RESPECT 3 - Honor your father and mother!

Respect 3 - English files

Respekt 3 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about Luke 2:40-51

We’d probably all like to know more about what Jesus was like as a kid, but this account is all the Gospels offer us on that. It’s hard for us to imagine a real child or anyone without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus evidently didn’t do anything supernatural growing up, as John 2:11 says that turning water into wine was the first of His miracles.

How can you lose your child for a whole day without noticing? Many parents shamefacedly admit having once left a child behind somewhere in the middle of a busy day, naturally assuming it was with the other parent or someone else. It probably took so long for the family to notice Jesus’ absence because they were traveling in a large group of relatives and acquaintances.

The long search must have been excruciating, and Mary’s frustration when she finally had Him in front of her was certainly understandable (2:48). Yet Jesus’ reply indicates that His parents should have known where to find Him. Still, they didn’t understand Him, and probably not for the first time.

Here Jesus’ divine assignment was set against His human responsibility to honor His parents, and somehow He did both. As adults, our relationships to our parents and older relatives have changed over the years, but the honor should still be there. Lord, help me to honor You through honoring them.

Downloading lesson files

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next blogpost will finish the topic Respect.