Luke 2:48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

We are still looking at lessons to be learned from our 2^nd Luke scriptures which began this series. Here Mary and Joseph have returned to Jerusalem after missing Jesus in their caravan. Their first internalized reaction was amazement. Their outward expression was a “me first” reaction. They wanted to know why Jesus had not done what they expected of Him. “Why did you do this to us?” “Don’t you know we were worried about you?”

I have to admit that I have heard those exact words from my mother’s mouth. I can relate. In my case I was guilty of a sin. That doesn’t mean Jesus was guilty of a sin. His answer to His mother spoke directly to His becoming a man after the Jewish tradition.

V49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

I have the feeling that there had been little discussion about following in dad’s footsteps. It is reported later in scriptures that Jesus was a carpenter, following in Joseph’s footsteps. Jesus might have had a eye on the future but His path to that point of entering into His ministry was not to be found in the temple in Jerusalem. Not yet anyway.

I have left out the greater lesson here. Mary is asking Jesus to consider her feelings and make an accounting of His actions. It didn’t matter that she was astonished by His achievements in the moment, she wanted a “me first” answer.

How would the answer have been received by Mary if His answer had been, “You left without me. What was I supposed to do?”

Here is our lesson, have we gone on with our life without Jesus?

Luke 2:47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

Once again returning to lessons to be learned from this season of scripture, we find Jesus in the temple. While these old men found Jesus to be a prodigy, they would not see Him as a threat and some would even take credit for discovering this boy wonder. If He had stayed in the temple and become a fixture in the temple, He would have enjoyed the life of a prodigy, out from under the care and protection of His earthly parents.

Luke 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

Jesus became subject to His earthly parents and returned home. What if He had not become subject to Mary and Joseph? What if He had remained a prodigy?

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

It is harder to see yourself in a prodigy than it is to see yourself in a common man. He had to be identified with the common man, so that all might see there was hope for themselves, being one of them.

What makes you so special? You are from common stock, you are one of us, what makes you so special?

Let me so show you.

Deuteronomy 6:7 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

It is God’s choice to make you special. This He does so that no man can boast that he did it by himself, not even His own Son who could have, but subjected Himself to the path that lay before Him.