Do you know people who live with a single purpose in mind? These are people who know what they are called to, and their purpose becomes a filter for everything else they do. Knowing our purpose helps us make decisions, live intentionally, and honor God with our lives. While He was living on earth, Jesus knew His purpose from the very beginning. Even when He was a 12-year-old boy, He understood that His purpose was to honor His Heavenly Father and rescue humanity from sin.
Luke 2 tells the story of 12-year-old Jesus who knew His purpose even at a very young age. Jesus and His parents "went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival" as they did every year (verse 42). When the Passover celebration was over, Mary and Joseph headed home to Nazareth, but not Jesus (verse 43). "Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem" (verse 43). Mary and Joseph did not realize that Jesus was not also on the way back home to Nazareth (verse 43). They "assumed He was among the other travelers" (verse 44). When they did not see Him in the evening, they started looking for Him. They started checking with friends and relatives to see if Jesus was with them. After searching for Him with no luck, they went back to Jerusalem. After three days of searching for Him, they found Him in the temple (verses 45-46). 12-year-old Jesus was sitting with the religious teachers and "listening to them and asking questions" (verse 46). Luke tells us that "all who heard Him were amazed about his understanding and answers” (verse 47). They did not understand that He was no ordinary little boy; this was the Son of God who had come to rescue the world from sins.
Mary, who had been searching for Jesus frantically with Joseph, asked Jesus why He had stayed in Jerusalem instead of heading home to Nazareth (verse 48). Jesus responded, "But why did you need to search?... Didn't you know that I must be in my Father’s house?" (verse 49). Even as a young boy, Jesus' focus was on His Heavenly Father. He did not live to please people. He wanted to please God the Father and be with Him in His house, the temple.
Imagine if we lived with a single focus, singularly focused on God the Father and the things of Him. How would you live differently if honoring Him and being with Him were your focus? Imagine the impact Christ's followers could have if we set our hearts and minds solely on Him. May we make it our mission to be with our Heavenly Father and be about His business.
Take a moment and write down the answer to this question: What would it look like if you made it your focus the things of your Heavenly Father? Maybe your actions would change, and you would start or stop doing something. Maybe your words would look different. Maybe you would make it your mission to share the hope of Christ with the people around you. When you finish writing down your answer to this question, write down three steps you can take this week to shift your focus to the things of your Heavenly Father, and go do that thing!
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant.
51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.
52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
