Tag: wisdom

What Will You Ask For?

Focal Passage: I Kings 3:5-12

I was in elementary school the first time I heard about King Midas. Mrs. Wallace, my third-grade teacher, introduced this piece of classical Greek literature to her class of farm kids.

If you recall the story, after extending kindness to one of Dionysus’ servants, the Greek god granted King Midas one wish.

Midas asked that everything he touched would turn to gold. It was a great wish as long as he touched a pile of stones or a palace wall. It was less desirable when he touched a rose or the turkey leg on his plate. It became a horrible curse when his daughter rushed to him in excitement and wrapped him in a hug. Just like the stones and the turkey leg, she, too, turned to gold.

While the story turned out okay in the end, Mrs. Wallace reminded us of the dangers of greed and pride. Then, as if we might find someone willing to grant us anything we wished, she told us to be careful what we ask for. She said it with such mystery in her voice, I don’t think I asked a question of any kind for the rest of that semester.

Midas wasn’t the only one to be granted a wish. It turns out that King Solomon faced a similar decision one night when God, the creator of the universe, came to him in a dream.

King Solomon spent the day offering sacrifices and incense in worship to God. In his exhaustion, he laid down to sleep. At some point in the night God spoke to him in a dream and asked that important question.

Look at I Kings 3:5.

Ask for whatever you want me to give you.

Solomon began with his heart in the right place. He responded to the blank check God offered to write by acknowledging that God had already done so much. He thought of God’s faithfulness and his promises to his father David. He thought about the joy of being David’s son and watching him serve as King of Israel.

Then Solomon got more personal with is gratitude that God had worked through circumstances to make Solomon king.

There is something innocent and intentional in his gratitude to God. Solomon recognizes he is where he is because God is faithful. That God, in his mercy and grace, did as he promised to David and to his people. By acknowledging God’s grace, Solomon expresses what is in his heart. Notice, though, that the grace Solomon senses is not the common grace God extends to all his creation. It is deeply personal.

Solomon, born to David and Bathsheba, was a child born of adultery, abuse of power and murder. Knowing how his life started, Solomon understands that his elevation as king is a clear act of God’s mercy and grace. Solomon knows where he is and who he is only because of God’s grace.

That’s when Solomon proved himself a wiser king than Midas. Look at I Kings 3:7-9. His thoughts express his gratitude.

Now, O Lord, my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.

Solomon was given an opportunity of a lifetime. Knowing it was within God’s power to grant, Solomon could go full bore Midas, asking that anything he touched might turn to gold. He could ask for immortality. He could ask for great victories in every battle, building a reputation to be feared and a powerful empire that no one could conquer.

Instead, in a moment of clarity and self-awareness, Solomon shared his vulnerability. He humbled himself before God, acknowledging that the situation overwhelmed him. The burden of leading God’s people weighed heavy on his shoulders and his spirit. Solomon realized his youth and inexperience could be a problem. Setting aside the pride that often comes with kingship, he understood his need for guidance as he governed God’s people.

At that point Solomon gets around to answering God’s question.

So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? (I Kings 3:9)

Solomon prays for wisdom and a listening heart. There isn’t a modicum of selfishness in the request. It’s not wisdom for wisdom’s sake. It’s not that he wants to be known as a wise king. His concern is for those he rules. That his own actions would reflect God’s will for Solomon and for God’s people.

When Solomon asks God for a discerning heart, he is asking for the ability to distinguish between good and evil, truth and error. To see what is helpful and not harmful. His request involves deep insight, moral sensitivity and spiritual wisdom. Rather than just knowing stuff, Solomon desires wisdom that transcends knowledge.

It’s the kind of wisdom that comes from God alone into a heart that is grateful, humble and focused on doing the will of God as he leads.

I studied this story recently as I prepared to teach my Bible Study class at South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena. Something about the passage caused it to keep resurfacing in my thoughts as if there might be something more I needed to learn. So, I spent some time looking again at the story.

The first thing that struck me this time was that God initiated the conversation during Solomon’s dream. Solomon had yet to voice his insecurities. Unsure if he had the ability to lead God’s people effectively, Solomon surely fretted over every decision. Doubting himself. Second guessing every call he made. Yet, he kept those thoughts to himself.

God, who certainly knew Solomon’s angst and fears, extended an invitation to the king he anointed. In essence, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

Think about that for a second in a broader context that encompasses you and me. God wants to give us what we need to be the person he called us to be. It’s his fervent desire. So much so that he stands ready to provide what we need even before we know to ask for it.

It’s as if he’s telling you and me. “I’m here. I’m ready to help. I sense your struggle. Tell me what you need from me.” I find that both stunning and almost unimaginable!

It’s not that God doesn’t know what we need and is just waiting for us enlighten him. It is that he’s wanting us to reflect honestly on who we are, where we are in life and what we need from God to become the person he wants and needs us to be.

So, the passage tells me that God, in his generosity and grace, approaches his people eager to give us what we need.

Jesus encouraged his disciples with a similar thought. Once, after his disciples were so moved by Jesus’ prayer, they asked him to teach them how to pray as he did. He gave them a example to follow and then he said something that echoes what God shared with Solomon.

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 9-10)

But, he didn’t stop there. Jesus, with, I suspect, a playful gleam in his eye and a giggle on his lips, went on to explain that God, like any good father, wants to say yes to our requests if he can.

Which of you fathers if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg will give him a scorpion. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirt to those who ask him! (Luke 11:11-13)

I don’t know whether the parallel is intentional, but it connected with me. See if this makes sense to you.

Jesus is promising a gift from God greater than anything else he could give us. “How much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit.” That’s God in us. Always. His thoughts. His guidance. His counsel. His wisdom. Available to us if we only open our hearts and listen.

Now look at what God grants Solomon.

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for a long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies, but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” (I Kings 3:10-12)

Is it a stretch to believe that the wisdom to discern and administer justice grows from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives? The spirit of God within us who is our counselor enables us to listen with the ears of God, to act as his hands and feet, to discern right from wrong with the heart of God?

Is seems to me that when Solomon asks for a discerning heart, when he asks for wisdom, he’s asking for God’s spirit to guide his every thought and deed in ways that honor God. And God grants that request, not just to Solomon, but to us when the spirit comes upon us at the moment we give our lives to Christ.

It is this spirit that offers the discernment and wisdom we need to live the life to which he has called us. We just have to break down all our self-created barriers that keep us from accessing the spirit to the fullest.

That’s really the second truth revealed in this passage in I Kings. It goes back to what Mrs. Wallace said. Be careful what you ask for.

It’s Solomon’s response to the blank check he had been given that defines the rest of the story. In response to God’s invitation, Solomon demolished those barriers by sharing openly what was on his mind.

None of us want to be vulnerable, much less show that side of us to the world around us. The king was no different in that regard than each of us. In this critical moment with God’s invitation hanging in the air, Solomon opened his heart to God with the kind of deep humility that only the truly overwhelmed can know.

Look how Eugene Peterson says it in The Message.

And now here I am: God, my god, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father. I’m too young for this, a mere child! I don’t know the ropes, hardly know the ins and outs of this job. Yet, here I am, set down in the middle of the people you’ve chosen…

In that moment, we’ve invaded the privacy of his mind where Solomon is alone with his thoughts. We see him, at his most vulnerable: lost in his role and admitting to God that he is helpless on his own.

When given the chance to ask for anything, Solomon chose a listening heart. He chose discernment and wisdom. Even in his fragile state, Solomon realizes that his role in God’s kingdom is not about power and might, it is about serving. It’s about leading with love and justice.

Solomon’s humble heart reminds me that I don’t have to know everything. Even if it’s only in my quiet self, I can acknowledge my vulnerabilities and lay them before God, instead of pretending I have it all figured out.

All I need is the spirit’s indwelling presence that imbues me with a heart that listens and discerns truth. A heart dependent upon the wisdom of God available through the spirit’s counsel.

It’s something James, the half-brother of Christ, reminds us about at the beginning of his letter to believers.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

So, the creator of the universe, our father, extends us the same invitation that he extended to Solomon. “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

What will you tell him?

Thinking Points

When God tells you, “Ask for whatever you need me to give you?” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? How honest and vulnerable are you willing to be?

How can you cultivate a heart that seeks wisdom and discernment over personal gain or comfort?

In what areas of life do you need to invite God’s indwelling spirit to guide your thoughts and decisions more fully?

What barriers keep you from hearing the spirit’s wisdom and guidance in your daily life?

The Mind of Christ

Focal Passage: I Corinthians 2:10-16

I read the passage several times in recent years, I’m sure. The notes in the margin of my Bible tell me so. I am always amazed at how God opens my eyes to his inspired word, often opening a new line of thought. There is, it seems, always something new to learn and discern.

In a conversation with my sister this week, we talked about the state of our country and the world today. Troubled by the hateful and divisive rhetoric and the internal and external conflict that pits person against person, group against group and nation against nation, we both wondered at what seemed to be the lack of wisdom, compassion and understanding. I remember thinking, “What kind of mind makes these kinds of decisions?”

Two days later, I sat down to read a passage in I Corinthians which oddly enough speaks to mindset of those called as God’s people. I had to think about the state of my own mind and whether my mind was where it needed to be.

Listen to what Paul tells the Corinthian church. Don’t just read it. Read as if Paul sent the letter to you.

“…The spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” (I Corinthians 2:10-16a)

Then Paul adds this one phrase in this passage that I have missed time and time again.

“But we have the mind of Christ.” (I Corinthians 2:16b)

As I try to make sense of how I should think amid today’s disturbed world, this phrase was a 2” x 4” across my nose. It certainly got my attention.

We have the mind of Christ.

Before we get too deep into what that means, let’s briefly explore the context of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. The church in Corinth experienced wave after wave of division and conflict. Arguments over theology or ministry pitted one faction against the other, each thinking they were wiser than the other. Corinthian culture drew upon the influence of Greek philosophy and human wisdom.

Early Christian apologist Aristides, an Athenian philosopher who converted to Christianity in the 2nd century, said of Corinth, “On every street in Corinth one meets a so-called wise man, who has his own solutions to the world’s problems.” (That sounds eerily familiar to our culture today.)

This cultural pattern invaded the church like a virus and spread. Paul spent the early part of his letter addressing the difference between worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom.

Paul tells the church that a person without God’s spirit cannot accept or understand the things that flow from the spirit of God. It is foolish sounding to him because the things of God are spiritually discerned…revealed to believers by his indwelling spirit. That’s a critical point because it is the basis for understanding “the mind of Christ.” It is the basis for grasping the importance of relying on God’s spirit for understanding and wisdom.

If believers, as spiritual beings, are to “make judgments about all things,” it is the mind of Christ we must use to help us discern the truth and determine what we should say and how we should live.

I’ve shared a lot in the past writings about my journey in understanding what it means to be made in the image of God. Equally, this one phrase about having “the mind of Christ” opened a new avenue of study into understanding who we are in Christ. How he shares his mind with us through his spirit. How his mind should set us apart from the culture around us. It is his invitation for us to discover rich spiritual truths and explore a deeper relationship with God.

Let’s look again at I Corinthians 2:16.

For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Paul first quotes Isaiah 40:13, drawing on this Old Testament passage to emphasize God’s wisdom and mind are beyond human understanding. At the same time, it challenges us to contemplate God’s desire to teach us his will and way.

In Jesus, believers are given access to God’s wisdom, God’s mind, if you will, through the Holy Spirit. The spirit is a gift God gives us when we profess Jesus as Lord of all. Jesus told his disciples there would come a time when he was no longer with them physically. When he left God would send “the Counselor.”

…The Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name , will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

His spirit is not something we have to work to acquire, but we must learn to use the mind of Christ within us. To let it teach us and remind us of what Jesus said and did. To help us understand the mind of Christ by providing insight into scripture and how it applies to life. He gives us the vision to see the world differently. To see others, their hurts and their needs, through the eyes of Christ. He gives us the desire then to act upon what we see in service to others, extending grace to those around us while holding ourselves accountable to God’s truth.

Let me underscore that last part. Living with the mind of Christ means we hold ourselves accountable to his word and will. We cannot lay claim to the mind of Christ and treat others with contempt or to engage in the hateful rhetoric or acts we see around us. Such attitudes and actions are not compatible with the mind of Christ.

Paul contrasted our human inability to comprehend God’s mind on our own with the insight gained through the indwelling presence of the “mind of Christ.” Even on our best days, our understanding of the purpose and plans of God is limited. Isaiah alluded to this limitation. I think that’s why some scripture jumps out at us with deeper meaning, depending on the season or circumstance of our lives.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 45:8-9)

The unknown elements of life cause confusion. At times we question or doubt God. However, we are repeatedly assured of God’s love and that he always knows the path ahead of us. The good news is we have what Isaiah didn’t have. We have the mind of Christ and that is life-changing.

We are no longer restricted by the limited wisdom of man. Our identity as “new creations” through our faith and trust in Christ, allows us to embrace, experience and exemplify the mind of Christ exhibited during his ministry on earth.

Christ showed us how to live a life of love, sacrifice, wisdom and grace. It was on his mind and in his heart always…in every encounter with every soul. Writer Jamie Wilson said that experiencing the mind of Christ is transformative, “…not a mere change in perspective; it is a radical shift in how we approach life and our relationship to God and others.”

It was a theme Paul carried to the Philippian church, as well, when he encouraged them to be united in Christ, possessing compassion and tenderness toward others. He urged them to be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. He said, “Let this mind (attitude) be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)

It carries a responsibility as Christians to cultivate a mindset that looks like Jesus. That thinks, lives and acts in all things, in all ways and at all times with compassion and a servant’s heart just as Jesus did.

I can’t speak for you, so I’ll just share my thoughts. My life experiences, my fruitful and my failed efforts at living life, have taught me that my understanding of God’s will for my life is imperfect. My background, education and experiences offer beneficial insight, but true wisdom is a God thing. It is his alone. I have to be willing to let go of my ego and follow where he leads every day.

I find it hard to seek and understand the mind of Christ if I am not truly engaged with him. If my prayer life is stilted, if my Bible study is superficial, if my fellowship with other believers is inconsistent, I miss opportunities to grow in the mind of Christ. Connecting with God through his word and through worship and praise, helps align my thoughts with his thoughts. I find that’s when clarity comes.

Having the mind of Christ carries a responsibility of reflecting him to others, inviting them to share in his love. Jesus thrived on his relationship with the father. It ignited the passion he had for sharing his love with others. If I embrace the mind of Christ, it deepens my own relationship with the father. My passion for sharing Christ’s love is at its highest when I am most connected to the mind of Christ.

I suspect it’s no different for you.

Think of the change the world would experience if all who professed a faith in Christ lived as if they had the mind of Christ. Our approach to ministry, outreach, service, governance and life in general would be much different.

Make this our prayer:

Father, help us remember that we are called to reflect Christ’s heart and mind in all our relationships. Let the mind of Christ guide our decisions, our thoughts, our words and everything we do. Help us avoid adding to the world’s divisive rhetoric and even more destructive behaviors. Help us seek to heal wounds by trusting in your wisdom and living in the mind of Christ so that others may see and experience the transformative power of God’s love.

Amen.

Thinking Points

What does it mean to you personally to have “the mind of Christ?” How does it shape the way you view and interpret current events or the culture around you?

 

In what ways might you be relying on human wisdom rather than God’s spirit to inform and guide your decisions?

 

How might your interactions with others and your social and political outlook differ if you approached the compassion, humility and grace exemplified in the mind of Christ?

 

Are there habits or patterns in your spiritual life—inconsistent worship, Bible study, prayer or fellowship—that hinder your ability to experience the mind of Christ?

 

In what areas of life do you most need and desire God’s wisdom this week? How can you actively seek it through his spirit this week?

 

****

Author’s Note: If you would like to receive this Bible study blog via email, click www.drkirklewis.com/the-searcher. Find the “Subscribe” button and enter your email address. That’s all it takes.

Words of Godly Wisdom

Background Passages: Proverbs 2:3-6; Proverbs 3:3-6

Have you ever wondered who is the most often quoted American?

If you think about that question, you might respond with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Dr. Martin Luther King

It might or might not surprise you that the most quoted American is actually Lawrence Peter Berra, “Yogi” to his friends. Yogi was a professional baseball catcher, coach and manager. He spent most of his Hall of Fame career with the New York Yankees. People consider him one of the greatest catchers in the game.

If Shakespeare wowed us with “the most unkindest cut of all,” Yogi mesmerized us with “We made too many wrong mistakes.” The catcher turn philosopher also gave us these gems of wisdom.

“No one goes there nowadays. It’s too crowded.”

“It’s like deja vu all over again.”

“Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.”

“Always go to other people’s funerals otherwise they won’t go to yours.”

And, my personal favorite,

“I’m not buying my kids an encyclopedia. They can walk to school like I did.”

I guess I’m just a sucker for a good quote. Maybe that’s why I was drawn to Proverbs this week as I read through my Bible. When looking for a word of practical truth, it’s a good place to start.

One survey I read said that Proverbs 3:5-6 is the most often read and quoted Proverb. It says…

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.

The verse’s strength rests in its simplicity. Put your faith in God’s divine guidance. Trust him as he leads you through life. Walk in humility and do not rest solely on your judgment and your grasp of the situation. Lean on God and your direction in life will be a lot clearer.

Simple to say yet so difficult to do.

You can glean a lot about life throughout the Proverbs. In fact, Solomon, the accepted author of most of these morsels of wisdom, states clearly why he wrote these down under the inspiration of God. Read what he says in Chapter 2.

…if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:3-6)

The simple truths the writer shares are answers to our call for insight and understanding. Proverbs is written to help us discern God’s truth and his will. Our diligent quest for the wisdom that comes from our Father in heaven. As the old children’s show on television said, “The more we know, the more we grow.”

Here are a few of my favorite Proverbs and a few thoughts on each.

A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand. (Proverbs 27:15-16)

Okay, that one just makes me laugh and was written by a man who, in sync with the kingly culture of the day, had many wives. I’m guessing one of those women wasn’t his favorite.

I’ll just counter it with my personal experience found in Proverbs 31.

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:10-12)

Sticking with the family theme…

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he shall not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

I think what this verse tells us is that we should create in our children a desire to know God, to whet their appetite for the things of God. If we do that well enough, the probability of them straying from that path is small. It stresses the importance of the role parents play in guiding their children through the formative years of life.

I like how the Proverbs also speak to our relationships outside the family.

If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse. (Proverbs 27:14)

It may not be a favorite, but it’s a good reminder to not call a retired person before 9 a.m. and disturb his “easing into the day” time.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

People are shaped by their relationships with other people close to them. I think this proverb speaks to the importance of companionship and friendship in our growth as a person of God. So many men and women, young and old, molded my life over the years through the friendships we developed. I continually learn from others how God desires me to live. I live in gratitude to so many.

That thought leads to another great proverb that teaches me that a humble spirit is the heart of those relationships that help us grow as people of faith.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

Others cannot mold and shape us if we are too proud to listen to their sound advice. Humility, the essence of the spirit of Jesus, the one which we should follow as we walk “humbly before God” and our fellow man.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

Regarding relationships, this proverb really tells us that our words and our tone matter as we try to help each other grow in Christ, resolve conflicts and mitigate anger. Being temperate and tactful keeps issues from growing out of proportion.

These represent just a few of my favorite words of wisdom shared in Proverbs. I’m drawn to Proverbs because of the practical advice wrapped in the endless metaphors strung together in catchy phrases.

In serious study, I find the Proverbs far more than that, however. The Book of Proverbs communicates a distinct world view or set of values to which most of us can easily relate. They speak to what it means to be godly in a fallen world.

Because the book of Proverbs succeeds in giving us an idea of how God designed the world to work, abiding by these pearls of wisdom sure makes life easier. Don’t mistake the Proverbs as simply sound advice. If we use the Proverbs as a source of godly wisdom rather than human advice, they begin to speak to the heart in ways that change the way we live and relate to others.

In the general course of a life lived for the Lord, the words of Proverbs 3:3-4 seem most relevant.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and men.

What’s your favorite proverb? Share it in the comment section below.

Come Sit at the Big Table

Background Passages: Luke 2:41-52; Philippians 2:6-7; I Corinthians 3:1-3

I don’t know if your family gatherings were like mine growing up. Typically, everyone brought a pot luck casserole or vegetable while someone provided the ham. Everyone would meet at Grandma’s house after church on Sunday.

The cousins would play…loudly…while the food was placed on the dining room table, extended to its full length. Card tables sat in the “formal” living room, surrounded by those folding chairs that pinched more than one finger at some point during the day. After a prayer, the adults sat around the dining room table, banishing the kids with their paper plates to the card tables in the next room.

I remember listening from the other to the conversation around the big table. Sometimes it was filled with love and laughter. Sometimes it was serious and somber.

For each of the cousins, we longed for the day when Grandma would point you to a chair at the big table. What a glorious rite of passage! No longer a child. Now, an adult.

I wonder if Jesus felt that way when he entered the temple in Jerusalem when he was 12-years-old. Picture it.

*

Every year of his memory, the boy traveled with his family from Galilee to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. His father, devote and upright, would walk with his son into the temple, his hand resting lightly on his son’s shoulder. Each year, the father let his son experience the awe and majesty of the towering white-washed temple stone, glistening in the morning sun.

Then, he would drop to a knee, take the young boy by the shoulders and remind him of his place. Standing with the other children against the wall—to look, listen and learn. Being seen, but never heard. With a smile and a gentle push, Joseph sent Jesus to join the other boys, all who longed for the day when they would be invited among the men to learn at the feet of Jerusalem’s most noted rabbis.

What a difference this year made! Jesus, on the verge of Jewish adulthood, entered his final year of study prior to becoming a “son of the covenant.” This would be his first year to sit among the men in the temple in Jerusalem, a moment about which Jesus dreamed for years.

On this special day, Jesus stood a little straighter beside his father just inside the gates of the inner courtyard. Joseph marveled at the lad who stood nearly as tall as he, the young man’s eyes fixed straight ahead, the slight smile on his face filled with anticipation and yearning. Jesus watched with fond recollection as his father again took a knee, hands resting on the shoulders of his younger brothers…a quiet word and gentle push sending them to stand with the other boys.

As Joseph watched them walk away he brushed the dust from his robe. When all was in order, the father gazed down at his oldest son and grinned. He knew the importance of the day for Jesus. It was all he spoke about for the last six months. With a nod of his head the two walked into the gathering crowd of men. No longer a child. Now, an adult.

The day ended. The thrill of the conversation not lost on Jesus. Throughout the teaching and questioning of the rabbi, Jesus listen. Never uttered a word. Never asked a question. Respectful of the moment. Taking it all in. That night he visited with family, excited by the day, full of questions left unasked at the temple.

The group of family and friends rose bright and early the next morning setting out on a long journey home…all except Jesus. He had every intention of returning home, but in the hustle of the morning, the burning questions in his heart consumed him. Almost without thinking he found himself again inside the temple, sitting on the steps among the men, listening with rapt attention to the words of the rabbi.

No longer overwhelmed by the moment, Jesus could no longer contain himself. He listened. He commented. He sought clarification. He probed with questions of his own that startled the rabbi. When the rabbi turned the tables and asked questions in return, Jesus did not shy away. He thought. He recited passages of scripture to support his thoughts. The dialogue intrigued the rabbis, drawing a larger crowd to hear the dynamic exchange of ideas.

Night fell and Jesus remained again in Jerusalem, finding a family to let him sleep by their fire. The next morning he went again to the temple, finding his place among the rabbi’s disciples. The dialogue deep, rich and instructive.

You know the rest of the story. The next day Jesus sat in the temple astounding everyone with his understanding and his insight. Amazing the learned ones with his questions. Drawing them deeper and deeper into the scripture they often took for granted. Making them think with him. Learning more with each passing hour.

At some point, Jesus felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Looking behind him he saw the face of his father, a look of relieved anger etched in his eyes. Joseph said nothing. He just crooked his finger, beckoning Jesus to follow. Follow he did. They left the inner courtyard and came face to face with Mary, his mother.

The swirl of robes engulfed him with a mother’s relief of a lost child found. Then, she pushed him away and the anger flashed. Jesus didn’t often see his mother in such a state, but he was smart enough to know to let her speak first.

“Son, why have you treated us so? Your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.”

I suspect there was more to the conversation than Luke records in his gospel. Suffice it to say, Jesus got an earful.

I also suspect there was a more sympathetic and apologetic response from Jesus than scripture records. “I am sorry. I should have asked to stay. I have never felt anything like this. I should have asked to stay. Please don’t be mad. Don’t you know? I must be about my Father’s business.”

In the hugs that followed and the sincere sorrow at the distress he caused, Mary and Joseph both recalled all those things they treasured in their hearts since the angel first visited. With a heavy sigh of forgiveness, Mary embraced her son again, “Please, next time, just let us know what you’re doing.” I can see Jesus reaching out, touching his hand to her check, a gesture of love and affection, “I’m so sorry, Mother. I promise.”

As they began again their journey home, Jesus filled each moment with excited conversation about all he had learned about God’s love, God’s will and God’s purpose.

*

I think we live with the assumption that Jesus was born with the full knowledge of his God-ness. I’m not sure that’s true. The day may come when I understand the duality of Jesus Christ as he lived among us as God and man. That day is not today by any means. I reason it out as best I can, trying to rationalize the omniscient and omnipotent Father encased in human form.

We tend to see Jesus as a four-year-old boy, capable of miracles, knowing completely his purpose and role as God’s Messiah. Yet, scripture tells us Jesus grew in wisdom and stature in the eyes of men and God. Growing in stature comes easily enough. The child became a man. Growing in wisdom complicates things. If he were God in all complete power and knowledge from the moment of birth, how could he grow in wisdom?

I believe Jesus understood to whom he belong. He knew who is Father was. His response to Mary and Joseph was honest. “I must be about my Father’s business.” I just don’t think he had full knowledge of what that meant for him and how it would play out in his life…at least not when he was twelve.
Scholars far more learned than I speak to God imposing personal limits to his own power and knowledge when he took human form so he could be “like us.” Paul said as much in Philippians:

“Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.”

Perhaps Jesus emptied himself of the omniscience of the Father. There were some things he did not know. He admitted that some things were hidden from him when he told the disciples in Matthew that he did not know the day of his return:

“Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. “

If we can buy that idea, we see Jesus’ time in the temple in a new light. Not as God speaking from the mouth of a 12-year-old, enlightening the blindness of the rabbis. Rather, we see the inquisitive nature of a student of God. One who desires to know all there is to know about the nature and work of God. One craving righteousness.

That’s the point of the narrative in my eyes. Jesus preached to the multitude on the mountainside and tells them, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” He understood that nature of that blessing because he experienced it himself as an eager boy in the temple. He recalled that longing to know God that compelled him with passion to seek answers to questions to which he had no ready answers. The quest for righteousness drove him to study…to grow in spiritual wisdom…in preparation for the moment when God would release him for ministry.

If we are to live in the image of God we must also hunger and thirst for righteousness as if our lives depended upon its sustenance.

What does that mean for us?

Too many Christians are not eager to understand more about God than they already know. We grow complacent and comfortable in our knowledge. As Paul said, to the Corinthians, “I gave you milk not solid food for you were not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready for you are worldly.”

It is a message echoed by the writer of Hebrews. “Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again…Everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.”

When we ought to be hungering for righteousness, we often grow too comfortable sitting at the kid’s table, afraid of the conversations that take place in the other room. Hoping we will never be asked to sit at the big table.

Yet, Jesus, as a boy, understood that obedience to God required him to open God’s word. To probe and dig more deeply into its treasure. To be responsive to God’s call today requires us to sink our teeth into God’s scripture. Asking questions. Looking for answers. Reading scripture each day as if it were new. Praying that the Spirit might breathe new truth into an open heart and mind.

I am grateful for the pastors and mentors in my life. I’m grateful for parents and Sunday School teachers who challenged my thinking. Friends who encouraged me to ask questions and to keep asking until the pieces of life’s puzzle began to fit together. I’m grateful to God who shows me sometimes that the puzzle pieces can fit together in a new way, taking me more deeply down the path he needs me to travel.

I am grateful that God invites us daily to sit with him at the big table.

Pull up a chair.