Looking for Jesus
“Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49)
Hello saints,
They lost Jesus! For three days! Anxious parents, losing God’s Son, on a desperate search to find the One that was entrusted to them. Can you relate? You think your child is just lollygagging behind at the busy mall, and then he is nowhere in sight. “Helicopter” parents & carefree child – a recipe for panic! What a way for the Spirit of God to write a story about the Son of God. We have nothing of Jesus’ early years except this narrative. It is packed with meaning and suggestion and gives us a picture of the Son growing in “wisdom and stature and favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Yet, Jesus’ first words, “why do you seek me” are really the question we all have to ask ourselves: “Why do I seek Jesus?” Or maybe even prior to that: “Do I even need to seek Jesus?”. The Gospels open up with shepherds and wise men from the East on a search for Jesus, after being prompted by special revelation. Herod is looking for Jesus to kill Him. His parents had Him but lost Him. Many or most have no clue and no interest in even finding out who He is, and why He is worth pursuing. As Jesus walks the Earth and makes Himself known as a great teacher and worker of miracles, people start to notice, and interest grows. A myriad of people are looking for Him out of curiosity to find out what all the hype is about and possibly receive some personal ministry from Him. Some follow the crowds so they can tell their friends, “I saw Him”, like chasing some famous celebrity. Others like Nicodemus are intrigued by His presence and search out a clandestine rendezvous to question the Man everyone is talking about. There are several desperate people searching Jesus out, looking for a healing for themselves or a loved one – some at great cost. Zaccheus, eager to get just a glimpse of the Famous One, gets a whole lot more than he bargained for. Some looking for a free meal; some loving the teaching and hanging on every word…till it gets too personal and convicting; some just liking the change to the regular humdrum routine of life. Some are looking and waiting for Him to say something and do something for which they can put Him to death. Some are just content the way they are and couldn’t care less about the new preacher in town; they are happy with their life and don’t want to be bothered with another option – they are not looking for anyone or anything different.
I remember probably going through most, if not all of those above scenarios. Do you remember looking for Jesus? It wasn’t till my road seemed to be going nowhere, and I found myself at the “end of Lonely Street” saying, “what is it I am looking for and why can’t I find it”? By divine grace and supernatural faith, my heart found what I was searching for. While I was frantically looking for love and the meaning to my existence, I discovered that The Son of God was “about the Father’s business” looking for the lost sheep, and the lost precious coin, and the lost son (Luke 15). I was all three! “When I found Him whom my soul loves and had been longing for, I held on and would not let Him go” (Song 3:4).
“Why did you seek Me” asked Jesus. And I answered, “Because in You is life, and without You, I am nothing - Thank You for allowing me to seek You and find You” (Jer. 29:13-14). Friends everyone is searching for true truth, for true love, and true meaning. You know well, I hope, that that search ends with the discovery of Jesus. If you have discovered the answer to the question, “Why do you seek Me”, I would encourage you during this season of heightened awareness to the Son of God, to share that journey and discovery with others who are still looking. Our mission as former beggars is really to tell other beggars where to find bread – even the Bread of Life!
Peace and Joy,
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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