A Series on God’s Call to Ministry
Luke 2:41-52
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
[Preface: How do you know what your calling
in life is? Will you know from a big bang experience? Or will it come quietly,
almost imperceptible? Will you be inspired by the stories of a visiting
missionary; or a book that opens your eyes to the needs of a specific people
group; or from your own life experience? This series is about God’s call to
ministry for your life; what it means or doesn’t mean.]
What do you want
to be when you grow up?
At the age of five, I wanted to be a cowboy. At
thirteen, I decided to become a geologist. At twenty-four, I wanted to work
with inner city kids. At fifty-two, I wanted to be an insurance agent. At
seventy, I want to retire.
What did Jesus
want to be when he grew up? A carpenter like his Dad? Or, the long awaited
Messiah? And how did he finally realize that he was the Son of God and that his
purpose was to save the world? Did an angel tell him? Or, was it like his
cousin John when Luke wrote, “…the word
of God came to John”.
We know very
little about Jesus as a child. Did the other kids make fun of him because he
was born out of wedlock? Did his Mom and Dad tell him about the supernatural
circumstances that surrounded his birth? Did he sit in the synagogue school and
daydream about being the Messiah someday?
What we do know is
that at the age of twelve, Jesus seemed to have a very real sense of who he
was. The following interaction took place when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem
while his parents thought he was with them on the caravan returning to
Nazareth. Instead, three days later, they found him in the Temple.
48 His
parents were shocked to find him there, and Mary scolded him, saying, “Son,
your father and I have searched for you everywhere! We have been worried sick
over not finding you. Why would you do this to us?” 49 Jesus
said to them, “Why would you need to search for me? Didn’t you know that
it was necessary for me to be here in my Father’s house, consumed with him?” 50 Mary
and Joseph didn’t fully understand what Jesus meant. TNT
More important
than knowing what you want to be when you grow up, is knowing whose child you are.
This question brings back many memories of Saturday
mornings when my Dad would go to the bank and take me with him. As we walked
into the bank, everybody knew that I was Dwight’s boy!
At the age of twelve,
Jesus needed to be in his Father’s house because he knew, not only who he was,
but whose he was; and as a result, he changed history. We need to ask ourselves
the same questions. Do you know who you are, and whose child you are? If so, how
has that touched the lives of those around you?
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