THE BOY JESUS

Sermon of the Week #200651 – December 24, 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen, listen to this unbelievable statement, “The Boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and His parents knew it not; but supposing Him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey; and sought for Him among their kinfolk and acquaintance: and when they found Him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for Him.” Now that is a new twist to our usual view of Jesus. Jesus was lost, and they were trying to find Him. We usually think of it the other way around. Mankind is lost, but here it is Jesus who is lost. They were looking for the lost Jesus, and found Him after three days in the Temple at Jerusalem, sitting in the midst of the Doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. The story of the losing of the Boy Jesus involves the sword that was promised by Simeon.

THE SWORD

When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple at eight days old for circumcision, there was an old man named Simeon who had been told he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. He took Jesus into his arms and blessed Him and said, “Now Lord, lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation.”

Think of that! He said, “Now that I have seen Jesus, I am ready to die.” Any person who has met Jesus is ready to die. You may be twenty years old, or eighty years old, but if you have met the Lord you are ready to die. Without meeting Jesus you will never be ready to die. After this he told Mary, because of this child a sword would pierce her own soul. This no doubt was a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus; but there were other times when she felt the point of that sword.

Now about this event when the Boy Jesus was found, she told Him, “Behold thy father and I sought thee sorrowing.” Think of any parents today taking a child to a large gathering and then to have that child disappear in the crowd. Every minute seems like a year. Every hour feels like a decade. Then add to this the fact that Mary has lost the Christ Child. How can she explain this to God? It is all my fault. I have failed in this great God-given responsibility. She must have felt like Eve in the Garden of Eden. Because of me, the whole human race will die. In this case Mary must have felt that she was responsible for the loss of the One that the angel had said would save His people from their sins. It is all my fault. I have known a lot of people who have known the Lord, and lost Him, and it never seems to bother them. It bothered Mary, and it ought to bother anyone who has not found Christ.

Maybe she did not expect anything like this to happen.  Had she not been told that Jesus would be called the Son of the Most High God? Surely everything would fall into place. No such trouble, as this would ever arise. But Mary, like the rest of us, would learn that living in the center of God’s will does not preclude life’s problems. Why would God allow a sword to pierce her soul? Was she not the mother of the Christ Child? Actually her joy was not without sorrow. None of us ever attain complete blessedness or sinless perfection until that day when the spirits of mere men are made perfect. Mary did not have complete knowledge about Jesus. He said to her, “Did you not know that I would be in My Father’s House?” Why would God let her have such worries? If God had kept all of His servants in the Bible free from all troubles and the woes of this life, then we would be in despair. We would think something is wrong with us. If the Apostles had never been beaten and put in jail, suffered injustice, as well as disease, they could never be role models for us. These people of the Word of God, including Mary the mother of Jesus, were flesh and blood people just like us. They were susceptible to disease and the same temptations and privations that we are subject to. We can be glad that Mary had sorrow and was tried because the same thing can happen to us.

We need to honor Mary the mother of Jesus. She had the greatest honor bestowed on her, but she was not perfect. In Mary’s own words she said, “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” She needed a Saviour just as much as anyone else. It is a great thing to give all honors to this chosen vessel of God, but let us remember she is not the mother of God; she is the mother of the humanity of Jesus. God was the Father of His divinity. Paul told Timothy, “There is one God, and One Mediator between man and God, Himself man, Christ Jesus.” Jesus is the One and only go-between, you and God the Father.

Although she did not understand everything, as far as losing Jesus was concerned, she had not sinned. Jesus had always been obedient. It was natural to think that He was in the company. Jesus was not really lost; He knew where He was, but they didn’t. She had not done anything wrong, but the Devil made her think she had. This is one of the favorite devices of the Devil. He makes the child of God think, like Mary, that he is guilty of sin even when he is innocent. The Devil makes the child of God think, “How do I know God will accept me on the Judgment Day?” You may get sick, or in some way come face to face with your mortality, and you are plagued with that thought. Will Jesus really accept me when I die? It takes a person of strong faith to endure such sledgehammer blows from the Devil.

But then again the Devil also works the same scheme from another angle. A child of God gets indifferent and lives in a way incompatible to the Christian lifestyle and indulges in all manner of wishful thinking about grace. He assumes that grace will cover him regardless of what he does. Like Paul asked the Romans, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!” Some people assume that God is good, so go-ahead and do as you please; grace will cover everything. That is why I feel a little uneasy when I hear people sing that great gospel song “Amazing Grace”. I always wonder, “What grace are they singing about? Is it the real grace of God, or is it that cheap sickly sentimental grace that covers any and everything in an unrepentant, do-as-you-please lifestyle?” And now this event concerning the Boy Jesus not only involves the Sword but also a great Supposition—the  Sword and the Supposition.

THE SUPPOSITION

Supposing Him to be in the company they went a day’s journey, and they sought for Him among their kinfolk and acquaintances: and when they found Him not they returned to Jerusalem seeking for Him. She based her watch-care over Him on a supposition. She supposed that He was in the caravan returning to Nazareth, but He was not with them. It is always a mistake to base our faith in Jesus on the sandy foundation of our supposition. It is your soul. Eternity is long. You cannot afford to suppose anything. Your faith needs the firm foundation of the Word of God.

Almost everyone who is a member of a church of any kind is acquainted with a preacher, or priest. Remember, Mary supposed that Jesus was among the acquaintances. He was not there. Why should anyone base their salvation or take the word of a preacher or a priest of their acquaintance regarding their salvation? Personally, I would like to read it for myself. I trust the Word of God, but I cannot always be sure about the word of acquaintances.

She not only supposed He was with the acquaintances, but she supposed Him to be with the kinfolk. Many today make this mistake. They suppose that Jesus can be found in the religion of their parents, and sometimes it can. But in this case Jesus was nowhere to be found in the rest of the family. What a shock that was.

It is indeed a difficult situation. Suppose a person is born into a family and their parents belong to a church; it is easy to suppose what their parents believe is right.

Remember Jesus said, “Whosoever loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.” That statement of the Lord must have been included in the Word of God as a warning to all who place the faith of our fathers above the Word of God.

She supposed Him to be among the acquaintances and the kinfolk, and He was not. Then she also supposed Him to be in the company. These trips to Jerusalem started out small and the crowd increased as they went along. A caravan would feel safe in traveling through Samaritan territory. A smaller group might go a day’s journey around Samaria, but a large group like this could safely go through. It was comforting to Mary when she supposed Him to be in the company. There is safety in numbers.

This is a great temptation today. Everybody knows that the more people you have in a denomination proves they are right in whatever they believe. If a denomination numbers about three million, that much flesh and blood cannot be wrong. Only a bigot would suggest otherwise. Each member can boast they know they are right because flesh and blood has revealed it unto them. It is easy to believe the bigger the congregation numbers in attendance the closer to God they are, and anyone who disagrees with that is just jealous that they are not successful also. It was a big crowd that was making the trip back to Nazareth, but Jesus was not with them even though they supposed He had to be with such a large number.

There are others who suppose that all is well with their relationship with the Lord Jesus; on the basis that they suppose the love of God will keep everyone out of Hell. Actually, that is why Jesus died in the first place. He wants to keep us from going to such a place. Jesus had more to say about Hell than anyone else in the Bible, but they still suppose that such ideas come from, what they call, hell-fire and brimstone preachers. I always remind people that I got my ideas about Hell from Jesus. He had more to say about Hell than anybody.

There are also a lot of people who suppose they are good enough without Jesus. They can go it on their own. The Word of God makes no such supposition. She supposed Him to be in the company of kinfolk and acquaintances, and He was in neither group.

When it comes to suppositions, the most horrible supposition of all is the following supposition. Just suppose all of your suppositions are wrong when the Lord returns. Apparently such will be the case according to the Sermon on the Mount, “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord did we not prophecy in Thy name, and by Thy name cast out demons and do many mighty works in Thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from Me ye workers of iniquity.” That will be the end of all suppositions. The story of the Boy Jesus includes the Sword and the Supposition, and then it also includes the element of Seeking.

SEEKING FOR JESUS

And when they found Him not they returned to Jerusalem seeking for Him. And it came to pass after three days they found Him in the Temple sitting in the midst of the Doctors both hearing them and asking them questions. The Temple was destroyed in seventy AD. The Temple today is the Christian. Paul tells us in Corinthians, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” The Christians that compose the Church is the temple of God. Paul tells Timothy that the Church is the pillar and ground of truth. The Church does not create doctrine; the Church as pillar and ground of truth holds up the truth. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, “Thy word is truth.” The Church needs to support the truth, and hold up the Word of God to a lost and dying world.

So they found Him in the Temple sitting in the midst of the teachers in the Temple both hearing them and asking Him questions. Jesus and His plan of salvation for mankind will not be found in books of history, books of law, science, anthropology, philosophy, medicine, or even in the polls of what men may think. The truth about life and eternity and salvation comes from the Bible and the Bible alone.

They found Him in the Temple reasoning with the Doctors regarding the Word of God. Romans 3:23 tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 tells us, “The wages of sin is death.” Romans 5:6, informs us that Christ died for the ungodly. Acts 2:38 gives us the terms of pardon, “Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:38 shows us the method of baptism, “Going down into the water and coming up out of the water.” Second Thessalonians 1:8 reveals that the Lord will come in flaming fire to take vengeance on them who have not obeyed the gospel. They found Him on the third day in the midst of the teachers in the Temple.

That term the third day always intrigues me. When I read in Scripture about the third day I feel like I am standing on resurrection ground. It was on the third day that the first resurrection took place in the book of Genesis. The earth was covered with water, and on the third day of creation the Lord said, “Let the dry land appear.” In obedience to that command the land mass arose from its watery grave and the dry land appeared.

Luke tells the story of the two on the road Emmaus and how they met the risen Lord, although their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. They told Him that their rulers had crucified the Lord and that this was now the third day since these things came to pass. These two disciples found their risen Lord on the third day.

That term the third day reminds me of what Peter said about how the Lord regards time. He said, “A day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.” How long has the Lord been gone back to Heaven and when will He come again? He has been gone about two thousand years. If the Lord regards a thousand years as one day and one day as a thousand years, according to that calculation Jesus has only been gone since the day before yesterday. He went back to Heaven about two days ago. We on this planet are now living early on the third day since Jesus went away. While we do not know when the Lord will return, it is an intriguing thought to think, “Since He arose early on the third day after He was crucified, would it not be wonderful if He came back to raise the dead early on the third day.” We do remember that He said three times in the last chapter of Revelation, “Behold I come quickly.” If He should come early on the third day it certainly does make sense that He might come any moment in this the beginning of the third millennium. Regarding that triple promise to return in Revelation, John said, “Even so come Lord Jesus.”

Although the second coming will be a time of glory for the Christian, John reminds us that every eye shall see Him and all the tribes of the earth shall wail because of Him. They will wail because they know there will be no opportunity for mercy then. They will wail because, that contrary to what false prophets have told them, there is a Hell. They will wail because they will know they are not going to be annihilated. They will wail because of the obvious result of their rejection of Christ who now comes to judge them.

However, we as Christians may rejoice in the words of Paul to Titus, “We look for the blessed hope and appearing of the Great God our Saviour.” Remember, Andrew said to Peter, “We have found the Messiah.” Philip told Nathaniel, “We have found Him.” Mary and Joseph found Him. Have you found Him?