At twelve years old, Jesus did not have the mall, a favorite TV show, or the latest smartphone on his mind. Jesus had us on his mind. Even as a child, he thought about what it meant to be our Savior. He knew it involved the laying down of his life to become the one sacrifice for the sin of the world. Especially at the festival of passover, when his people sacrificed a lamb, he thought about what it meant for him to become the Lamb of God. He would one day go to the cross to take away the sin of the world. When he stayed behind at the temple, it wasn’t to hang out with friends, but to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” His parents found him “sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.”
We get so caught up in our earthly affairs, yet Christ never forgot about our eternal welfare. He never forgot about the cost of saving our eternal soul. Even as a child, he was “about His Father’s business”, meaning he was obeying his Father’s will for our salvation. His entire life, including his childhood, he lived for us to give us eternal life. Later he became the one sacrifice for all sinners on the cross, rose from the grave, and promises we too will rise. Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
- Pastor Wyatt Rosebrock