Mountain View - The Missing Years by Pam Payne
Writer Author Church On The Mountain
Christian Column
:
Jesus Christ
- Fiction No
The missing years…
As Christmas drew near, I began to wonder what Jesus was like as a child. My grandson is near the same age Jesus would have been when the Magi arrived to worship him. I’m sure that’s what prompted these thoughts.
Scripture gives us a clear picture of Jesus’ birth in a stable, and gives us a glimpse of what Mary and Joseph went through leading up to it. The fact that it took the traveling Kings nearly 2 years to get to Jesus, is not quite as clear.
As a grandmother of such a busy little boy, I can’t help but try to picture what Jesus was doing when they arrived at his house?
Did Mary have to track down her busy toddler? Was he outside watching his father make things out of wood? Was He throwing rocks or perhaps playing in the dirt?
Did she have a difficult time settling her son down in front of his visitors? Did her toddler go to them freely? Did he open the boxes and examine his gifts? Did he climb in their laps, pull on their beards, or was Jesus timid, even scared of the strangers?
Do you suppose Mary and Joseph spoke about their knowledge of Jesus to their neighbors? Would they have believed their story of the visiting Angel and the virgin birth?
What were Jesus’ first words? Did Joseph make him a toy set of carpentry tools and did Jesus stand beside his Father imitating him?
When Jesus was older, did he play tag and climb trees with other boys, or was he kept inside and protected. Was he more interested in studying the Torah than the Jewish boys his age? Was he in communication with his Father even then?
Did anyone say, "Boy that Jesus...what a great young man he is, there's just something special about him, isn’t there?”
The next clear picture we have of Jesus in Scripture he is 12. After traveling with his family to the Passover celebration, Mary and Joseph notice on the return home, that Jesus is no longer with them.
Worried and upset, go back to look for him and they find their son in the synagogue speaking to the Rabbi’s. When they confront him, Jesus responds, "Did you not know that you would find me in my Father's house?"
I wonder if that was the moment, things began to change for Joseph and Mary. They had to know that His Father in heaven would one day call Jesus.
Scripture doesn’t give us another picture of Jesus until he begins his Ministry almost 18 years later. I imagine those 18 years of Jesus life were quite different then the 12 before as God prepared His son for the ultimate sacrifice.
And in eternity, I wonder if perhaps God, who knows my heart, will pull up a glimpse of this part of Jesus life and show it to me.
Until then, may we all come to a fresh revelation of who Jesus is, and what His death on the cross really means to each of us.
Pam Payne is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
Editor's Comment:
About the Writer Author
State:
California
Country:
United States
Email:
Paulafriedrichsen@live.com
Website:
www.churchonthemountain.org
Profile:
Click here!
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