December 28 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The annual trip to Jerusalem must have been one of the highlights for the Jews who lived in Galilee. They travelled on foot, of course. And they made the trip in a big group. They must have sung along the way—the book of Psalms includes a special section of songs for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem: Psalms 120-134.

Mary and Joseph observed the Passover in Jerusalem and returned to Nazareth. But three days after the group left, Jesus was still sitting at the feet of the rabbis in the temple court. He was the center of attention: "Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers."

When his anxious parents found him, Mary asked, with gentle reproof, why he had caused them so much concern. Then Jesus gave that revealing answer: "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

At twelve years old our Savior knew he had special obligations to God, his Father. But it is impossible to say how much he knew of his real relationship to God and of the Father's will for his life.

Mary took careful note of Jesus' words. She must have lived between fear and joy as she observed the life of her Son and Savior. Twelve years earlier she had sung a hymn that sounded much like Hannah's. Maybe now she was thinking that since Hannah had given up her Samuel for the Lord's service, she could not withhold her Jesus.

Jesus was perfectly human. His parents knew the secret of his birth, but no one else would have guessed at the time that he was also the Son of God.

We should not be perturbed to discover that Jesus was at one time an eager, gifted, but ordinary Jewish boy. After all, he came not to make us superhuman but perfectly human.

It is a fruit of Jesus' work that today there are many ordinary human beings who are happy in the service of their heavenly Father. And some of these people are only twelve years old.

REFLECTIONS

Why do you suppose Luke included in his gospel this one look into Jesus' childhood?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.