Luke 2:48

New International Version (NIV)

His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

For Meditation

His parents found Him in the Jerusalem temple courts, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (Lk. 2:46). That’s where their three days of searching for Jesus finally ended. For a whole day on their journey back from the Festival of the Passover, they forgot about Him. But now they missed Him. How often we do the same. Many times we have gone days without hearing from Him in His word, and yet we did not miss His presence. We only remembered Him when we needed His intervention or something. Poor souls!

I don’t know what pricked the minds of Joseph and Mary that Jesus was not with them, but I know one thing for sure. A good Christian cannot miss His presence for more than a day. We cannot miss His voice for too long and continue in His peace. We will know and feel it very quickly. But where do we find Jesus when we miss Him? Is He that hard to find? Does it take three days to find Him? Where else do we go searching for Him but in His word and prayer?

Maybe Jesus’ parents first tried the place they lodged during the festival. That’s quite natural, but would the Son they knew have been any other place than in His Father’s House – the Temple Courts? They may have tried their friends or some relatives’ homes; but would they not have displayed a lack of knowledge of their Son? You see, that’s the sad situation with many Christians today.

They look in all the wrong places when they miss Jesus. They look for Him in ‘Christian’ songs and concerts that could thrill for a while, but do not satisfy by themselves. They may attend conferences and seminars; but their personal devotion may be absent. They could even pretend to enjoy the Sunday worship service, but their hearts may be far from Him. The only determined place to find Jesus when we truly seek His Presence is in His word and devoted prayer. There He sits to listen to us and probe our hearts and minds (Heb. 4:12-13, 16). His Spirit opens His heart to the discerning, and releases the spring of living water to refresh our soul and spirit. His warmth embraces us, and every care and burden is lifted.

Mary and Joseph found their twelve-year old Son in the Temple Courts in Jerusalem after missing Him for a day. There, Jesus was delighting the hearts of His listeners (47), but His parents had been anxious during that same time. His response to their query is instructive for any wearied soul today. “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (49).

So: Where do you look for Jesus today, if indeed, you are truly searching for Him?