (every) year into Jerusalem to the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old they went up according to the custom. And when it was over, they left for home. Meanwhile, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and his parents didn’t know it. They thought he was with family and friends.
According to Deuteronomy 16, Jewish families were forbidden to offer the Passover sacrifice in their own towns. They were required to offer the Passover sacrifice at the place of the Lord’s choosing, at the place where He makes his name dwell ... at the temple in Jerusalem, the temple Solomon built. That’s why the family of Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover.
The Feast of the Passover is a big deal. It was then. And it still is today. The feast celebrated the great redemptive event that prompted the Exodus, when God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt by passing over all who believed in Yahweh.
Since men were required to go to Jerusalem, they took their families. The people living in Palestine formed large parties to travel together, thus creating safety in numbers. As they traveled, some of the older members would begin to chant Psalms. As they came nearer to the city, and the festival spirit took hold of them, and they would pluck flowers and branches from trees along the road and wave them in unison with the cadence of their song.
So you can see how easy it would be to get lost in the moment.
As our reading opens, Jesus is 12 years old. He undoubtedly had been to Jerusalem many times. But Jesus is increasing in stature and growing stronger. He’s being filled with wisdom and the Grace of God was upon him. The people know it, and they can see it.
When the festival closed and all the pilgrims returned home, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem unbeknownst to his parents.
They had good reason to think he was with family and friends. He always honors his father and his mother. When they went looking for him, and couldn’t find him and his parents rightfully became panicked, and rushed back to Jerusalem. On the third day ... which in Jewish time is really just the day after tomorrow ... they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors of the church, listening to them pontificate about God’s word, asking them challenging questions, and marveling everyone who took the time to listen to Jesus expound even further on the word of God.
Finding him there, his parents were astonished, and his mother said to him, Son, why have you done this to us? Behold, your father and I were worried sick about you while looking for you. And Jesus said to them, why were you looking for me?
The world is always looking for Jesus in the wrong places.
You’ve heard me say this many times already, and you can be sure I will remind you often in the future, the world is always looking for Jesus in the wrong places.
The world thinks you can find God in your heart, that you can gain access to God through your works, that you can find God in your thoughts and feelings, that the way God feels about you is measured by how good your life is. None of that is true.
The world insists on reducing Jesus to be some good man with a good word about good living. Jesus, you will remember, gave us the golden rule, that if you know the golden rule you don’t need to know anything else. The world looks for Jesus in all the wrong ways.
The world will have you believe that Jesus is just a social justice warrior, and if you aren’t giving to the poor or freeing the captives or standing up for the environment, then you don’t really love Jesus.
The world teaches all of that ... because ... the world is always looking for Jesus in all the wrong places, thinking that he is just one option among many. The world is sorely mistaken. So Jesus is calling us out of the world.
Repent, he says. Behold, the kingdom of God is drawing near.
All too often we don’t. We don’t fear, love, and trust in God above all things. We think we don’t need to look for Christ for days on end, going all week without hearing God’s word. We think we can skip out on Bible study. We think we can get away with not praying unceasingly. We think that if we get the Lord’s Supper twice a month that it is enough.
Even Mary and Joseph, who had heard the promises of God, who had the angel of the Lord come to them, and tell them that their son, Jesus, would save the world from its sins, that their son would be the king of kings, they just didn’t understand what was going on.
They were looking for Jesus in all the wrong places.
II.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, you don’t need to look for Jesus. Jesus has found you.
And Jesus said to his parents, Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? That is to ask, you DID know.
God almighty has poured out his Holy Spirit upon you through His word of Promise to you that was coupled with the water. This water and word ... Holy Baptism ... leaves you marveling at the power of God’s word in your lives. And it removes the doubt about where to find Jesus.
As Jesus sat in the temple, outwardly in his role as a student, he amazed all who listened. I know God’s word amazes you, too. That is why you are here, isn’t it?
His understanding, His ability to penetrate a given matter is still leaving the world in awe. Where can I find Jesus, they wonder. So tell them. Call out to those you know who have gone astray. They are looking for Jesus in all the wrong places.
Look no farther than the font and the altar. Your Lord is here, where two or three have gathered to hear the proclamation of the good news that the Word became flesh is among us. Jesus, true God, begotten of his Father before the ages, and true man, born of the Virgin, has found you ... here. And he has found you and united himself with you in baptism. And now, unlike the world, you know exactly where to find Jesus.
We rejoice that God’s son emptied himself, by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Just as Solomon discovered, the wisdom of God is found in his temple, where he gives himself freely through word and sacrament to deliver to you the forgiveness of your sins. Because you have asked for this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold I now do according to your word. During this sacred time we pray that God, who has poured into our hearts the true light of his incarnate Word, would grant that this light may shine forth in our lives.
And so he does. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. He has chosen you ... predestined you for eternal life. He has lavished you with wisdom of insight, and today is making known to you the mystery of his will that in Jesus you will be saved.
Luke’s account of Jesus’ obedience to his earthly parents in our Gospel reminds us he has fulfilled the Law for us. More than that, he who knew no sin became sin for you, living for you, dying for you, and rising to new life for you ... all to save you from sin, death, and the devil. Now here he is for all who are searching his temple.
As the Psalmist sings: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts. My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. ... Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise.