I had to be in My Father’s house?

Luke 2:36-52 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷ and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. ³⁸ At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹ When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

⁴¹ Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; ⁴³ and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, ⁴⁴ but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. ⁴⁶ Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” ⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. ⁵¹ And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

In John 10:30 Jesus says:  “ I and the Father are one.”    Father God, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are the triune, the three in one God. In today’s text it says:  His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”   Jesus left His place in heaven with the Father to come to earth to fulfill God’s will. Even as a child, Jesus felt drawn to be close to the presence of the Father. In John 1:1-4;14 it says:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  Jesus was the word made flesh. It is no wonder then that His understanding amazed and astonished those who heard Him.

In John 14:15-24 Jesus says:  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him… If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”    We too then have unity with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We too should have the same desire and drawing to be near to the presence of God. In John 14:26 Jesus says:  “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  It is important that we recognize that Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance all that Jesus said. We have unity with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but we are not the word made flesh. If we want to have understanding, we need to have heard what Jesus said. We cannot remember what we have not read or heard. Those who say they follow the Spirit but do not have knowledge of the word cannot be certain what spirit they hear. The Holy Spirit, the Father and Jesus are in complete unity with one another. They are unchanging. What the Spirit says or brings to our remembrance will never be different than what Jesus or the Father said.

Today’s text ends saying:  Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.   If we are in unity with the triune God, then we too should continue to increase in wisdom. God is infinite and eternal. Our finite minds will never be able to fully comprehend or contain the full revelation of who God is. Like Jesus, we should have a consuming desire to be near the presence of God. Our stature and favor with God will increase. As for the opinion of people we may not always have favor with them. As Jesus grew and became fully mature, as the world saw the full revelation of who Jesus was, He no longer had favor, but rather He was despesed and hated.  In John 15:18-25 Jesus says:  “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”   If we will be in unity with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we may not always find favor with people. It may be that we too are hated without cause. We will though increase in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit, may I always be in unity with You. May I not be concerned about the favor of people, but always increase in wisdom and stature and favor with You.  Amen.