“Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 KJV). Jesus spoke these words to his mother when she found Him in the temple in Jerusalem, where he had been talking with religious leaders during the Passover Feast.
He had not asked his parents for permission to stay there as they left for home. When Mary and Joseph realized He was not with them on their trek home, they were troubled about his whereabouts. Retracing their steps, Mary returned to the temple, and there He was, seemingly clueless that anything was wrong.
He was only twelve years old. That was a bold move for a young boy to separate himself from his parents. Even at that age, He had an extraordinary passion for the holy scriptures and His heavenly Father. The religious leaders were astounded at His wisdom and understanding of scripture. Little did they know they were conversing with the Son of God!
Still, there was the matter of thoughtless abandonment and disregard for the practical rules and safeguards of being in a large city under the protection of His parents. Have you ever been so engrossed in a portion of God's Word, an inspiring sermon, or a powerful ministry time that surroundings and time escaped your mind? Doing anything we absolutely love can be distracting, for that matter! I remember playing the piano for hours, and it seemed like minutes because I loved it. So it was with Jesus as He engaged in the Father's business.
Aside from discussing and teaching the Scriptures, what else did God's business include? Primarily, God's business was to reach lost souls and bring as many people as possible into His Kingdom. As the finished work of Jesus was accomplished on the cross, salvation and eternal life through knowing Him became the single most important aspect of the Father's business so that no one would perish and spend eternity in hell.
In spreading the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, more aspects of the Father's business emerged. As Jesus grew into manhood, His ministry expanded to healing the sick and oppressed and extending the supernatural "dunamis" power of God, as evidenced in signs, wonders, and miracles among vast numbers of people. During His short three-year ministry, He continued taking care of the business of His Father.
His boyhood passion developed into an explosion of "dunamis" power as disease, demons, and death met their ultimate opponent in Jesus Christ. When He gave the same authority to His disciples and followers, the rapid advancement of the Kingdom of God occurred and continues to the present day. All because He was driven to “be about His Father's business.”
At age twelve, He was not only an apprentice of his earthly father Joseph's carpentry trade, but as he began understanding and teaching the Word of God, an apprenticeship in His Heavenly Father's business developed. By age thirty, it was undeniably apparent that He was handling every aspect of the business in marvelous ways.
WE are left with the Father's business now. Nothing has changed except Jesus' location, which is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He is entrusting the same work as He did, to us—even greater things, as evidenced in His words in John 14:12: “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” He's even given us the same Spirit as His.
Let's be about the Father's business! We are His apprentices the minute we surrender our hearts to Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. No matter what your life involves—work, school, family, soccer, politics, whatever—you can do the Father's business. Help us Jesus, to have Your passion to be about the Father's business!
© 2024, Chris Custer Werre
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