Luke 2:41 – 52 tells about the time when 12-year-old Jesus was inadvertently left at the synagogue in Jerusalem by his parents. Talk about a panicked parent moment! Jesus doesn’t seem too bothered by his parents’ departure home without him! He is soaking in the words and wisdom of the rabbis (along with doing some speaking himself) while his parents are frantically trekking back to Jerusalem to find him.
Swann and I just watched the 1973 hit Jesus Christ Superstar. Neither of us had ever seen it before. It was an interesting mix of ancient biblical story and modern dance, music, and clothing. It got me to thinking about Jesus – placed in modern times instead of ancient. Would we recognize Jesus if he were present with us today? What would he be like as a middle schooler or high school student? An adult?
It’s easy to forget that Jesus was fully human, but scripture tells us that he was! He worried his parents at 12 when they discovered he was missing from their caravan home. As an adult, he developed genuine friendships with his disciples and close followers. If he was fully human, then he suffered colds and illness, tiffs with siblings while growing up, and knee scrapes playing outdoors in childhood.
This week, focus your thoughts on the human side of Jesus. The side of him that knew every human struggle that we know. It makes Jesus feel more real to me when I look at him that way. How would Jesus act at school? In a modern-day home with video games and technology? It’s an interesting question to ponder upon. Fully God, yes! Fully human, too.
Have a blessed week!
Diana Kongkeattikul
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