We know that Mary and Joseph had to flee their homeland to protect Jesus from the ordered infanticide, and we know they returned when God gave the "all clear" and set up housekeeping in Nazareth.
The next account we have of the young Jesus is when the family made their annual trip to Jerusalem for Passover. He was twelve and doing what the son of all devout Jewish families did, but he failed to make the return trip with the family. After a day of travel, Mary and Joseph realized Jesus wasn't with the group and returned to Jerusalem to look for him. They found him in deep discourse with the teachers in the Temple, astounding those religious leaders with his understanding.
Any parent who has become separated from a child in a store can relate to the panic Mary and Joseph must have felt and to Mary's outburst when she found him: "Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you" (Luke 2:48, The Message). I easily imagine the tone of her voice! But most of us wouldn't have received a response from our "lost" child such as the one Mary got from Jesus: "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father" (Luke 2:49, The Message)? Again, the Bible tells us that Mary kept this and other "curiosities" of his growing up to herself, pondering them (Luke 2:51).
Mary knew she had been chosen to be mother to Messiah, but she had no idea what this meant. She may have wondered from time to time, "How does one raise Messiah?" It's a worthy question, and as parents we too should ask the question of ourselves, "How does one raise children to know the Lord and choose to live for Him?"
Mary and Joseph lived devoutly before God, setting the example for Jesus. They did what they knew to do in accordance with the teachings of the Old Testament. They knew God's expectations of them by knowing God's Word.
We can set the stage for our own children to know God by knowing Him ourselves. Learning who God is means reading and knowing His words. Our children need to see us reading the Bible, digesting it, and applying it in our own lives. We must read it to our children and teach it to them (Deuteronomy 6:7). We must ensure that we and our children are actively part of a community of believers (Hebrews 10:25).
Mary didn't fully understand who Jesus would become, or what His life would look like as Messiah, but she did know that He was called to a special purpose. Each of us, including our children, have a unique calling on our lives. II Timothy 3:16-17 says that all scripture is "...useful one way or another - showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way." Further, these verses go on to say that through God's Word we are "...put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us" (II Timothy 3:17). If we want to know that purpose and live accordingly, we must know His Word.
While we aren't raising Jesus, we are parenting children who are called with a holy purpose (II Timothy 1:9), so as Mary and Joseph lived devoted to God and set the example for Jesus, we too must follow their lead. Knowing God and His Word will give us the advantage of having clarity when making decisions regarding our children, the strength to stand firm in the face of cultural influences that run counter to God's way, the essentials for laying a solid foundation on which our children will grow, and direction when discerning what God has called us and our children to become.
Matthew Henry, 17th century theologian, said the following:
"Those who would learn the things of God, and be assured of them, must know the Holy Scriptures, for they are the Divine revelation. The age of children is the age to learn; and those who would get true learning, must get it out of the Scriptures (emphasis added)....It is of use to all, for all need to be taught, corrected, and reproved. There is something in the Scriptures suitable for every case. Oh that we may love our Bibles more, and keep closer to them!...We best oppose error by promoting a solid knowledge of the word of truth; and the greatest kindness we can do to children, is to make them early to know the Bible (emphasis added)."
Dear Lord, I pray that You will give us the desire for your Word; that You will open our understanding through your Holy Spirit. I pray that we will be deeply impressed with the urgency to teach our children who You are. I pray that we will plant the seeds of your Word deep in their hearts from the very beginning of their lives so they may grow in You and fulfill your calling on their lives. Amen.
