Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
11/2/97 am
How To Lose Jesus
Reading — Luke 2.41-52
Go with me now to downtown Jerusalem. It’s Passover time. This is a busy day in the Holy City.
Lots of hustle and bustle... large crowds... vendors line the streets, barking ‘three sparrows for a penny, two doves for a farthing.’ This was a time of fun, food and fellowship. Old acquaintances renewed, family reunions, new friends made. The voices of children playing can be heard everywhere. Holiday time in the Palestine. Josephus, in his “History Of The Jews,” says the city’s population would swell to as many as two and a half million people.
Today Jesus is there, perhaps for the very first time. He is 12 years old. An important day in the life of Jesus... Time for His Bar Mitzvah. That time when a Jewish boy becomes a Son of the Law. He is a son of Abraham by lineage, but now He can become a Son of the Law... by accepting Judaism as His official religion.
Well, the celebration is over, and as everybody leaves for home, Jesus stays behind. Some of you are thinking, well, how could they have LOST Jesus? The custom was that the men and women traveled separately. So, Mary probably thought Jesus was with Joseph and Joseph thought He was with Mary. Due to this assumption, they LOST Jesus for three days...
- One day out...
- One day back...
- And one day searching the city.
Now, I don’t have to tell you mothers here this morning about the anxiety, fear, and panic of these parents. Jesus is lost,
- Not lost in Walmart,
- Not lost in the church building,
- Not lost at the mall,
But lost in the city, Jerusalem, crowed with two and a half million people. When they found Him, He was seated in the Temple courts asking and answering questions. Now, it is no accident, that Luke says sitting. Everyone who heard Him was amazed. They had even given Jesus a place of teaching, a posture of the Rabbi. You see, in the first century teachers sat, pupils stood, as opposed to today; when pupils sit and teachers stand. Luke concludes this narrative, by saying, they went home and Jesus was obedient to then and grew in wisdom, stature and in favor with God and man.
MARY AND JOSEPH LOST JESUS... LOST HIM PHYSICALLY.
The point I want to make in the lesson this morning is this, the same things that contributed to their losing Jesus can happen to us, causing us to lose His presence in our lives. So, lets go back over these verses and notice those things that caused Mary and Joseph to lose Jesus and see how they might apply to us.
First, the loss of alertness.
Do you see it in verse 41 and 42, Every year... According to the custom. They lost Jesus in the routine, the ordinary, they lost Him in tradition. Now, there’s certainly nothing wrong with custom or tradition... If that custom and tradition is within God’s will, and going to Jerusalem each year for Passover was.
Church there is a real danger in:
- What we do routinely,
- What we do regularly,
- What we do out of habit.
The danger is that these things become common place and are taken for granted.
We come here each week, once, twice, three times. Because we come here often, because we show up every Sunday, there is a danger that we will come and sleep through the service... Just take it all for granted. We lose our alertness to God and His presence in our lives. You see, it is possible to lose Jesus right here in the church house.
Our encounters with God ought to be humbling, sobering, awe inspiring... Certainly not something we sleep through.
- It was for Moses before the burning bush.
- It was for Isaiah as he sees God seated on His thrown in Isaiah 6.
- It was for Israel at the dedication of Solomon’s temple.
- It was for those on Pentecost in Acts 2.
- For Paul on the Damascus Road.
- And John in the Book of Revelation.
Church, we have let the world force us into its mold of downsizing God. It’s time we called ourselves back to a sense of:
- His awesome omnipotence.
- The majesty and wonder of His presence.
- His absolute transcendent sovereignty.
Jesus is here this morning... Have you seen Him?
- Did you see Him in the Lord’s Supper?
- Do you see God, on the face of your brother?
- Did you see Him in the songs we’ve sung?
- Does He speak to us the message of the hour?
We must not lose Jesus in what we do out of habit and custom.
SECONDLY, THEY LOST JESUS BY INACCURATE ASSUMPTIONS.
Note verse 43 and 44... Do you see the words unaware thinking? Joseph and Mary lost Jesus due to wrong assumptions. We are all guilty of jumping to conclusions, making wrong assumptions:
- About God,
- About Elders,
- About teachers,
- About one another,
- About our spouse, children or parents,
- About churches,
- About politicians,
- About religious issues.
Instead of searching for the truth... We just go on unaware... thinking.
The tragedy of wrong assumptions is that they have the power to direct our lives. We believe something is true, so we act on that, as if it were true. A Biblical example of this is Jacob. He thought his brother Esau would kill him, if he ever saw him again. So he lived for years in a foreign country hiding form his brother. When he and Isaac finally met at the river Jabbok... Jacob got a big burly hug.
Later, Jacob lived twenty-two plus years believing his son Joseph was dead, while a good portion of those years Joseph lived and ruled second only to Pharaoh down in Egypt. Jacob wasted those years on inaccurate assumptions. It is possible that some of us, here this morning, have made some assumptions that are not true? Are we NOT enjoying great relationships in:
- The community,
- Our families,
- And the church,
Because we’ve made some wrong assumptions?
Is it possible that religiously.. Theologically, we have made assumptions that are not based upon God’s word?
- Paul thought He was doing right, by persecuting the early church.
• Those in Acts 19 thought they were OK, knowing only the baptism of John the Baptist.
Wrong assumptions in religious matters can be tragic.
- Don’t place your faith in others determining truth for you.
- Don’t place your faith in a church.
- Don’t place your faith in denominational doctrines.
- Don’t place your faith in quote “Church of Christ” doctrine.
Place your faith, your eternal destiny, in TRUTH as found in this book... THE HOLY INERRANT TEXT.
This very Jesus says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
Church, let us not lose Jesus by making wrong assumptions, but let’s pursue TRUTH. Truth in relationships and truth in religious issues.
JOSEPH AND MARY LOST JESUS BECAUSE OF THEIR SLOWNESS ON SPECIFICS.
Note the last part verse 44... Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. WHY DID THEY WAIT?... The most important thing in the lives of Joseph and Mary should have been their son... Nothing else really matters.
Question!! What is more important than Jesus in my life and yours?
Some day I want to preach a sermon on, Making The Journey Without What Really Matters.
- Oh yes, we got there all right... Had a great time.. Saw lots of friends, family... Renewed old acquaintances. Well, did you bring Jesus?...
JESUS? JESUS?
- We’ve lived 60 years... Had a great life! We spent 35 years with the same company, invested well, And retired to a beautiful place in Bella Vista. Well what about God?... GOD? GOD?
- We’ve raised our children... Yes, they’re in their 20’s and 30’s now... Well educated... All have good jobs. We have six grandchildren you know? And what about their values?... VALUES?... VALUES? Making The Journey Without What Really Matters.
The most important thing in Mary’s life was not:
- Her fellowship with the ladies,
- Playing bridge,
- Having coffee in the tent,
- Or shopping in the Passover craft fair.
For Joseph it was not:
- Talking to the men,
- Getting an early morning start,
- Keeping the livestock watered,
- Checking the price of Walmart stock... The fluctuations of Jerusalem gold,
- Or scrambling for an early tee-time.
The most important thing for Joseph and Mary should have been... Where is Jesus? Church, if anything matters in this life it is Jesus. Have we checked the JESUS FACTOR in our lives lately?
NUMBER FOUR, OVERCOMING WRONG DIRECTIONS.
Look at verse 45 and 46. They went back and found Jesus in the Temple courts. They lost Jesus by going in the wrong direction in relationship to where He was. And so will we... And so will we.
You see, if we have lost Jesus, it is we who have moved, not Jesus. We must know this morning, that Jesus didn’t come into this world to meet our felt needs. He came to make it possible for us to be CHANGED people... Are we willing?... ARE WE? We too, will find Jesus ONLY... ONLY if we are willing to change the direction of our lives. By overcoming sin’s wrong directions... Turning things around.
JOSEPH AND MARY LOST JESUS BECAUSE OF A WRONG FOCUS.
Read verse 48 with me, Son, why have you treated us like this? The KJ says, why have you thus dealt with us? Notice Jesus’ answer, don’t you know I must be about My Father’s business. Mary and Joseph’s motives were good... They meant well. They were interested in Jesus, but their FOCUS was really on themselves:
- Not on Jesus.
- Not on the Father’s business.
- Not on God’s affairs.
They said, why have you treated US this way. Question!... Is our focus on Jesus?
Churches and Christians begin losing Jesus, when all the programs and efforts are focused: on self... inward... when there is no outreach.
This same Jesus said:
- He that finds his life must lose it in service to others.
- Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
- Solomon declares, Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
- Paul says, we must become instruments of God, slaves to righteousness.
Is it possible that we have lost Jesus by focusing our attention on self rather than on Jesus?
NUMBER 6, THEY LOOKED IN THE WRONG PLACES.
Verse 49, Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house, about my Father’s business? Have you ever thought of this?... These are the very first recorded words of Jesus. I wonder, if Jesus were here in the flesh this morning, if He would say to us:
- Why are you looking for me in the wrong places.
- Haven’t you found me yet?
- Don’t you know where I am?
- Why am I such a mystery to you?
- I have: Taught you, Led you, Given you my word, Given you My spirit, I have surrounded you with other Christians. Why haven’t you found Me yet?
Some of us have been in the church for years, and we still haven’t found Jesus... Not really! For instance, do we know where Jesus is, where God is right now? Where does Scripture tell us He is?
- As often as you do it to the least of these, you have done it to me.
- Christ in you the hope of glory.
- If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
- Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
No wonder we haven’t found Him yet! The last place we would think to look is in one another! We’re so busy criticizing... judging one another; we certainly never thought of looking for Jesus in one another.
Do we want to find Jesus?... Want to be about the Father’s business? Then start caring, REALLY CARING about:
- His people...
- His creation...
- His church...
- That which He came and died for.
You talk about wrong assumptions, we’ve made some haven’t we? Some of the last words Jesus uttered on this earth, were spoken to Peter, when He said, “Feed My sheep.” Which translates,
- TAKE CARE OF MY PEOPLE,
- MY CREATION,
- MY CHURCH.
VERSE 51, JOSEPH AND MARY LOST JESUS BECAUSE THEY WERE CONFUSED BY CONTRAST.
He went down to Nazareth and was obedient to them. Note the contrast in Jesus’ life:
- He who created them, was obedient to them.
- He was a man, yet He was God.
- He was gentle, yet He was tough.
- He came to bring peace, yet He brought a sword.
- He came to rule, yet He died to save.
- He lived a perfect life, yet He became sin for us.
- He was King of Kings, Lord of Lords; yet He became the servant of all.
- He came as a lamb, yet He was the lion of Judea.
- He was the Son of God; yet He learned obedience by the things He suffered.
- He was born in a manger; yet He sits at the right hand of God, ruling the world.
• He came to serve and die; yet He will judge the world.
Mary and Joseph were not the only ones confused. Many lose Jesus today, because they do not understand, can’t comprehend the contrast.
Look at verse 52. How does God grow? That’s quite a question isn’t it?.... How does God grow? I’ll tell you how God in the flesh grew... BY OBEDIENCE.
Question! Will you and your preacher grow this morning? If we will, we will do it the same way, by obedience. The Hebrews writer tells us so, He learned obedience, by the things He suffered.
Can’t you hear it now?... What are you going do, Jesus, when you grow up? Oh’ I’ll probably go into business with my Father.
Again the question for us this morning is, will we go into business with the Father? Will we be obedient to His will in:
- Faith,
- Repentance,
- Confession,
- And New Testament baptism, immersion in water for the forgiveness of your sins.
If you have lost Jesus, come rededicate yourself to the Father’s business. Will you come?
