# Today’s lecturer is co-pastor Mizuguchi

1. Childhood of Jesus

Today is the first Sunday after Christmas and the Roman Catholic Church celebrate the day as The Feast of the Holy Family in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother Mary, and his foster father Joseph. Today We learn about a happening occurred during Jesus’ childhood. Luke describes a scene of their daily life. However other Gospel writers did not record the similar story. They might consider the episode to be dispensable to spread good news.

Mark and John seem to look over Jesus’ young life because they began the writing with the encountering scene of Jesus and John the Baptist. They should intended to focus on ministry of Jesus as the Son of God. While Matthew wrote the story concerning pregnancy of Mary and birth of Jesus, he put immediately the passage of Jesus’ baptizement in the Jordan River afterwards. Only Luke tells us about young Jesus. Perhaps he wanted to respect chronological steps to present Jesus’ human life.

Today’s lecturing portion is one of the cases, which shows us how Jesus was at the age of 12.

Now we will read the introduction ; - Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.(Luke 2:41-42)

Majority of Jewish men of the era went the Temple of Jerusalem to observe Passover in spring, Pentecost in summer, and Feast of Tabernacles in fall.* Even those who lived in very distant regions must come to the Holy City at least once a year for one of the three festivals. In Luke 2, Joseph and Mary are presented among of those pilgrims. Besides Jewish boys older than 12 years were considered to be adults and spiritually independent. Because at that age they could read the Bible and respect the law by themselves. So Jesus came with parents but as a mature man.

Jewish people might have a habitude to take journey to Jerusalem in group. There should be some others of the similar generation to Jesus. And a happening was occurred after the liturgical service. ; - After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. (Luke 2:43-45)

Perhaps Jesus wanted to learn as much as possible in the Holy City after hight ranked law teachers or Priests. But it was natural that Mary and Joseph were upset. And ; - After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.(Luke 2:46-47)

Jesus showed there his incomparable intelligence for his age. However, despite that, Mary was not happy of conduct of Jesus ; - When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."(Luke 2;48)

Jesus, though, answered without being regretful ; - Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke2:49)

Whereas Mary’s words “Your father” indicates Joseph, Jesus’ response shows that he took it for God. That proves that he had already recognized his authentic identity, the Son of God. Indeed , the Holy Temple must be Father’s house for the Son of God. Jesus was temporarily on the earth and the Temple is the gate of his home land, Heaven.

2. The Holy family

During the time of Christmas and new year larger part of persons might stay with their family. If they cannot be with relatives they should be lonely. Especially this period of year we recognize warmth and importance of our family. That might be one of reasons for that christians celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family in the midst of this period. This expression represents well harmonious background of Jesus’ youth ; -And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.(Luke 2:52)

And all children of the world need the same environments to grow up peacefully. Family must be the frame in which children will receive love of God reflected on familial love.

However today’s lecturing part tells us that even Jesus’ parents could not understand their own son’s behavior. The fact reveals that once children became spiritually and mentally independent parents cannot grasp their insight completely. Grownup children intend very often to insist on their autonomy. The act is exactly the sign of mental maturity.

As a result, they tend to reject parents protective love and commence to seek their own future. Sometimes their choice is not what parents wanted for them. If it is the case parents might feel left behind. Jesus, 12 years old, gat back to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph. The time was not yet ready.

But afterward Jesus starts his own way to the desert of Judah by responding to the appeal of John the Baptist. The decision opened the pass to Jesus’ own ministry even though Mary and Joseph would not appreciate it immediately.

3. Family of God

We chose Mark 3:34-35 for today’s invocation verses ; - Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus had compassion on the sick and healed them. The reputation of Jesus’ healing power was spread around and numerous persons came to be cured. Jesus’ family members heard that rumor and also came to see him. Rather they might try to stop him from doing such activities than to appreciate the work.(see Mark 3:31-35) Because his family was not happy that their eldest son left home to become one of disciples of John the Baptist in the desert of Judah, then to be a wondering preacher. They should think that Jesus must remain in Nazareth as a carpenter. They might even consider him to be irresponsible.
Therefore they came to Capharnaum.

Mark presents an image of Jesus’ sacred family different from other Gospel writers, Luke and Matthew. The latter did not record the similar passage to Mark’s. The leaders of the church of the first generation were Jesus’ own brothers and Matthew thought they should have trusted in Jesus’ divinity from the beginning.

But Mark reported another facet of their mind ;-Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."(Mark 6:4)

In reality, Jesus continued his ministry despite disagreement of the family. And the Cross and the Resurrection fulfilled the contents of today’s invocation verses.

It means that through the Cross and the Resurrection believers were raised and they formed the church as the sacred family. They lived together by sharing possessions as if they were of a real family.
Even Jesus’ brothers who had not believed in Jesus’ divinity also became among them ; - They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.(Acts 1:14)

Matthew and Luke should not have concealed the fact. Because we see a miracle in that alteration of attitude of Jesus’ family, from scepticism to belief. In other words the Cross and the Resurrection broke down earthy familial relationship to form authentic one in spirit. That process symbolizes establishment of the kingdom of God.

Of course, the church on the earth is not perfect yet. Nonetheless we are forming a community which anticipates arrival of the kingdom of God. Therefore we appeal the slogan “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Sinners are invited here to be forgiven and saved. Secular desires should be denied in the church. It is true that this secular world is filled with evil and majority of us are ego-centrical. Too often, we care about only ourselves. But the kingdom of God must realize in the midst of such a world. Even if human societies seem to be dominated by evil power, tiny groups of christians get together little by little and always make efforts to fight against the evil. And we are one of those groups. Today, the first Lord’s day after Christmas, we will acknowledge that we are members of the Holy family. Because we are compelled to follow in Jesus’ footsteps to defeat the evil by praying for others.
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*Passover http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover
Pentecost http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost
Feast of Tabernacles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot