“Now Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. But when the feast was over, as they were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but (because they assumed that he was in their group of travelers) they went a day’s journey. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Jesus were astonished at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were overwhelmed. His mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” But he replied, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Yet his parents did not understand the remark he made to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. But his mother kept all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:41-51, NET)

 

Assuming Jesus is with you

Actually following Jesus can be scary. It requires constant faith, and it often results in risky life. Besides, who wants to be led around by Jesus anyway? We know where we want to go and the kind of people we want to be. We are perfectly fine with our values and conscience being formed by dominant cultural values and assumptions, that way we can take for granted our choices as being right. Well, actually following Jesus is hard. Instead of spending so much time following the presence of Jesus today, who might send us in the mix of Samaritans, or masses of poor and hungry people, why not just assume that wherever we are, Jesus is with us? Isn’t it much easier to just go with the flow, and to take for granted that Jesus blesses our dominant cultural lives? Isn’t it much better to just assume that Jesus’ presence and affirmation is automatic, because we call out “Lord, Lord” among a group of self-professed Christians? Why not just constantly live as Jesus’ parents did when they assumed Jesus “was in their company”? When we assume that Jesus is with us, and as we live our lives patterned by dominant culture, we stay in control.