Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?

So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and his mother did not know it; but supposing him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

- Luke 2:39-52

For the last reading of this Christmastide season, I have chosen these passages in Luke, that tell us about Jesus' boyhood, growing up with His parents. This is the one source in the Bible that teaches us about this period of Jesus' life.

So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. A note in my study bible reads: "The Incarnation means that Jesus experiences normal human physical, emotional and intellectual growth, but under the special overshadowing grace of God which fills Him with wisdom and strength." In this question for the centuries, we wonder about what it must have been like for Jesus growing up. Was He aware of His identity? How do the human and the divine interact within Him? This is a great mystery, and it forms and shapes much of church history, this debate about Jesus' nature. But this is what accepted Scripture teaches us: He "grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him."

His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. My study bible says: "Pilgrimages to Jerusalem on three great feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, were customary for all except those who lived at great distances. Entire clans and villages would travel together." We get a picture of life for these people at this time: social and family life revolve around community tradition. Great groups of people travel for the festivals together. It sounds quite like a very fulfilled life, of great community activity, in which all participated, including the children, and all were included. So we also understand that travel was nothing new for Jesus either. He would have been a part of caravans going to the feasts in Jerusalem at least three times a year. His town, Nazareth, although small, lay on the Roman road to Jerusalem. Galilee itself was a great mix of cultures; near Nazareth were metropolitan centers with a great mix of populations and languages. So, all in all, we can have considered Jesus to have experienced quite a busy and diverse life in childhood, filled with both the importance of Jewish life and tradition as well as exposure to the Gentile world. Surrounding Nazareth is varied geography, from hilltops to mountains to the Mediterranean coast. Tradition tells us that Jesus (and most of His apostles) come from backgrounds in which a trade and craft were important: Jesus is from a family of craftsmen and carpenters, His friends and apostles such as Simon Peter and his brother Andrew and James and John the sons of Zebedee were Galilean fishermen. All in all we have a picture of a very social and active community life, with Jesus exposed to all manner of worldly life, and varied experiences and activities.

And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and his mother did not know it; but supposing him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. So, we have a picture here of a rather typical twelve year old in some sense. The family travels - most likely with many relatives, friends and neighbors - to Jerusalem for the feast. But the twelve-year-old Jesus stays behind, and his parents don't know it. They presume him to be among relatives or neighbors, traveling somewhere with them in this large company of people. One can imagine it is a very social time. This type of community life is traditional, although different from what many of us may experience today. But the story itself is rather typical -- perhaps we all might recall an occasion on which a child was temporarily lost, or stayed behind, while his or her parents assumed he or she was with family or friends. In this case, Joseph and Mary must return to Jerusalem to find Him. That, one might think, would prove unforgettable and traumatic for the parents.

Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." Three days of searching in Jerusalem -- I really have to pause and think about this. Our Lord has given His parents quite a time. One might wonder what sort of example parents will find in Jesus when they wish to teach their children about obedience! Jesus is high-spirited if nothing else, and also in at least one sense a rather typical highly-intelligent twelve year old: He's given his parents a great deal of anxiety, and three days of fear and searching. Indeed, their perspective is to ask "Why have You done this to us?" But of course, this story teaches us that Jesus is also not typical at all. He hasn't run away but He is instead where His heart has led Him, to the heart of Jewish life and the teachers in the temple. His conversation is extraordinary, and it is a setting in which love is at work, in which Jesus is showing that He is indeed "strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and has the grace of God upon Him."

And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. My study bible notes here: "My Father's business means God's will in preparation for Jesus' ministry. This is the first statement about God as Jesus' Father. What He does is righteous, but His parents do not understand it at the time." Jesus answers as an extraordinary Child who does not speak as a child but as an adult. At twelve, perhaps, He has made a sign here of his impending adulthood. He is taking responsibility and growing up. Who indeed, is His Father? Where did this idea come from? How has He astonished the teachers in the temple with His wisdom? And at the same time, His parents don't understand Him at all; they can't fathom His reply. All of this is part of the mystery of Jesus' personality and persona, His identity. But it is the beginning of a pattern. Jesus will shake up the world. He will not be a person without controversy, to say the least; and he is not merely a "perfect child" who is always obedient to authority. But Jesus' obedience is always to a higher authority, and His single-mindedness is to the mission with which He is entrusted, bearing the wisdom that will astonish and continues to be, for us, the good news. This Child has begun His mission and is already aware of this identity. Whatever "rules" He may break are done in service to the God of all, who has given the Law itself. Moreover, He shows Himself to be a Child fully-formed in love of His heritage and Jewish tradition.

Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. My study bible notes that, "Jesus is subject to His parents, showing humble obedience to His earthly mother and father." And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. A note here reads: "Jesus increases in wisdom, stature and favor with God and men, bringing into plain view the wisdom and grace inherent in Him. In His Incarnation Jesus makes humanity completely His own, including progress in wisdom and grace. He experiences and sanctifies every stage of human life. Since He is at once both God and man, He increases humanly in the grace and wisdom which are already fully His in His divine nature. Indeed, that growth of His humanity prefigures our own growth into union with Him."

I quite love the concepts espoused by that last note in my study bible: Jesus "sanctifies every stage of human life." It is as if the grace and wisdom in Him teach Him all about His own divine nature. In some sense, then, part of Jesus' life mirrors an example for our own: through God's help, we too can grow in wisdom and grace in our humanity. As He grew to accept His own divinity, which is what these Gospels are all about in His public ministry, so we can gradually grow to understand ourselves into union with Him. As human beings, we have the opportunity to understand ourselves as a part of His mystical Body, and servants of His will in our own lives. So, let us consider the Boy who stayed behind in order to "be about His Father's business." Why and how do we make choices in our lives? Do we mirror His? Can we take time out to develop and grow in the shadow of grace and wisdom? Do we understand that God is the Father of all, and that Christ - who calls us friends - is here for us to do the same, to grow as He did? Let us consider, then, making room for the Father's business in our own lives, and what it means in light of today's reading to "follow Him." Jesus' divine nature grows and becomes revealed not simply for the sake of the glory of the Father and the Son, but for us - just as His life and sacrifice will be to anoint us with His Spirit. In our busy lives today, midst the bustle of commerce and activity, how do we take time to follow Him and be about the business He asks of us, to seek the wisdom and grace that are His gifts to us? Like His mother, let us also ponder these things in our hearts, and let them enlighten us there.