41Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it (Luke 2:41-43; emphasis added).
At the Passover celebration in Jerusalem mentioned above, Jesus was twelve years old when He had it in His heart to be about His Father's business. Nowadays, a Jewish boy has their Bar Mitzvah, their celebration of becoming a man, at 13, but that age was not established until many years later. Hence, the Passover mentioned above could have been a reference to Christ's coming of age. After the Feast was over and the massive caravan of people began the 80-mile journey back to Nazareth, His parents assumed He was with others.
The three- to four-day trip from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the three major feasts was a very communal experience and a bonding time for communities like Nazareth. After the Feast ended, the entire community left Jerusalem and traveled about a day's journey before Joseph and Mary started to wonder where Jesus was (v. 44). When He didn't come to the tent that first night, I imagine Joseph and Mary were overwhelmed with worry. They had lost Jesus, the Son of God! It took them another day’s journey to return to Jerusalem. Where would they look for Him? They spent the third day searching wherever they thought He might be. Finally, they found Him in the Temple precincts with the scholars or teachers of Israel. Jesus was asking them questions that led the leaders to new insights into Scripture (Luke 2:47). Asking questions is a powerful way to open minds to the plain teaching of the Bible.
Many believers in Christ go through times when the close, intimate presence of God seems to lift off from them, and it feels like they've lost God along the way. Often, this happens because of a wrong turn in their lives. They may have thought the Lord was with them, but He hadn't come to their tent; He had other plans. When this occurs, it's helpful to pause and reflect on where you were when you last felt His presence. What caused you to lose that sense of His closeness? Of course, as believers, Scripture makes it clear that God is always with us, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:28), but what we're referring to is His intimate presence or the anointing of the Spirit.
It is not always sin that causes us to feel distant from God. Sometimes, it is a lesson the Lord is teaching us. When I came to Christ, my joy overflowed with the feeling of the Holy Spirit's closeness. Over time, however, those feelings faded. Not all my plans aligned with the Lord’s plans. When you commit to following the Lord Jesus, you are no longer the one in charge of your life. The Lord is the Shepherd, and we are His sheep. We are to follow Him, and He will lead us into green pastures. We don't invite Him to walk with us; we follow where He leads. This kind of life will not always be easy, but it will be fulfilling, especially when we arrive at our true home. Then we will see what God has been building in and through us. This life is not all there is. C.S. Lewis once said,
"When I invited Jesus into my life, I thought He would put up some wallpaper and hang a few pictures. But He started knocking out walls and adding on rooms. I said, “I was expecting a nice cottage.” But He said, “I'm making a palace in which to live.”
Like Jesus with Joseph and Mary, the Lord often has plans that differ from ours. He wants to strengthen our faith and not depend on feelings of His closeness. Can I ask you, dear friend, has Christ taken a different direction, and are you still wondering where He went? Return to the place where you lost His presence, repent of any sin, and draw near to the Lord. Keith Thomas.
This shortened study is part of a series called Be Filled With the Spirit; the more in-depth study is: In Step with the Spirit.