Have you ever misplaced something? Of course you have. We all have. A book, a remote, something small but when it happens, we retrace our steps. We go back to where we have been until we find it.

Today, we hear of parents who misplaced someone, not just anyone, but their own child: Mary and Joseph misplaced Jesus.

Luke alone gives us this glimpse into Jesus’ childhood. He knew that this story reveals something essential not just about Jesus, but about who we are meant to become.

Sometimes, we too loose Jesus. Not deliberately, not out of ill will, but simply because life gets busy. Schedules fill up, priorities shift, distractions multiply and suddenly, we notice that Jesus is no longer at the center. What do we do then? We retrace our steps. And where do we find him? Right where Mary and Joseph found him in his Father’s house.

“And not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for Him”

Christ is not always found where we think He should be. When He seems absent, faith does not despair. Faith returns to prayer, to the Scriptures, and to the dwelling place of God. Even in His hidden years, the Child Jesus shows us that He belongs first to the Father, and that He is found by those who seek Him with patient, persevering love.

Those who seek Jesus do not find Him immediately. This delay is deliberate; it is meant to teach. Christ is absent from the places we might expect not among relatives, not among acquaintances, not in the crowd. These are the ordinary human categories family ties, familiarity, social belonging by which we try to grasp Him. Yet the Son of God cannot be understood merely according to the flesh, nor limited to human expectations.

Jesus is not found among his relatives, showing that even the holiest human relationships cannot fully reveal the mystery of Christ. He is not found in the crowd, because truth is never discovered by following the majority, nor is divine wisdom gained through casual or shallow association. Christ transcends ordinary knowledge and common opinion.

Where is Jesus found? In the Temple. Not simply the building in Jerusalem, but the sacred place of divine teaching and revelation. It points to the Church, the home of God’s Word, the community of faith, the school of wisdom. There Christ is present among the teachers, alive in the living transmission of Scripture, in faithful doctrine, and in prayerful contemplation.

If you wish to find the Son of God, seek him first in the Temple. Seek him in the Church, in the Scriptures, in faithful teaching, and in prayerful listening. There you will meet not only Jesus of Nazareth, but Christ himself the living Word, the Wisdom of God.

Thus, Luke’s story serves as a spiritual map: when Christ seems absent from the familiar paths of life, go up to the Temple – return to the Church – and there, with patient and faithful seeking, you will surely find him.

When they finally find Jesus, he is in the Temple listening, asking questions, and engaging the teachers. This is important. Jesus is not performing miracles. He is not teaching as God. He is learning as a boy who loves God deeply. He did this out of reverence, setting an example for all, even the wise and learned to listen to their teachers rather than boast in their own knowledge. “In the Temple, Jesus shows us what real love looks like: love listens, love asks questions, and love seeks understanding.”

By the age of twelve, Jewish boys were already well-versed in Scripture and the law. Yet Jesus’ understanding astonished everyone. He could integrate what he learned in ways that revealed unusual depth and clarity.

Mary reacts as any parent would, full of fear and worry: “Child, why have you treated us like this?” Joseph remains silent. Then Jesus speaks, and it changes everything: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Jesus is not lost. It is Mary and Joseph who are lost.

This Gospel is not really about Jesus growing up. It is about Mary and Joseph growing up. And it is about you and me growing up. True growth is not measured by age, but by spiritual maturity by learning to make God the center of our lives.

In this moment, Jesus draws a clear line between his earthly father and his heavenly Father. For the first time, he reveals God not as distant or intimidating, but as Father – Abba. Someone near. Someone we can speak to. Someone who knows and cares about every detail of our lives.

Jesus said it was important for Him to be in His Father’s house. His priority was clear. And it is equally important for us to be in God’s house. Why? Because His Father’s house is our Father’s house too! It is a house of worship, a house of prayer, a house of peace, a house of love, a house of joy.

We must resist the natural drift away from this priority unless we make a deliberate choice. Sometimes, we must say no to good things in order to say yes to what matters most. Jesus knew His priority. Do we know that our priority should be the same as His? What better place and what higher priority could there be for a child of God than to dwell in the Father’s house?

The Gospel leaves us with a question:

If we ever lose Jesus, will we know where to look for him?

And what better place and what higher priority for a child of God than to dwell in the Father’s house?

✍ Fr James Abraham