12-30-18, A Word to Parents
Luke 2:41-52
Luke
2:41-52 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now his parents
went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when he was twelve years
old, they went up according to custom.
43 And when the feast was
ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
44 but supposing him to be in the
group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among
their relatives and acquaintances,
45 and when they did not find
him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
46 After three days they found
him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and
asking them questions.
47 And all who heard him were
amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 And when his parents saw
him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you
treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in
great distress.”
49 And he said to them, “Why
were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my
Father's house?”
50 And they did not
understand the saying that he spoke to them.
51 And he went down with them and
came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up
all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in
wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Today, I feel it is only
appropriate IF we talk about Family.
I believe most of us would
agree that raising a family can be very challenging.
·
In fact, would you not agree that you views on how you should
raise your Family have changed from your first child, to your second, and even
again to your third and beyond?
·
See if any of you can identify with these changes:
For example,
If you are a mom, your Clothes change.
1.
See, with the first baby you begin wearing maternity clothes as
soon as you find out that you are pregnant.
2.
With the second baby you wear your regular clothes for as long
as possible.
3.
Then, with your third baby, your maternity clothes ARE your
regular clothes.
And your attitude toward Germs changes.
1.
With the first baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put
it away until you can go home and wash and then even boil it.
2.
With the second baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you
squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.
3.
And With the third baby: You wipe it off on your shirt, maybe
pop it in your mouth first then pop it back in your child’s mouth.
And your attitude toward Going Out changes.
1.
With the first baby: The first time you leave your baby with a
sitter, you call home at least 5 times.
2.
With the second baby: Just before you walk out the door, you
remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3.
And with the third baby: You leave instructions for the sitter
to only call if she sees blood.
And your attitude toward Being With the baby
changes.
1.
With the first baby: You spend a good bit of every day just
gazing at the baby.
2.
With the second baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to
be sure your older child isn’t squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3.
And with the third baby: You spend a little bit of every day
hiding from the children.
And even your attitude toward Swallowing Coins
changes.
1.
When the first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the
hospital and demand to see x-rays.
2.
When a second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for
coin to pass through.
3.
And when a third child swallows a coin, you deduct double the
amount from his or her allowance!
Now aren’t Families wonderful?!?
·
But they are most
certainly challenging.
o Even Jesus’ family was challenging.
Our Scripture says that
Mary and Joseph were looking for Jesus for 3 days.
1.
That was 1 day out, as they left Jerusalem.
2.
The 2nd day was on their return to Jerusalem.
3.
And the 3rd was their hunt for Him while in
Jerusalem.
Do you think, that when
Jesus said: “Why
were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my
Father's house?”
Do you think that just
maybe, He knew that they were searching for Him in all the wrong places?
Just a wonder.
But I would not have
wanted to be with Mary and Joseph and their family as they headed back to
Jerusalem in that fright!
·
God gave us this child to protect and here we lost Him.
·
Joseph – you’re the man of the house, why weren’t you watching
after Him?
·
Well Mary – you are His mother; don’t you have a natural bond to
this Child of yours?
·
Oh, what is God going to do with us if we Lose this Child!?!
Yes, “have been searching for you in
great distress.” Oh
Yes, I don’t even think that begins to describe their worry.
But – I do believe it is
very safe to say that Jesus came from a very devoted Jewish family.
·
Every year, they WALKED
to Jerusalem for the Passover observance.
·
And reflecting back on the messages from a week or two ago,
o We know from the stories
about his birth,
§ That his parents trusted God.
·
And We know Jesus
o Was knowledgeable in the Hebrew Scriptures.
From today’s reading,
·
He baffled the scholars in the temple with his questions
concerning scripture when he was only 12 years of age.
·
Passages from the Hebrew Bible were on his tongue all throughout
His ministry.
·
And Most likely, this was a praise to Joseph.
o See, in the Jewish home,
§ It was the father who had
the responsibility of training his sons in the faith.
o And based on the evidence,
§ We know that Joseph did
his job very well.
And, Mary did her job well
too.
 |
I read recently a humorous
story about a young man who on his graduation from high school,
·
He was chosen to give the Commencement
Speech.
o He began by reading from
his prepared text:
“I want to talk about my
mother and the wonderful influence she has had on my life.
·
She is a shining example of parenthood, and I love her more than
words could ever do justice.”
·
At this point he seemed to struggle for words.
·
After a pause, he looked up with a sly grin and said,
·
“Sorry, but it’s kind of hard to read my mother’s handwriting.”
Now, We know just how
important Mary and Jesus were to each other.
·
One of the final acts that Jesus performed,
o Even while he was being
crucified on the cross,
o Was to make certain that
his mother was going to be taken care of.
Yet today, we read about
an incident while Jesus was still just a young boy
·
An incident that was so extraordinary
·
That it found its place within the New Testament.
Perhaps this story was shared
by one of Jesus’ brothers after His death and His resurrection.
·
We are not for sure, but it could be.
·
We know that at least two of Jesus’ brothers, James and Jude, were
active in the early church.
·
Perhaps it was they who told about the time when Mary, Joseph
and Jesus visited the temple at Jerusalem.
·
See, it is a requirement that all males beginning of the age of
13, visit the temple during the Feast of the Passover.
On their journey home,
about a day into the journey from Jerusalem,
·
Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus wasn’t with them.
Now this may sound kind of
none-carry of Mary and Joseph but there was no reason for them to miss Jesus.
·
See, there was a large crowd of family and friends from their
community traveling together and it was not unusual to be unable to find a boy
of 12. He would have been playing with other kids of his age.
But, when they noticed
that He was not with them,
·
They headed back to Jerusalem right away to find out
o What in the world that could
have happened to Him?
·
And when they finally found Him, He was in the temple where he
was amazing the scholars with His questions.
And did you notice this?
Mary scolded Him.
·
She had been concerned, as any mother would have been.
·
She asked her Son, “Why did You worry us like
this? We’ve been looking for You anxiously.”
Jesus answered, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
Luke tells us that Mary
and Joseph didn’t really understand what Jesus meant by this,
·
However, Jesus did go home with them and was obedient to them.
We are also told that Mary kept these things hidden in her heart, and that Jesus increased
in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
Now can you not picture one
of Jesus’ brothers telling this story much, much later
·
And saying the family knew even then that there was something
special about Jesus?
·
Still, the family did not always know what to make of their
oldest Son.
 |
Now, what do you think?
Do you think there were
some things about Mary and Joseph’s family that are found to be true within
your own family?
For one thing, they had
their disagreements.
And they have had their
heated “DISCUSSIONS”.
·
Now - That’s normal, is it?
o Do members of your family
disagree?
·
You know, Even if your family consists of only two people, there
will be disagreements.
And sometimes, even in
families of just one.
·
“I really don’t feel like cold cuts.”
·
“But I am too tired to fix anything else.”
·
“How about just cereal.”
·
“But I had that this morning….”
 |
And as it goes, this was not
the last time that there would be conflict between Jesus and his mother and his
brothers.
·
The next recorded time was when Jesus begins his ministry.
·
In the Book of Mark, Chapter 3
o We read that when his
family heard about a disagreement that Jesus was stirring-up within His new
teachings.
So tell me, If you were
Jesus’ brother or sister, and He was stirring up trouble within the community,
What would you do?
·
Most likely, it would be the same as Jesus’ brothers and his mother
did,
o They went to try to take
charge of Jesus
o And to calm Him Down.
·
They said, “He is out of his mind” (3:21).
o This all had to be embarrassing
for all concerned.
o But this was, after all, a
real family.
o Even in the best of
families there are disagreements.
 |
Even in the healthiest of
families,
·
As children grow toward their adulthood,
·
There is this Foreseeable
Distancing Process that must take place.
·
There comes a time for leaving Mom and Dad,
o A time for making one’s
own way,
o A time to create one’s own
identity.
·
So, part of the conflict within families is this very natural
process.
o We need not panic
§ When the hurtful words are
spoken,
o When disturbing thoughts
§ Or ideas are expressed.
o It is just part of moving
out,
o It is just part of growing
up,
o And that’s part of God’s
plan.
And this happens even in
the best of families.
 |
But there is a 2nd
characteristic of Jesus’ family.
They were always there for each other.
·
No matter how old Jesus was
o Or how many other people He
influenced,
o He was still Mary’s Son
o And they maintained that
close relationship.
Sometimes it was a
strained relationship but this is natural.
|
Did you notice the
reaction of Mary and Jesus to the conflict within our story for this morning?
·
After it was over, Luke tells us Jesus returned to Nazareth with
his parents and He was obedient to them.
·
Now that doesn’t say that there were never any more arguments,
but, as a teenager, Jesus was an obedient son.
Jesus Loved his parents.
But even Jesus - Mary
scolded Him.
·
But notice, she kept these things
o And pondered them in her
heart.
·
She loved her Son.
·
She wanted to understand Him.
·
She wanted to reach out to Him.
·
The picture that the New Testament gives of this family is
o A family in harmony.
And it was within this
type of family Lifestyle,
·
Luke shares with us that Jesus increased in
o Wisdom
o And stature
o And in favor
§ With God
§ And with man.
·
Now, that is beautiful—
o A family that is always
there for one another.
|
Good families are always
there for each other.
·
And good parents take time to be sensitive to their children’s
needs.
I believe that we can all
remember what it is like to have small children.
·
Being sensitive to the slightest sound of your baby’s cry.
·
Then, as our children grow up,
o It becomes harder.
o We may not hear sounds in
the middle of the night quite as well,
·
But still we must train ourselves to listen.
o It’s much easier to hear a
three-year-old in the middle of the night
o Than it is to hear the
silent scream of a 13-year-old
§ Whose sense of self-worth
has been crushed at school by
·
A catty friend
·
Or thru an unthinking teacher.
 |
Good parenting begins with
sensitivity;
·
Sensitivity and Sharing;
·
Keeping the lines of communication open
·
And the dialogue flowing.
Sometimes, we try so hard
·
That we make the oldest mistake.
·
That is, we make the mistake of
o Doing all the talking
o And none of the listening.
·
Even more important than that,
o Is just simply being
present—
o Taking the time to be
available to LISTEN.
o THAT IS SO IMPORTANT.
 |
It was during my 9th
grade of school when my mom would spend hours in the evening, just listening to
me.
That was so important to
me and that impacted me as I grew up.
Now she did this at a time
when she went back to college to get her degree. She knew that she had studies
to do, and she did still do them, but she did them after she listened to me.
Did you notice that there
are ONLY 936 Saturdays between the
day your child is born and the time he or she turns 18?
·
That’s a good-reminder to cherish every moment that you have
with your children and to use time wisely.
 |
In James Patterson’s bestselling
novel “Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas”,
·
It tells of a story of mother who passes at an early age and she
left behind her diary for her son to read.
·
In this diary, it talks of having 5 balls.
·
It reads:
“Imagine life is a game in
which you are juggling five balls.
·
The balls are called
o Work,
o Family,
o Health,
o Friends,
o and Integrity.
Now I would have added
another for Relationship with God, but this is his story.
He said that You start off
in Life, doing well and you are keeping all of the balls up in the air.
·
But one day you finally notice that the Ball for Work is a
rubber ball.
o You know, If you drop it,
it will always bounce back up.
·
But the other 4 balls—
o Family,
o Health,
o Friends,
o And Integrity—
§ They are all made out of
glass.
If you drop one of these,
·
The least damage to it would be a big old scuff,
o But most likely it will be
chipped, or even - perhaps it would just shatter in a million pieces.
·
And once you truly understand the lesson of the 5 balls,
o You will have the
beginnings of being able to put balance
into your life.”
Our message for today is
titled “A Word to Parents.”
·
I know that you all are quite busy,
o But think of those 4/5
glasses balls—
§ Relationship with God
§ Family,
§ Health,
§ Friends,
§ And Integrity.
·
These balls are all so fragile but especially that second ball, Family.
·
But in so many lives,
o This is the one that
usually is the first
o To get cracked or
shattered.
There was once a Sunday
School for parents who wanted to rename what their study was called.
·
They just felt the old name didn’t fit them.
·
They kicked around the usual names such as
o Seekers,
o Searchers
o And even Learners.
·
But all of those just seemed to be as removed from what they
were feeling as the one that they originally had.
o They were seeking
something to reflect their every-day-to-day wear-and-tear of their lives.
·
Soon, they had their ‘New’ name.
·
It was simple,
·
It was truthful,
·
It was inclusive,
·
And it was playful.
·
Their new name was “TIRED
PARENT’S CLASS”.
·
To them, it just seemed to say it all.
YES, These parents were
tired.
But they were also committed
·
They were committed to the most important task that God has
given to them.
·
To prepare their children for living in an ever-more complex
world.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older,
they will not leave it.”
·
That seems to be more valid in our today’s world than it has
ever been before.
I know that some of you
would be candidates for the “Tired Parent’s Class”
or
even the “Tired Grandparent’s Class.”
·
Nobody said being a parent or a grandparent would be easy. AND –
Really - Why should it?
·
It wasn’t easy for Mary and Joseph and they had the best child
the world has ever known.
·
But being a parent and a grandparent are the Most Important tasks
that are assigned to any person.
·
Let your offspring know that you will always
o Be there for them,
o Regardless of their
situation.
·
And continually –
o Seek to be sensitive to
their needs.
Raising a family is most
certainly a glass ball.
·
If it is dropped, it can shatter.
·
So, take care of it.
·
Handle it gently and with Love.
Someday you will thank God
for such a wonderful gift.
