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 for seven years after her marriage, ³⁷ and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers. ³⁸ And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹ And when His parents had completed everything in accordance with the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ Now the Child continued to grow and to become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.

⁴¹ His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He was twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the feast; ⁴³ and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days required, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Instead, they thought that He was somewhere in the caravan, and they went a day’s journey; and then they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ And 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 Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; 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 And yet they on their part 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 to be subject 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 people.

Many people seek the increased favor of God for their lives. They seek His blessings and promises. The psalmist says: Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.”   Today’s text says: His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days required, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware of it. Instead, they thought that He was somewhere in the caravan, and they went a day’s journey; and then they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And 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 Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; 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?” And yet they on their part did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people.  Jesus simply wanted to be in the presence of His Father. He delighted in Him. If we would follow Jesus, if we would be like Him, we too should feel as though we have to be in the Father’s house, that we need to remain with Him day by day.

In Jeremiah 29:11;13 God says: For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. We don’t need to travel far to find God. While His presence may be found where the famous preacher or evangelist is, it is with our hearts that we need to search for Him. We need first then to search our own hearts, to see what there might be within our heart that prevents us from seeing God. Psalm 139:23-24 says: Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. We need to delight in God, not focusing on what we want from Him, but simply delighting in His presence. When our hearts are set on Him, then we will have our heart’s desire. We will have what God has planned for us, prosperity and hope.

Jesus parents went back to the temple each year, but Jesus chose to remain there. We too need to not just visit with the Father, but to choose to remain and abide with Him, to seek first His kingdom and righteousness. If we will delight in God, we will have our heart’s desire. It is not that we get all that we wanted, but rather that we find that He is all that we need. In Psalm 23, David, the man after God’s heart says: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. When we are in His presence, there is nothing else to want. In John 14:23-24 Jesus says: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home 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.”  God is not far away that we need to seek Him. He will be found through our obedience to Him, through seeking His righteousness. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says: Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? We need not search for God in other places. We need to search within ourselves to find what may be keeping us far from Him.   

May our heart’s be like David’s, after the heart of God. May our prayer and declaration be like his in Psalm 51:10-11:  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Amen.