In later years Mary would tell the story of when Jesus was lost in Jerusalem. In actual fact he wasn’t lost, just lost to Mary and Joseph. They didn’t know where he was. But the lad Jesus was exactly where He wanted to be – in His Father’s house. It was natural for Him too be there, listening and asking questions of the wise and learned religious leaders of the day.
For His parents it was a time of unimaginable worry and concern. The boy was only twelve, Jerusalem was a large, noisy city full of foreign pilgrims. On the journey of a day back to Jerusalem the couple were alone without the protection of the extended family. When they got back to the city it took three days of searching before they went to the temple. It seems it was the last place they thought to look.
Mary’s comment to her son was only natural ”Why have you treated us like this?’ But this wasn’t about Mary and Joseph, it was about Jesus and His need to learn more about His Father. In our own lives we can think it’s all about us, but it is about the larger picture, about God. The world does not revolve round us, it revolves round Him. We are part of God’s plan, not Him part of ours. The world would be a better place if it always centred round God.