“Now His parents went to
Jerusalem every year at the feast
of the Passover. And when He
was 12 years old, they went up
to Jerusalem after the custom of
the feast. And when they had
fulfilled their days, as they
returned, the child, Jesus, tarried
behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph
and His mother knew not of it.
“But they, supposing Him to have
been in the company, went a
day’s journey; and they sought
Him among their kinsfolk and
acquaintances. And when they
found Him not, they turned back
again to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
“And it came to pass that, after
three days, they found Him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of the
teachers, both hearing them, and
asking them questions. And all
that heard Him were amazed at
His understanding and answers.
“And when they saw Him, they
were astonished and His mother
said unto Him, Son, why hast
thou thus dealt with us? Behold
Thy father and I have sought
Thee sorrowing.
“And He said unto them, how is it
that ye sought Me? Knew ye not
that I must be about My Father’s
business? And they understood
not the saying, which He spoke
unto them”. Luke 2:41-50
This scripture is quite familiar to
several people as it tells us the
story of how Jesus followed His
earthly parents to Jerusalem for
the feast of the Passover. But our
concern here is not just the story.
We want to examine what
happened to Joseph and Mary
that Jesus was missing from
their midst and they never knew
it.
“Since it happened to people like
Joseph and Mary, it could happen
to anyone. As a matter of fact,
there are several people,
churches, and fellowship groups
in whose lives Jesus is presently
missing and they do not know it.
This then calls for a careful study
of this incident in order to learn
wisdom for our lives and our
walk with God.
It will be a very costly assumption
to think that you are a child of
God, that God is with you and
that Jesus is in your heart, only to
get to the gate of heaven and
discover that you never knew
Him or that you missed Him
along the way. At that time, it will
be too late and eternity will open
up to you on the other side,
which is hellfire. There is
therefore an urgent need to pay
close attention to this matter.
The Bible said, “Now His parents
went to Jerusalem every year at
the feast of the Passover ...” Vs.
41. This is one thing you should
note as we prayerfully go on in
this study. Mary and Joseph were
not careless, ungodly people.
They were quite religious. They
went every year to the feast of
Passover. They were not people
who absconded from church;
they were not even people who
went to the temple occasionally.
They went regularly.
Maybe you are such a person
who has never missed any of
your church meetings and
programs, Joseph and Mary were
people like you. The Bible records
that when Jesus was 12 years
old, they went with Him up to
Jerusalem as they had-always
done.
Think a little more about the
background of Mary and Joseph.
Mary was a woman that set
herself aside for God. She
consecrated her heart to God.
Mary, though in courtship
relationship with Joseph, with
the consent of their two families
and the wedding day already
fixed, still maintained her
virginity! Not many young people
in this age care so much about
being chaste. Not many
eventually get married as virgins.
They “spoil” themselves with
premarital sex or fornication.
Many even go as far as aborting
pregnancies. But not Mary, she
kept herself in the midst of such
pressures and temptations. Now
if such a person that has been
working in the service of God
(proper consecration), walking
with a heart turned towards God,
and in holiness, missed Jesus,
then I would again like to remind
you to consider this very closely.
It could happen to you also!
The pointers to missing Jesus
What could have happened to
Mary and Joseph that they
missed Jesus from their lives?
Remember, that Mary carried
Jesus for nine months in her
womb. She stayed with Jesus for
12 years. How could they have
missed Him and not know it?
Think…have you also missed
Him? Examine yourself now…
Akanni who lives in Gboko,
Benue State is a teacher of the
Word. He holds an inter-
denominational fellowship
which attracts Christians of all
backgrounds.

@op i sense in my spirit that you have been accused wrongly on 3 different occasions. Right or wrong?

@op i sense in my spirit that you have been accused wrongly about something you didn't do on 3 different occasions. Right or wrong?

Thank you very very much for the message.I will think on this.May God continue to bless you in jesus name.