Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were ASTOUNDED
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ!
We have all heard this story many many times. As far as I can remember I have always heard this story used by church leaders as an example of Jesus following His parents and being obedient. While this is a very important lesson, I feel that there is an equally important lesson to be learned in this story. A lesson that will have implications in almost every other New Testament and Gospel reading.
Before we go any further lets discuss who Jesus was as a 12 year old boy. In His time, education was structured much differently from our own. In fact their grade school's one and only focus was the Word of God as it was presented Moses. As children of this time period, they would all study the first five books of the bible or the Torah until about age ten. This first studying of the Torah was called Beit Sefer (Bait Se-fair), and at its completion the children would have memorized the first five books in the bible. They would know the words of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy by heart! Once they had each finished Beit Sefer, 90% of the children would go on to become apprentices in the family trade or business. Only the very best of these would go on the continue their study of the Torah in what was called Beit Talmud (Bait Tal-mood).
In this second tier of the education system, the children would finish memorizing the Torah. So that by the time they were about 14-15 years old they would have all of the books from Genesis-Malachi memorized. They would also learn the different traditions and applications of the Torah. The young teens would then learn the interpretations of the word of God.
I realize that in all of this talk of the education system of Jesus' time I have yet to mention the teachers. The ones teaching the children of the Torah were in fact Rabbi, and in as much were the very pinnacle of Jewish society. No one was as revered as a Rabbi, one who knew the word of God and how to teach it to the people.
Now lets look at who this young 12 year old Jesus was. He was in among those who would be His teachers if He had been a child of the city of Jerusalem. These guys were the Harvard professors, and here is this pre-teen from some tiny working town talking with them. And not just asking question after question as you might expect, He was giving them answers. Not just regular old answers straight out of your text book. Jesus gave them answers and they were ASTOUNDED! They didn't dismiss some annoying young kid, they sat and listened to Him! For me, the lesson to be learned here is that my Jesus was the best of the best. He was in the 99th percentile. So what happened next?
It's true we know very little about our King's childhood. We do know, however, about what those who completed Beit Talmud did. Most of them went home. In fact even the best of these didn't always move on. Only those who were truly put on this Earth to be Rabbi went on to the next stage of education. This was called Beit Midrash (Bait Mid-rash). And in this final stage of the education process, the 14-15 year old kids went and petitioned a Rabbi. They went and told the Rabbi, "I want to learn to do as you do." Immediately the Rabbi would grill the student on their knowledge of the Torah, of the prophets, on the oral traditions, and many other things. Once this test was over the Rabbi usually told the youngster, "It is clear that you know the Torah very well, and that you love God. Go now and ply your family's trade." What a let down, right? Sometimes, however, The Rabbi was impressed with the students knowledge, astounded even. It was at these times, when the Rabbi thought the pupil had what it took to do what the Rabbi himself did, that the Rabbi would say, "Come,follow me." The Rabbi wasn't just saying lets go on a walk and I'll teach you a few things. He was telling this pupil, "Come be my disciple, for I believe you can do what I can do." Let's put this in perspective. Here is this wise Rabbi, respected above every other person in the community, telling this 14-15 year old boy, "You have what it takes to be at the pinnacle of society, let me show you how." How could you not follow him?!
Once a student had become the disciple of a Rabbi he left his entire life behind. The teen would have left his town, his synagogue, and even his family. He followed the Rabbi everywhere, yearning to become what his teacher was. He would usually spend the next decade and a half learning to be a teacher of the Word of God to the Jewish people. Then at about age 30 the disciple would go out and begin their ministry. Coincidentally this is the same time that Luke tells us that Jesus began his ministry. (LUKE 3:23)
I'm almost done, I just want to tie-in what we have learned, to put it in perspective. Lets start from the top, Peter and Andrew are off in their boat, just fishing like they would any other day. Then they here some guy call from the beach. They recognize him as a Rabbi. What does Jesus tell them? Come, follow me! Come you lowly fishermen for I believe you can do what I can do! Matthew tells us they dropped their nets and left immediately. Of course they did! Here was this guy who has all the knowledge of one of the premiere members of their society, telling them that they can do all that he can do. Of course Peter stepped out onto the raging water! Jesus said I can do what he can do, and by Him I'm going to walk on that water. When Peter sinks, Jesus asked why did you doubt? Peter wasn't doubting Jesus. Jesus wasn't the one sinking. Peter doubted himself and that he could do as Jesus did.
We have been told thousands of times that Jesus calls each one of us to,"Come, follow Him." I hope you hear now what I hear when someone tells me those three little words. Jesus is telling me that I can do what He can do. I can pick up my cross, cast down Satan and all my shame, and carry that cross all the way to gates of the Kingdom of Heaven where I will be the child He is so infinitely proud of and will wrap in His Eternal Embrace. Oh how He loves me.
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