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.

John 1:1-5;14    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. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it… 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.   In today’s text it says:  Now 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 was with the Father from eternity past. He was there at creation. Then for twelve years He had been separated from Him. The Holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem was recognized as the place where the presence of God was on earth. Is it any wonder then why Jesus felt a need or desire to be there, to linger in the presence of the Father? We too were created in the image and likeness of God. We have a need, even if we do not have the desire to be near to the Father. There are many people today who go to great lengths to research their ancestry in order to know who they are. In truth though, we cannot know who we are and what our purpose is, unless we know our Father. In Psalm 37:4, the psalmist says:  Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.  The truth is that as we delight in God, as we dwell and abide in His presence, we recognize that He is the desire of our heart. Nothing else can satisfy that desire and need. Like Jesus, we all have to be in our Father’s house.   

The text says:  The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him… And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.  Jesus didn’t need to grow in the wisdom of scripture to know and understand God. He was the Word made flesh. He was one with God. The wisdom that Jesus grew in and continued to increase in, was the wisdom to know how God could live in human flesh. He came as a man so that He could know and experience all that we go through. He grew in wisdom about the feelings and emotions of the human mind. He grew in wisdom of the senses and feelings of the human body. Then knowing how the mind works and knowing how the body feels, He submitted Himself fully to the will of the Father and sacrificed Himself on the cross so that we could know the fullness of unity with Him. We too, need to grow in wisdom, not only of who the Father is, but of how to submit our minds and our flesh to Him. Colossians 3:2-10 says:  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.  In John 14:16-21; 25-27 Jesus says:  “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… These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But 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 things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  Jesus gained wisdom of the human condition so that the Holy Spirit could live in us. 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?

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit, I will delight in You because You abide with me and in me. I am delighted and privileged not on to be in my Father’s house, but to be my Father’s house.  Amen.