Lost and Found

Overview

Lost and Found

Luke alone gives us a window into Jesus' boyhood, and he tells it with the tender perspective of a mother who "treasured these things in her heart." In Luke 2:40-52, we meet a devout family faithfully keeping the Passover in Jerusalem, as the law required Deuteronomy 16:5-6. Mary and Joseph were not careless parents who "lost" the Messiah in some Home Alone moment. Caravans of relatives traveled together to the festival, with women and children often going ahead of the men, and it was perfectly reasonable for them to assume Jesus was somewhere among the company. Only when the family reconvened did they discover he had stayed behind.

When they found him after three anxious days, Jesus was sitting among the teachers in the temple, asking and answering questions in the rabbinic style of the day, and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding. This was not the divine peeking through; in his humility Christ did not set aside his divinity but refrained from leaning on it, astounding the teachers as a remarkable student. Mary's words—"Why have you treated us like this?"—are better understood as bewilderment than as scolding, for the sinless Christ gave no occasion for rebuke. (The fanciful tales of the Gnostic gospels, in which the boy Jesus animates clay birds or strikes down those who offend him, are heresy; Scripture alone tells us who he truly is.) Jesus' reply gently reorients his mother: "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" Even at twelve, his priorities were fixed on his true Father and his Father's business.

That business, as his ministry would make plain, is to seek and to save the lost Luke 19:10. Jesus himself was never lost—but we are. In our flesh, our selfishness, and our wandering desires, we are cut off from the Father, and we often try to convince God that we are too far gone to be found. Yet as Luther confesses in the Small Catechism, Jesus Christ "has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death."

Take heart: if you are hearing his Word, Christ has already sought you out. He has not merely tagged you "found"—he has died for you, paid for you, and forgiven you through his blood. As he told his disciples, "You did not choose me, but I chose you" John 15:16. When the lie creeps in that you must remain lost, return to the simple, scandalous truth of the gospel. Christ is calling. You are found.

Transcript

Every time I read this story of Jesus as a boy being lost in the temple, I can't help but remember when I as a 0s

person was about two and a half, maybe three years old and we were going outside, we were going 29s

to get in the car and run some errands of some sort. And the car was maybe 20 feet from our 36s

door and I sent the two kids out and I turned around to grab a diaper bag or keys or something 43s

of the sort and I turned around and my little son was gone. He was lost and immediately I began 50s

to panic because this is my two or three year old. He's lost, we have a swamp in the back 56s

yard. Surely an alligator is going to get him. I don't know where he is and I go into panic 62s

mode and I start screaming, Ezra, Ezra and I'm hoping maybe the neighbor saw him. He's 67s

not outside. I'm looking everywhere. It was maybe in total two minutes but it felt like a lifetime 73s

and I was searching in panic and out he comes, waddling out of the garage and I said, Ezra, 81s

where were you and he said so calmly, the kiddies were calling me. He had to pet the cats in our 88s

garage and he was never lost in his own mind but as a parent I was panicked. I had lost my son. 97s

In today's text we find this story of a lost child though we know he is not lost. Luke is the 110s

only gospel writer who gives us a glimpse into Jesus' life after his birth and before his 119s

public ministry. This is the only glimpse we have into the child Jesus. Luke worked really 127s

closely with Mary learning the story of Jesus as he was writing the gospel and in the stories 135s

you can hear this tenderness of the mother's perspective, how she ponders things in her heart 143s

and she treasures things and I think I particularly connect with these stories because it's told 150s

with that motherly perspective. We're going to look right here starting in verse 40. The child 158s

grew and became strong filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him and then we fast 166s

forward 12 years. Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover 172s

and when he was 12 years old they went up as usual for the festival. Now we know that Jesus was 178s

a perfect human. He was born under the law. He lived perfectly under the law but I want to point 185s

out here that he was given a family here on earth that were very devoted to the law. They had 193s

found favor with God with Yahweh. They were sinners as all men are but they were very devout Jews 201s

and they followed the Jewish law customs and tradition and under Jewish law. It was necessary 210s

that they would celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem in Deuteronomy. Chapter 16 it says you are not 220s

permitted to offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving 228s

but at the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. That's the temple. 235s

Only there shall you offer the Passover sacrifice in the evening at sunset the time of day 242s

when you departed from Egypt. In verse 42 it says that the family went up as usual for the festival. 248s

This was nothing new. This was something that they did yearly because they were devout 256s

to the Jewish law and they were faithful people continuing in verse 43. When the festival was 262s

ended and they started to return the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem but his parents did not 270s

know it assuming that he was in the group of travelers. They went a day's journey. Then they started 275s

to look for him among their relatives and friends. Now I've heard it preached and taught before 281s

that this was a huge mistake by Mary and Joseph that they had really failed as parents here 288s

by not noticing that Jesus was not with them but this is not a scene out of home alone. 295s

No one is coming to having this realization. I forgot my child. Nothing like that. It was very common 301s

for caravans of friends and relatives to travel together to Jerusalem to celebrate 309s

the Passover. So they didn't think they were missing Jesus. He very easily could have been 316s

with any of their friends or relatives and it says that they searched for him amongst the friends 324s

and relatives. Mary and Joseph themselves most likely did not travel together at that time. A lot of 331s

times the women and children would go ahead because they were a little slower than the men. So once 340s

they all reconvened at night that's when they realized that Jesus was not with them. We continue 346s

in verse 45. When they did not find him they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three 353s

days they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers listening to them and asking them 360s

questions. So when I lost Ezra, my mind began racing and I was in panic mode and I was in worst 367s

case scenario mode thinking that I was done as a parent. I had lost my son forever. I knew 375s

deep down he had to be fine. He was probably okay but when your in panic mode rational thought 384s

doesn't really come into play until I found him I was not going to be settled in my spirit. 393s

Three days of missing Jesus that is one day of traveling. Joseph and Mary were probably not 401s

panicked that first day because they didn't realize he was missing. Then a whole day traveling back 408s

to Jerusalem and a day spent searching for Jesus in Jerusalem. That second and third day 414s

probably weighed heavy on their hearts. Missing their kid not knowing where he was and then the 424s

added pressure of having lost the Messiah. So they were probably in a little bit of a panic not 432s

quite knowing what to do or where to find him but we see that they found him in the temple and he was 441s

sitting amongst the teachers. He was listening to them asking them questions answering questions. 447s

Everyone who had heard him they were all amazed at his understanding and his answers sitting in 454s

the temple with the rabbi sitting at their feet asking them questions hearing them they would 461s

ask questions in return. That was the common way of teaching and learning in this second temple 467s

period. The insight that was gained out of that conversation and the growing that was how the Jewish 475s

people learned and if they were very bright if these young boys were very bright then they would 485s

be invited to study further and perhaps become a rabbi themselves. So he's sitting here talking 491s

with them asking questions learning their asking him questions he's answering and they're all amazed 499s

at his understanding and the question comes up if Jesus was divine which we know he was if he was 507s

divine was he actually learning did he really have anything too learn? Jesus in his divine nature 514s

did know all things but part of his what is called his humiliation his humbling himself was to 525s

to not lose the divinity but to not use his divine nature. So it's not like the rabbis we're 536s

getting a sneak peek into the divine. Jesus astounded them as a good student. He was that good. 543s

He was that amazing continuing in verse 48 when his parents saw him they were astonished and his 553s

mother said to him child why have you treated us like this look your father and I have been searching 563s

for you in great anxiety is Mary distraught here is she angry is she actually scolding Jesus 569s

we have to remember that Jesus though he's holy and completely human he is holy and completely 580s

without sin there would never have been a time to scold Jesus he would never do anything to 588s

receive or deserve a scolding he was literally the perfect child it's really interesting some of the 597s

nostate gospels which are writings that are not part of our scripture they tell 607s

these secret truths which are not actually truth their heresies about Christ we are to know 615s

only what scripture reveals but there are ways that these nostic writers wrote about Jesus as 624s

child trying to give us these ideas of what he was like and they wrote of him creating clay birds 631s

and bringing them to life or blinding towns people because they had offended him kind of like a 640s

playground bully would that is not that does not jive with who we know Jesus to be that does not 647s

live with a perfect human or the divine so the nostic gospels are heresy and they are not true 654s

but it's very interesting that they are trying to put forth that Jesus would have these minor 663s

infractions against him as a child Mary would never have any reason to scold Jesus what we do 671s

have in scripture is that Jesus was filled with wisdom and he was in the favor of God he had the 680s

favor of God upon him Mary was never unaware of what the angel Gabriel had told her that he 687s

would be holy he will be called the son of God so more likely than scolding or being upset or 695s

angry Mary was most likely bewildered be bewildered of why Jesus had not gone with them and where 703s

he had been found we continue Jesus responded to them in verse 49 why were you searching for me 712s

did you not know that I must be in my father's house Jesus had no fear of being without his parents 720s

even the bravest of 12 year old usually want their parent at some point usually don't want to be 729s

on their own for three days but Jesus had no fear and he had no need to fear he also in this is 737s

showing where his priorities lie they always lie with his father his father in heaven and he's 747s

correcting Mary in this reference she has said that she and his father have been searching for him but he 757s

corrects her lovingly and says wouldn't I be in my father's house would I not be about my father's 765s

business correcting who his true father is but they did not understand what he said to them how many 773s

inscriptions in Jesus life before the resurrection really understood what he was saying time and time 783s

again his disciples are trying to ask him to explain further what he's saying he will tell them 792s

point blank what's happening to him or what is going to happen to him or who he is and they still 800s

don't quite get it it still doesn't completely compute with them they witnessed the transfiguration 808s

in yet they were still confused that he would be heading to Jerusalem to the cross only to be resurrected 818s

the limited understanding of humanity made for a confusion for Mary and Joseph at what he was saying they 828s

didn't quite get why he was in the temple or why it would be so important for him to be only about 840s

his father's business continuing in verse 51 then he went down with them and came to Nazareth 848s

and was obedient to them his mother treasured all these things in her heart and Jesus increased in 856s

wisdom and in years and in divine and human favor Jesus was kind of in enigma he was never lost 863s

no one ever had to search for him and yet he confused them he'd be well-dored them 876s

he was about his father's business when he was born he was about his father's business when he was 12 885s

and what we have mostly of Christ and his public ministry was that he was always about his father's 893s

business and his father's business is to seek out find and save the lost that is ultimately his 902s

father's business and the truth is that while Jesus was never lost even in his humanity we 915s

in our own flesh in our own selfishness in our own desires we are lost we are lost 926s

from our relationship with the Lord we are lost from our relationship with the father 934s

but Jesus was sent to seek the lost which means that Jesus was sent to seek you and he was sent 942s

to seek me and the exciting thing in this is that not only was he sent to seek us but he found us 952s

the fact that you're sitting in these seats right now hearing these words means that Christ 962s

himself has sought and found you and not only did Christ himself seek and find you but Christ himself 970s

sought found you died for you paid for you redeemed you he's not just tagging you telling you 977s

you're found he's tagging you telling you that you're found and you are forgiven through his blood 988s

in the second article of the Apostle's Creed Martin Luther gives an explanation saying I believe 996s

that Jesus Christ true God begotten of the father from eternity and also true man 1006s

born of the virgin Mary is my Lord who has redeemed me a lost and condemned person purchased 1012s

and won me from all sins from death and from the power of the devil not with gold or silver but 1020s

with his holy precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death that I may be his own 1027s

and live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness 1033s

just as he has risen from the dead lives and reigns to all eternity it sounds so simple 1041s

it's so clear and so simple and yet we try to remain lost we try to convince the Lord that we're not 1053s

good enough that we should remain lost but my brothers and sisters you are not lost you are 1065s

found as a parent it was really scary for me to lose my child and I searched 1074s

everywhere called to him every few seconds until I found him it is no different 1084s

with our father in heaven as our father or as our Heavenly Father God did not rest until he 1094s

gave the way to find us until he provided his own son to seek us and to find us and to redeem us 1104s

when we feel lost or when we tried to convince God that we should remain lost I invite you to open 1115s

up that small cataclysm look at what Martin Luther has said surely surely it can't be as simple as 1123s

that and yet when you search the scriptures and you find what it says about the lost it is as 1131s

simple as that Jesus said to his disciples you did not choose me but I chose you it is made 1142s

clear in scripture that any who are lost God will find God will call and God will redeem 1151s

is it really that simple when I looked for Ezra it really was simple to find him he did come 1163s

when I called him Christ is calling you and he is saying come you are found 1173s

you're found 1187s