Jesus was Lost

Have you ever been lost? If that’s ever happened to you then you know how scary and confusing it can be for everyone involved!

Well did you know that one time Mary and Joseph lost Jesus? I mean the most important child in the world was LOST! That’s right!

Luke 2:41-52 tells us about the time that Jesus was lost for 3 days. And this was way before they had cell phones to call people or text and ask if anyone had seen Jesus. They just had to go around asking and I’m sure Mary and Joseph were worried sick.

I love thinking about this story right after Christmas where we tend to imagine Jesus so peacefully sleeping in the manger almost like a fairytale. This story reminds us that Jesus lived a normal human life. Sure, He was the savior of the world and He wasn’t worried or scared when He was lost. But, it reminds us of that He was fully human. And that meant that things happened….like being lost. AND that God chose Mary and Joseph knowing full well that they would lose Jesus one day for a few days. Their parenting mess up didn’t disqualify them from being the perfect choice of parents to Jesus. And that’s reassuring to me as a parent, myself!

Okay, here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question to discuss. And, like always…don’t overthink it! The point is to get conversation flowing:

1. How did Mary and Joseph lose Jesus?
2. How did Jesus respond to being lost?
3. What do we learn about Jesus as a 12 year old boy through this story?

Let’s try and learn our verse together. You can repeat after me. “Why were you looking for me? He asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:49