by Marcia Sanders
“Hey, Mom!” David called. “Do you know what I just realized?”
“I have no idea.” Mom smiled.
“There’s this huge hole in what I know about Jesus. I mean, I’ve read the story of His birth —which is pretty amazing, by the way. And then I read about Him being baptized and starting His own ministry when He’s really old.”
“Really old?” Mom asked. “You do realize He was only thirty when He began His ministry, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I mean. Really old.” David was totally unaware of his mom’s silent laughter. “But what about when He was my age?”
Mom looked up from the bread she was kneading. “Actually, there is a story in the Bible about when Jesus was close to your age. It’s in Luke 2.”
“When He was twelve years old? Really? Like me?” David asked.
Mom grinned. “Yes. How about you read it for yourself, starting with verse 41, and let me know what you learn.”
David headed upstairs to his room where his Bible lay beside his bed. Half an hour later, he returned to the kitchen.
“So what did you think?” Mom asked.
“Well, first, I’m glad you and Dad never took off and left me behind for so long. I would have probably panicked. Mary and Joseph traveled a full day before they realized Jesus wasn’t with them. Then another day to get back to Jerusalem. Then they searched for Him for three more days. So He was separated from them for five days! That’s a long time. But Jesus didn’t seem to even notice. In fact, He just asked why they were worried. I can’t imagine what you and Dad would have done if we’d been separated for five days.”
Mom grimaced. “I can’t imagine either. Five days! I’d never thought about how long it actually was.”
“But when they found Jesus, He was talking to the teachers in the synagogue, who were amazed at how much He knew. I suppose that would kinda be like me talking to a bunch of preachers about the Bible. I know several stories and can quote a few verses, but I don’t think I’d amaze any of them with that.
“And Jesus knew who He really was,” David mused further. “I mean, He knew He was the Son of God. Isn’t that amazing? How do you handle such information at that age? I’d totally freak out to think I carried that kind of responsibility.”
“But don’t you think that Jesus knew all along?” Mom asked. “After all, He had been with God, His Father, before He came to earth as the son of Mary and Joseph.” “Yeah, that’s right,” David admitted. “It makes me want to study and learn more, though. If I want to be like Jesus, which I do, then I need to study His Word that tells me not just stories about His life but the really important stuff — like how to live as He lived.”
