Scripture: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52 NKJV)
Observation: Joseph and Mary go to Jerusalem for the annual celebration of the Passover and take Jesus, now twelve-years-old, with them. When they begin their return to Nazareth they realize that Jesus is not with them and returning to Jerusalem they find Him, after three days of searching, in the temple, listening and asking questions to the teachers. The family finally returns to Nazareth where Jesus remains subject to His earthly parents and where He grows physically and spiritually.
Application: The home of Joseph and Mary must have been a very special place, if God chose them to be the ones to care for His own Son. Jesus did not come full of the knowledge of eternity but veiled His divinity in human flesh and was born as a baby. And as a baby, He had to learn everything, like every other human baby. His early, forming years must have been full of spiritual exercises, reading and study of the Scriptures and prayer began to open before His eyes Who He was and the mission His Father in heaven had entrusted Him with. By the age of twelve Jesus could hold a very intelligent, probably even very challenging, conversation with the teachers at the temple so that they marveled at His depth of knowledge. Joseph and Mary, also recognizing Who Jesus was. Must have been very spiritual-minded, but also very charitable. They made sure Jesus received the best food, had the best health habits, and received the best spiritual nourishment possible. And thus Jesus grew up “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” The home is the first and most important vehicle to help our children grow, as Jesus did. The role of the parents is to be not just “people-makers,” as the famous psychologist Virginia Satir might say, but rather disciple-makers. It is the primordial role of the parents to see that their children grow up as disciples of Jesus Christ and therefore to be daily conformed to His image until, at His second coming, we transformed into His likeness. The sad thing is that many parents have relegated that role to either the church or the school or both and completely abandoned their responsibility as disciple-makers. I was doing a little bit of math. Let’s see if you can follow this logic:
1. Total hours in one year (365 days X 24 hours) = 87602. Total hours spent at school (this figure varies according to state and country) = 11003. Total hours at church (this would include Sabbath School, Church service, prayer meeting, Pathfinders, and a few other activities. . . I recognize that this is a very generous average) = 6004. Sleeping (average of 8 hours each day) = 29205. Time with friends (average of 2 hours each day) = 730
Now, if we take all the above and subtract them from the total number of hours (8760 – 1100 – 600 – 2920 -730) = 3410. This is the number of hours, potentially, that parents have to spend with their children each year. This is the number of hours, potentially, that children can be at home, where they can, and should, have the greatest influence for Jesus. Compare the number of hours a child spends at church (600) to the number of hours a child spends at school (1100) and you can quickly see that the school has a much greater influence, simply because of the amount of time the children spend there, than the church. Imagine, if you please, if those 1100 are spent in a public school setting, and the family only attends the church service, or maybe even the Sabbath School, it would mean that the children would spend a mere 110 hours or so, compared to 1100 at school – and if it is a public school, it would mean the children spend ten times more time at school than they do at church – who has the greater influence on their minds and on their lives? Even if you have your children in church school (which I believe to be the ideal and best choice), and you faithfully attend and are involved in the life of the church, they would have about 1700 hours each year as part of their discipleship training. 1700 hours out of a total 8760! I hope you’re beginning to see that those 3410 hours you as a parent have are critical and that you need to make every effort to spend them wisely, if you’re ever going to be the disciple-makers God intended for you to be for your children. As we begin this new year, make every effort possible to set aside at least a couple of hours each day to spend time with your children in the study of the Scriptures and in prayer, and in activities that help and benefit others. I am not calling for sermonizing or forcing them to sit and listen to a long, boring reading of the Bible or some devotional book. I am, suggesting a good conversation and practical application of selected passages and stories which they can use in their spiritual formation. Borrowing from Home Depot: “You can do it. . . we can help.” Contact your Conference’s Children’s or Family Ministries Directors and ask for help. . . that’s what we’re here to do.
Prayer: Father, help me to be the disciple-maker to my children that You intended for me to be, and to dedicate to them the time they need to become just like Jesus.
