WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

 

Where’s Waldo? books have been on my mind lately. In the midst of the multi-layered effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the race for the White House, along with its accompanying tribal warfare, have you ever wondered where God is? If you’re honest, it’s probably not the first time you’ve questioned what God is doing. You’re not alone. Even Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, couldn’t figure out their Son at times.

“Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.”[i]

The shortest route from Nazareth to Jerusalem would take the travelers through Samaria. However, the extreme dislike/hatred that Jews had for the Samaritans, and vice-versa, often caused them to circumvent the region entirely. “If the travelers went around Samaria, the journey was about an eighty-mile trip from Nazareth. The journey often included roads that were exploited by highway robbers, so the pilgrims traveled in large caravans for protection…The journey would be a three- or four-day affair, as the caravan would make around twenty miles a day…Such an annual visit [for Passover] was a custom for the family.”[ii]

Onward they traveled south with friends and relatives from Nazareth. Like tributaries merging into an ever-swelling river, their group would daily merge with others making the same pilgrimage to celebrate the Passover. Soon the sounds of flutes filled the air alongside a chorus of voices singing the Psalms of Ascent[iii] as the travelers neared the holy city: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”[iv] (Though sometimes it seems like He’s napping.)

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[i] Luke 2:41-42

[ii] Bock, Darrell L.; Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2003, pg. 264.

[iii] cf. Psalms 120-134

[iv] Psalm 121

This was no ordinary journey for Jesus. It was, in many ways, a transition from childhood to adulthood. “When a Jewish boy was twelve years old (the Talmud says, ‘at the age of puberty’), he through a special ceremony…was acknowledged a ‘son of the Law’ [bar mitzvah]. At that age he was supposed to have learned enough to be sufficiently mature for following the mandates of the Law of God. From now on he would be expected to attend the festivals in Jerusalem whose attendance the Law prescribed. On this occasion Jesus became a ‘son of the law’ [according to the custom] and was responsible before the law for Himself, whereas previously provision had been made through the offerings and gifts of His father.”[i]

Seven days of celebrating the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread passed. Then the myriad of caravans gathered their ranks and set out towards their respective homes. But this was no simple task. Consider the fact that the Temple alone could hold more than 200,000 people. Have you ever experienced the crush of people leaving a professional or major collegiate football game? The Rose Bowl only has a seating capacity of 92,500. Even the largest attendance at a football game in the world (‘soccer’ in America) didn’t match the capacity of the Temple. The World Cup finals in 1950 pitted Brazil against Uruguay and had 199,584 people crammed into the stadium. Was it any wonder people that came together got separated?

After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.[ii]

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[i] Pentecost, J. Dwight; The Words and Works of Jesus Christ: A Study of the Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981, pp. 74-75.

[ii] Luke 2:43-45

Moreover, scholars estimate that the throngs of people in the city of Jerusalem could easily have reached numbers of upwards of 500,000! Imagine rush hour traffic, but on foot, with a donkey at best. Hordes of caravans streamed forth from the city gates, all seeking to get home after a prolonged absence. But even so, how could Joseph and Mary be unaware of their son’s disappearance? Wouldn’t they be more protective than usual with such large crowds milling about? Perhaps my mom could answer that question.

At seven years old, living in upstate New York, I didn’t understand the impact a blizzard might have on living conditions. So when my mother told us to pile into the car to get emergency groceries just in case, I wasn’t too thrilled. “Mom, I’m tired. Do we haaaave to go?” I moaned after a long day of sledding, snowball fights, and assorted shenanigans. One look from my mom told me that she wasn’t kidding. Four kids piled into the Volkswagen, me being the current youngest of the brood.

 

 (Image by Dann Schrader)

Arriving at the grocery store, we found out that the rest of our community had the same idea. Cars were snaking their way around the parking lot in search of an open spot to slide into. With my usual wit, I blurted out, “There’s no place to park. Can we go home now?” A laugh from one of my brothers only made the look in the rearview mirror seem more ominous.

Soon we were trudging – okay I was trudging – towards the entrance. We weaved in and out of the other customers in search of

supplies. Eyes heavy, I lagged farther and farther behind with each aisle we entered. Finally I crawled up on a shelf next to a trusted authority figure – Captain Crunch – and bedded down for a much-deserved nap. What happened next was not a pretty sight.

Just as the caravans afforded protection from the perils of travel, so my siblings were supposed to have kept an eye on me. Thinking I was at the end of the line of children, my mom continued her foray through the store. Only when she got in the check-out line did my mom realize I was no longer among my relatives, much like Joseph and Mary, who believed Jesus was being looked after by the friends and relatives from Nazareth. They only found out he was missing when the group met for the night at a previously agreed-upon rendezvous point. I’m not sure how long my mom spent looking for me, but I know the angst she experienced didn’t last nearly as long as Joseph and Mary’s.

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”[i] [In other words, “Where have you been?”]

What Jesus was doing in the temple courts inspired awe and amazement from all in attendance – unlike my ability to fall sleep anywhere. This obviously was no ordinary boy on the cusp of manhood. Yet, his questions and answers among the teachers did not get him off the hook with his mother. I imagine the scene was in some ways not so different than what took place in that grocery store when I was abruptly awakened from my slumber. Relief and anger, joy and frustration all flowed simultaneously across my mother’s face. “Where have you been? How could you do that do me? I was worried sick that something terrible had happened to you. What were you thinking?” At that moment I didn’t know whether I was going to get a hug or a whack upside the head. I ducked, just in case. My siblings were disgusted at the entire affair. As we rounded the corner, one of my brothers whispered, “Someday you’re going to end up as one of those lost kids whose picture is on a milk carton.”

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[i] Luke 2:46-48

(Image by Dann Schrader)

I probably didn’t help my cause when I sleepily responded, “I told you I was tired!” But Jesus’ reply was far more baffling to his parents: “‘Why were you searching for me?’ he asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he was saying to them.”[i] The fact that Joseph and Mary couldn’t comprehend this left Jesus astonished. As strange as this might sound, that singular reality gives me much hope when I, too, am clueless about where Jesus is and what he is doing. Just as Mary and Joseph learned more as they interacted with Jesus over time, the same is true in our lives.

Jesus is not playing a game of hide and seek: “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”[ii] This is exactly what Mary did, she treasured “all these things in her heart.”[iii] What were “all these things”? The words Jesus had spoken about himself. If you want to ‘find’ Jesus, you need to do likewise throughout all of the Bible: “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”[iv] This certainly doesn’t mean that you won’t still have those times when you, too, might think about Jesus and Waldo. But the more time you spend treasuring Jesus’ Word about himself, the more you will understand his ultimate love for you. Even in times of darkness and despair, hopelessness and hurting, pandemics and politics, you may call on him and cling tightly to his promise to all those who believe in him: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”[v]

Music: Even If 

 

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[i] Luke 2:49-50

[ii] Jeremiah 29:12-13

[iii] Luke 2:51

[iv] Luke 24:27

[v] Hebrews 13:5