2nd Epiphany
Luke 2, 41-52
 |
| Christ Among the Doctors, unknown |
Every year his [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem
for the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they took him
with them. Now after they had gone there and fulfilled the custom during the
days of the feast, they set off on their way home. But the boy Jesus remained
behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know this; they thought he was among
the company of the travelers. After a day’s journey they missed him among their
friends and relations. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem
to look for him.
After three days they found him in the Temple, sitting in
the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And
those who heard him were amazed at his mature understanding and his answers.
And when they saw him, they were taken aback, and
his mother said to him, “My child, why have you done this to us? Behold, your
father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
And he said to them, “Why did you look for me? Did
you not know that I must be and live in that which is my Father’s?”
But they did not understand the meaning of the
words he spoke to them. And he went down with them again to Nazareth and
followed them willingly in all things.
And his mother carefully kept all these things living in
her heart. And Jesus progressed in wisdom, in maturity and grace [favor] in the
sight of God and man.
2nd
Epiphany
January
14, 2007
Luke
2: 41-52
Whenever
we travel, we experience many new things. Encountering the new is stimulating.
Sometimes what we encounter strikes such a deep chord of resonance in us that
it is life-altering. When we return home we are someone different.
 |
| Pinturicchio |
In
the Gospel reading, the twelve-year-old Jesus travels to Jerusalem for the
Passover. For Him the journey is profoundly life-altering. He recognizes the
temple as His spiritual home. There is a deep resonance, not only for Him, but
also for those who are there. They notice that here is someone remarkable.
Yet
from this peak experience, he goes down again to His much humbler home in
Nazareth, with his devoted parents who clearly don’t understand what has
happened to Him.
One
can think of this scene as a picture for what sometimes happens in a human
life. And we can see the players as parts of a single human being: the young
boy as that eternal part of ourselves which is nevertheless ever evolving; the
mother as our own soul, who worries, searches, seeks to understand, remembers
and ponders; Joseph as the father in us who does his best to guide and protect,
only to find control slipping out of his hands; and God, the divinity who
calmly observes our development and bestows his blessings.
The
story could have been different: Jesus could have been so overtaken by His
reception in Jerusalem and the depth of His own conviction of calling that He
could have been tempted, as many a youth has, to break away from his family and
remain there. But it would have been too soon. Some deep wisdom, His love for
his parents, some practice of self-submission guides Him back home where He can
quietly ripen in the cocoon of Nazareth.
Not
all early promise needs to manifest fully right away. Things need their time to
develop. God will guide our eternally young selves in the ways we need to go on
our journeys. And when we return to our true home, we too will be different,
having progressed in wisdom, in maturity and in grace.
www.thechristiancommunity.org
www.thechristiancommunity.org
