We know so little about the birth and even less about the early years of Jesus that this story from Luke holds great significance. As a contemporary people we are fascinated by what makes individuals who they are and so we naturally want to know what made Jesus – JESUS? This story suggests a number of things about his development as a person and maybe even more importantly tells us a lot theologically about his purpose and the tradition that he came from and fulfilled. But what might this story also tell us about our development as people of faith? (First Sunday after Christmas. Luke 2:41-52)
You may like to read what I wrote three years ago focused on the formative years.
I would recommend a blog by John T Squires An Informed Faith ('Then they started to look for him': the boy Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2) that explores the resonances in this story within Luke and back into the Hebrew tradition. You will need to scroll down one or two stories.
This wonderful story of young Jesus seeking wisdom as part of his childhood and preparation for his ministry to come provides an opportunity to reflect on what growing in grace, in the faith, might mean. (This is on my mind after a few encounters over Christmas with people of faith who have a fixed in time understanding of being saved on a particular date after saying particular prayers and seeming to think it was important that their understanding of matters of faith NOT change?! While I would not want to denigrate the initial experience of conversion, I would want to encourage people to consider that even Jesus engaged in a process of growth and development and that therefore we might need to as well.)
The first and most important thing that this story suggests about our own growth as people, and people of faith in particular, is that growth takes time and the contribution and support of others. If even Jesus found the need to listen to others, to ask questions and explore existing knowledge and tradition, how much more so we surely do. Jesus did not stop with the tradition but he began with it and found greater depth and breadth within it. Indeed, it was those who were steeped in the tradition who were able to be an important beginning and part of his development. And Jesus did not hurry the process. This vignette in the Temple has him return home with his parents to continue his growth and development until the right time.
For us it may be important to remember that there is much life-giving wisdom in the experience and knowledge of those who have gone before us in faith. Both in text and in person. It can be difficult to find the wisdom without also receiving the dross and damaging beliefs and practices of our tradition but if we are able to focus on what is true and good it can be a powerful beginning. However, because of the history of abuse of every kind within religious traditions for some the only safe way of accessing the wisdom is through the intermediary works of authors, friends, companions that are known and trustworthy. However, we come across the word of God it takes time to grow and we should not be surprised that growth requires exploration, discussion and debate, listening and speaking up.
Secondly the development of his faith led to tension between Jesus and others – his family and later with authorities. While differences and difficulties in our family relationships do not necessarily mean that we are on the Jesus side of this story it does forewarn us that developing in faith may mean that our significant relationships are tested by our priorities, the questions we ask, and the understandings we come to. Especially for those who are deconstructing the teachings that family and church may have given us the tension can be very significant. While Mary and Joseph had every reason to be concerned where their twelve-year-old child was it also points to what will become a theme in Luke, that the family of Jesus found it hard to understand what he was doing and why. We may indeed sometimes be concerned about our own self! And there may certainly be consequences of our changed priorities.
Whatever the tensions Jesus did not sever his relationships with family. That is not to say that we don’t sometimes need to end unhealthy and unsafe relationships, or to at least create some distance, but where possible it is good to seek relationship with those we don’t necessarily agree with or fully understand. I think the reading from Colossians is a fine aspiration for us as people of faith that we find ways to bear with one another, to forgive, to teach, and to share in the singing of psalms and hymns. Being human, especially a changing and developing human, we will experience difference and that need not lead to separation. But if our sanity and safety require separation then that is what is best.
And thirdly I want to speculate that the direction of the growth and development may have appeared to be towards individuation but was also towards becoming the universal. By this I mean that in Jesus growing towards who he most truly was and needed to be meant that he was becoming the unique expression of the divine in human flesh that he was. Jesus was also becoming the universal fully human one who was able to be an outpouring of God’s love for all. And it took all of his life, up to and including his last breath on the cross, to complete this great becoming and pouring out of his very self in ultimate self giving love.
And this, in humble form, is the task for all of us – to both become who we uniquely are and in doing so to pour ourselves out. In the end nothing matters but that we love and it takes a life time of growing to be able to completely let go into the flow of love.
Even so, come Lord Jesus Christ, child of wonder and seeking, give us courage and desire to grow and to let go.
This is my work informed by all I have heard, read and experienced. I am indebted to the wisdom of others.
