Luke 2  41 – 52

Every year Jesus’ parents travelled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up as they always did for the Feast. When it was over and they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it. Thinking he was somewhere in the company of pilgrims, they journeyed for a whole day and then began looking for him among relatives and neighbours. When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him.

The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt.

His mother said, “Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you.”

He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?” But they had no idea what he was talking about.

So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.

 

Gospel Reflection

Jesus spoke of God as his Father, and made his home in God’s house. Yes, at the end of this passage he went back to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph, and learned how to fix doors and make stools, but his real home was his Father’s house in Jerusalem. And it was in Jerusalem in the run up to Good Friday that Jesus spoke again of his Father’s house, this time to the disciples. In John 14, Jesus says, “My Father’s house has many rooms … I am going there to prepare a place for you.” A room. For you. In the Father’s house. Wow!

The Father’s house has room for me too. That’s my real home. Yes, at present I live with my family, but my real home is in my Father’s house.

Jesus knew his real home. Where is yours? Nazareth with the wood and saws, or in your Father’s house?