The heart of a son

There is an amazing passage in Luke 2 when the twelve year old Jesus stays in the temple at the end of the Passover feast to talk to the teachers and leaders. When Joseph and Mary eventually find him he says: “How is it that you had to look for me? Did you not see and know that it is necessary for me to be in my Father’s house and about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49-51 AMP). To Jesus, it was the most natural thing to be in his Father’s house doing what his Father was doing. Mary and Joseph could not understand this, and despite his desire to start his Heavenly Father’s business, Jesus submitted to his earthly parents, returned to Nazareth and went back to work in the carpenter’s shop. He served them faithfully for another eighteen years until he started what we call his ministry.