In today’s reading we get a glimpse into Jesus’ life when He was a child. I don’t know about you, but I have often wondered just what it might have been like in the home of Joseph and Mary as Jesus was growing up. What kind of a child was He and how did He relate to His brothers and sisters.

Our text for the day gives us a picture that indicates that Jesus was not a normal kid. At twelve years old, He could sit and converse with mature adults in a way that many adults cannot. This young boy from the small town of Nazareth was able to function for three days on His own in the big city of Jerusalem.

Upon finding Jesus in the Temple with the religious leaders, his parents asked Him for an explanation and informing Him that they had been looking everywhere for Him. He then asked why they had searched everywhere; they should have known He would be in His Father’s house. How perplexing that statement might have been to Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a carpenter from Nazareth and that was where his house was.

Even at the age of twelve, Jesus’ connection to God the Father was strong. He knew who He was and what He was on the earth to do. I sometimes wonder about that as well. I know Jesus was perfect and sinless, but I marvel at how He could patiently wait for the next 18 years before He would begin to reveal His identity and begin His ministry.

Our verse tells us that He went back to Nazareth with His parents and was obedient to them. Jesus, the Second Person of the Godhead, was obedient to His human parents, whom He had created. We will never truly grasp the significance of that. Jesus had humbled Himself to a level that none of us will ever be called to even consider attempting. At the age of twelve He was spiritually more mature than the religious leaders of His day. Compared to Jesus, Joseph and Mary were ignorant, simple people. And still, He humbled Himself and was obedient to them.

It is possible that you may find yourself in a similar situation. God has blessed you with knowledge, wisdom, experience, faith, or something else that is greater than that of those around you. And God through His sovereign choice may have placed you in a role where you are called to be obedient to ignorant, simple people. Many people in those circumstances would use their superiority to elevate themselves to greater positions. The model that Jesus gives us and teaches is that it is God that elevates. If God has blessed you with special gifts and abilities, you should be using them to build other people up.

This goes against human wisdom. We are taught and encouraged by our society to claw and scratch our way to the top of the food chain, leaving whatever human carnage behind as is necessary to be successful. True success is seen in those who are using God’s gifts to make others successful. Jesus, teach us to lift others up onto our shoulders.

Read: Numbers 26:1-51; Luke 2:36-52; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 11:15