I took a road trip during Christmas break my last year in seminary, and, being a good Lutheran lad, I naturally researched ELCA congregations where I could worship while on my journey. Christmas One in 1997 found me in Chattanooga, TN in a little bungalow church. The pastor and his wife had gone on a much-needed vacation so lay people were leading the service (The liturgy was sung with guitar music as there was no organ). A USMC major was delivering the sermon on the same text we have for this Sunday (Luke 2:41-52). He centered his homily on verse 52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”
“You know,” the major said, “I was raised in the Methodist church, and I don’t think we Lutherans talk enough about the doctrine of sanctification.” Smug little seminary student that I was, I began to think to myself, “Of course we don’t talk about it, Major, because it’s not a Lutheran doctrine!”
The doctrine of sanctification is usually described as our growth in holiness. The major, pointing to verse 52, noted that Jesus apparently grew in holiness just as we pious Christians are all expected to do over time. Martin Luther would take issue with this as he focused on the doctrine of justification. This doctrine asserts that when Jesus died for us we got just about as holy as we’re ever going to get this side of the Pearly Gates. It’s not that Lutherans don’t try to be better people every day, but we can’t get any closer to God than we already are through our baptism. It’s not us who make the relationship—it’s God. Nothing we do, say, or think can make God love us more than God already does. Our good works don’t do God any favors. They are for our own benefit and reflect our gratitude for what God has so generously done.
But I enjoyed the major’s sermon all the same I mean—let’s face it—as I grow in years, I really hope to be growing in wisdom and in human—if not divine—favor.
I really like this story in Luke’s gospel. It’s just about the only one we have between Jesus’ birth and baptism. I would’ve like to have been there to see this kid sitting in on a colloquy between a bunch of smart, old Jewish guys who love to argue and dissect the scriptures (as smart, old Jewish guys are wont to do.). Think: this kid’s idea of fun is listening to these scholars debate theological and philosophical ideas—and they really enjoy having the kid around! He actually gets what they’re talking about! Of course, being the only begotten Son of God, we’d figure Jesus had a pretty firm grasp on some of these ideas. Nevertheless, he was still only a twelve-year-old boy.
I’ve taught Confirmation classes for decades, and it’s really rare to find a kid who has a natural understanding and affection for things of the spirit. Most twelve-year-olds would rather shovel dog poop than sit through a class on religion. Every once in long, long time, however, you get a kid who asks intelligent questions and seems to have a heart for the gospel. I would remind parents that Jesus was only sitting in with these erudite old dudes because his parents regularly brought him from Nazareth to Jerusalem to observe the Passover. If all we do is ship our kids off to Sunday School and never demonstrate how important our own faith is, we can’t expect them to grow in faith.
(A tiny feature of this story which always makes me smile is Mary’s reference to Joseph as “your father” in verse 48. If Joseph was the guy who cared for Jesus, put food on his table, taught him how to handle tools, and demonstrated what being a righteous adult male ought to be, then old Joe was Jesus’ father. No offence to our Heavenly Father, but I like that Luke bestows that respectful title on the man who voluntarily took responsibility for raising this child. Just saying.)
I would be remiss in discussing this passage if I didn’t point out that Jesus went missing for three days. I’ll bet Luke was using this as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ death and resurrection. IN those days folks would travel for safety’s sake in caravans. If you were Mary and Joseph, you might just want to park your little Poindexter twelve-year-old with some relatives or with the other kids so you could have a little adult time with each other. You can’t blame Mary and Joseph for not knowing exactly where Jesus was for a day.
But, if you really want to identify with this couple in our lesson (aside from the fact that we’d all be terrified if our kid went missing!), consider that the main action they do is searching for Jesus. I guess this brings us back to the Methodist Marine major’s point. We may not grow any holier over time, but we should always be looking for Jesus for our own sake. The best place to find him is in his Father’s house. We can’t be spiritual without spiritual disciplines, and regular worship is one of the most important of those disciplines. Here in God’s house we hear the Word, we experience the sacraments, and we fortify ourselves with the company of our brothers and sisters. It is here, also, that we get involved in the Father’s business of loving those who feel least loved. He’s taught us that in serving others, we serve him.
Where else
would he be?
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