The Boy Jesus Stayed Behind in Jerusalem
(Luke 2:41-47)

Our faith life starts by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord. And the Christian life is about living for the glory of God as we serve Jesus Christ as our Lord. Then what is specifically our Christian faith like?

1. The cross-centered faith
When Jesus was 12 years old, He accompanied His parents to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover. ‘The Passover’ was the day to commemorate the liberation of Israelites from the slavery in Egypt. At the time of their Exodus, God brought 10 plagues to Egypt, the last of which was the death of all the firstborn in Egypt. However, the people of Israel were able to avoid the disaster. The reason is that they put the blood of the lambs on the sides and tops of the door-frames of the houses. The Passover symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus. By Jesus’ dying on the cross, we have gained life. Therefore our faith should be cross-centered as we always remember the grace of the cross of Jesus and thank Him.

2. The church-centered faith
It was Jerusalem where Jesus went to celebrate the Passover. There was the temple in Jerusalem at the time, where God dwelled and which was the center of the faith of the people of Israel. But after Jesus came, the church became the temple where God dwells. Therefore, the center of our lives must be the church in which God abides. The church is the nest of our souls. We should always strive to gather to worship God. If we live a church-centered life like this, God will give us overflowing blessings in our lives.

3. The Jesus-centered life
Jesus’ parents lost Him on their way back home after the Feast of the Passover was over. Thinking that the boy Jesus accompanied them, they were unaware of His absence until they traveled on for a day. The lives of many Christians today are like this. Having lost Jesus in their lives, they are living in idleness and busyness of daily routine but they are unaware of this fact. Rejecting all idleness and busyness, we should always live a Jesus-centered life, prioritizing Jesus in our lives.

What is our faith like now? Our faith should always be centered on cross, church, and Jesus. I bless you and pray in the name of the Lord that by living like this throughout your life, you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.