Growing Up Holy
Commentary
The theme for this Sunday is holiness (dedication of one’s life to God). Samuel was dedicated to God by his mother, Hannah. God used him as a prophet during the transition from tribal governance to the establishment of a king over all the tribes of what was to become Israel. His lifestyle as a Nazirite set him aside from the norm (see Numbers 6), and his calling put him in conflict with the ruling class. As Jesus is said to have said in Matthew 23:29-31, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.”
In the Gospel lesson, we see the boy Jesus sitting in the Temple, asking and answering questions with the rabbis, who are impressed by his wisdom. But it is not only his wisdom which is seen in this passage, we also see his humility in being submissive to his parents, despite his confusion as to why they did not understand where they could find him, nor why he was there. While Luke does not use the word “Nazorean,” Matthew 2:23 does: “There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean,” which may be a corruption of the term Nazirite. It is this designation that ties these two men together even more tightly.
In Colossians, Paul lists the qualities of holiness, which is what the vow of a Nazirite attempts to accomplish in the one who takes that vow (see Numbers 6). Thus he calls every follower of Jesus to embrace those qualities. Each of us may have a separate job to do, but we are all called to be holy. Prophets must confront the national leaders to assure that they are not misled by the power bestowed on them, but living in a republic, all of us are called to do our part in perfecting the nation as well as ourselves.
This is not all about politics, however. We are called to follow in the path of Jesus in healing people and relationships, in demonstrating love and forgiveness, in caring for the poor and “the alien in our land” (Exodus 22:21 and a multitude of other verses in Torah.)
This being the day before New Year’s Eve, the pastor has an ideal opportunity to challenge those attending worship to consider this list as the ideal “New Year Resolutions” for 2019.
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
The story of Samuel and his call takes place at a time of major shifts in the governmental system of the Hebrew people. As with all such shifts, there is chaos in the land, allowing those who seek to gain or maintain power to leave behind their moral compasses.
The family of Eli is one such family. Eli is the high priest at Shiloh, one of the “high places” where the Canaanites had worshipped. It had become for the Hebrews one of two main worship centers, and it is to this temple that the writers of Samuel refer. Eli’s two grown sons, Hophni and Phineas, serve as priests but are the basest kind of men. Rather than seeking to please and serve the LORD they steal from the LORD and from those who come to sacrifice to God, generous portions of the sacrificial meat. Further, they engage in sexual relations with the women who work at the temple (see 2:12-17, 22-25.) Eli is also lacking in spirituality, for he cannot tell the difference between a woman in distress and a drunken woman (see his confrontation with Samuel’s mother Hannah in ch. 1:12-18).1
This is the background for the birth and dedication of Samuel, whom Hannah gave as a offering of thanks to God soon after he was weaned (about three years old). His family had to pay the temple for his upkeep, and Hannah even made him a little ephod -- a linen garment like the ordinary priests wore in the temple -- each year. The point of today’s passage is that Samuel was an answer to prayer: Hannah’s prayer, of course, to do away with her shame at being barren and the torment of her husband’s other wife; but also the answer to the prayers of the High Priest, who cannot control his own sons despite his grief over their behavior; and the prayers of the nation, who despair in the midst of social and political power struggles, knowing that their nation will suffer for the sins of their leaders (a major theme running throughout the writings of the prophets).
The other theme evident in this story is the claim God has on Samuel. Since he was an answer to prayer, Hannah has given him to God to live a pure life, dedicated to serving God. The comparison cannot be missed: Hannah’s son (the child who is an answer to prayer) vs. Eli’s sons (men who lack any moral sense).
The story of the child Samuel parallels the story of the child Jesus: each is a gift (Anointed One) from God, asked for by the people to save the nation. Each is born in a time when those who have been called to serve the people are taking advantage of them instead. In both cases, those at the top of the religious hierarchy are deeply involved in fleecing the flock. And in order to hold their power, the religious establishment and the political leaders have joined forces, so each can maintain their comfortable station in life.
Contrary to popular opinion, there is a place for politics to be discussed in the church. The Bible consistently takes a stand on subjects that are part of the political life of any nation. As does Jesus.
Colossians 3:12-17
What does it mean to be holy? Holy things are set aside for use in worship, and nothing else. The golden basins, candlesticks, and inlays are meant to display the glory of God. In the case of people, it also denotes a state of separateness; thus, the Levitical priests became holy, as they were set aside to serve God. To demonstrate this state of separation, the priests wore a gold medallion on their foreheads as they approached the altars, so that God (and the worshippers) would recognize them as being God’s own. In a way, the priests became as slaves of God, for like slaves, they were bound to the service of God, and no other. Christians today do much the same thing, dressing priests in robes that are unlike anything a parishioner might wear; pastors of all denominations regularly wear a cross, a sign of who “owns” us.
Paul has taken the word “holy” and applied it to all of the people of God, which matches the Reformation emphasis on the “priesthood of all believers.” We are all called to be holy, set aside for the use of God. Jesus told his disciples that we are to be like salt, which cannot be corrupted, though it can be diluted or spread in a pot of stew to the point where you cannot know it’s in there. But Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth -- i.e., we are the element that makes the whole world the property of God.
But how do we demonstrate our holiness? Young people will say, when a friend uses foul language, “You talk to your mother with that same mouth?” It does not demonstrate holiness if we curse one another. Paul says we must “clothe ourselves” with the qualities of one who is no longer the ‘average’ kind of person. Rather than looking for personal gain and accumulating ‘stuff,’ we should be cultivating kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness toward others, love (letting Christ rule in our hearts) and gratitude (thankfulness). “And whatever [we] do, in word or deed, [should be done] in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (v. 17).
That’s quite a list, so we will work best if we deliberately choose one at a time. Since this is the next to last day of 2018, it might be that we could set ourselves the plan to concentrate on one a month. In January, we could start with kindness, for example.
A good place to begin might be at home. How often do we ask for a favor as if what we’re asking is owed to us? “Go unload the dishwasher and put everything away, James” is quite different from “Honey, I need a hand. Could you please go and unload the dishwasher?” And yes, it feels like asking politely opens us for disappointment. And it may! But kindness at home will soon spread further. It can make us more aware of how we demand service at a restaurant, grocery store or other places where we could ask politely. In fact, a person’s character, it has been said, can be discerned by the way one talks to a person who is serving us.
When we thank whoever has been registering our purchases at a store by saying, “Thank you for being so pleasant,” we may be surprised by the reaction of the clerk. I’ve taken to saying, “May all of your customers be as kind to you as you have been to me.” Mostly, the clerks blink, but many have said, “Thank you! If only all of my customers were as nice as you have been!” But all I did was thank them. A simple kindness.
Compassion would be perfect to practice in February, since the root meaning of the word is to “be able to feel with” other people. Again, to the clerk behind the counter, a simple “You look really tired! Are you okay?” often yields the fact that her small child has been sick and thank God her mother lives close by and can take care of her little one so she doesn’t have to miss work and the money she earns.
And so on. A month of practice should be enough for us to learn how to reach out in love to those around us. So then we can move on to the next quality of holiness. Holiness is not going around telling people how much they need Jesus. It’s telling those who inquire that I’ve met Jesus, that he is the one who has taught me how to behave.
We are not holy to earn heaven. We are enabled to be holy by the love God has shown us. We are kind to others because we know that God is kind. We forgive others, and we ask for forgiveness, and so we learn humility. We learn to follow the model that Jesus held up for us, even when God’s plan is not at all clear and we feel like chafing at the leash, but we follow along meekly. We learn, in this way, that our being beloved is not dependent on being holy, but our being holy is totally dependent on our understanding that we are loved.
Luke 2:41-52
How far can you walk before your body starts complaining? Not hiking, where the walking is the goal, but to get someplace. Say, from Nazareth to Jerusalem -- a distance of about 95 miles. If you can walk three to four miles an hour, 12 hours a day, stopping for meals and to rest, and are walking on a path in gently rolling hills or on a plain, we might make 30 miles a day.
But Jesus and his parents were in a caravan that included older adults and children of varying ages. That kind of group moves much more slowly, has to stop more often, and generally takes more time to establish camp, fix meals and pack up to move again. So, eight miles a day would be a reasonable estimate. How long it would take for the trip also depends on whether they were bold enough to walk through Samaria, which most Jews avoided; this would require crossing the Jordan and walking down the east bank, which would add an extra day to the trip. So 20 miles a day? That would mean 5 days on average to get from Nazareth to Jerusalem. Ten miles a day would mean a week-long trip.
If this sounds daunting, it would have been. There was great incentive for those who were deeply religious: the only way to fulfill all of the Law regarding the Passover sacrifice was to go to the Jerusalem Temple. One could celebrate Passover at home, but the lamb sacrifices could only be done in the Temple.2 It was (and is) a special blessing to be able to make the trip -- and Luke says Jesus’ family went every year. A week each way, plus the week of Passover, adds up to 21 days where Joseph would be away from his business and the money he could have been earning. They traveled with friends and extended family both for the celebration along the way and for safety. Despite the Roman roads and the patrols that assured the Pax Romana (Roman peace)3 there was still the possibility of being set upon by bandits. And if someone were injured or fell ill along the way, there were trusted people at hand to help them.
This story takes place when Jesus was twelve years old,4 just the age for loving to explore. Rather than leaving Jerusalem with his parents, Jesus stayed behind. Since they were traveling in a large crowd, and Jesus was of an age to be hanging around with the other boys, they didn’t notice that he was missing. But when it came time for supper, they started looking for him. After all, a boy of his age is constantly hungry. Where could he be?
There is no hope but to turn around and return to Jerusalem. But where, in all the crowds and noise of a city, might they find him? Since they didn’t find him until the third day of their search, we can guess that they looked in the various bazaars, where a curious boy could find all sorts of fascinating things to admire. Then there are the food shops, the outdoor eateries, the bath-houses, all of which might have a strong attraction to a boy of twelve.
However, when they found him -- three days later -- he was in the Temple, sitting with the rabbis, asking and answering questions. This was the way young men were taught. One of the rabbis would ask a question, and everyone in the circle would offer an opinion. Someone would quote a scripture or a comment by a learned man, and the group might then start quoting a variety of verses in Torah, building an argument for true understanding of God.
However, the crux of this story is this: “Your father and I have been searching for you all over Jerusalem! What are you doing here?” Mary has identified Joseph as Jesus’ father, a simple statement. Jesus, however, responds with a question of his own: “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my father’s house?”
How did this misunderstanding take place? Surely his mother, who had been told by an angel that she was to bear the Messiah, should have known that he was the son of God! And yet, she calls Joseph Jesus’ father -- which in terms of who was providing the boy with food, clothing, discipline, a place to live and a trade that would help him earn a living all his life, is evident -- but ignores the claim God had on her son.
How often parents forget that our children are not ours, but God’s! How often we ignore the signs that this boy will not be like other boys. How often our desire is for our children to be like us, when they are their own persons, following their own dreams and perhaps also the call of God! We can surely identify with Mary and Joseph.
Jesus, on the other hand, feels the pull of his heavenly father. This trip to Jerusalem could be Jesus’ first Passover trip with his parents; perhaps prior to this he has been left in Nazareth to be cared for by relatives not making the pilgrimage. The Temple was physically magnificent, spread over a huge space in the middle of the city, reminding the people that they had a heavenly father to serve, and much to learn. Jesus seems to be swept up by this grandeur and the opportunities offered to learn more about God. His declaration was not against Joseph. It was simply his statement that what the angel had told Mary was true: God, not Joseph, is Jesus’ father, and that father has plans for his son.
Nevertheless, he leaves the rabbis behind and follows his parents. His humble agreement to do so is stressed by Luke both before and after this story:
(v. 40: “[Jesus] grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him.”)
(v. 52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”).
In Samuel’s case, his mother had made a pledge that if God let her bear a son, she would give him back to God as a Nazirite. This pledge could have been undone by Samuel’s father, but his love for her is so great, he honors Hannah by upholding her pledge.
In Jesus’ case, his mother was as yet not married when the angel Gabriel told her that she would bear God’s son. When she agreed, her betrothed husband could have hauled her before the judges as an adulteress, but instead he went ahead and married her and acknowledged Jesus as his own.
Samuel was presented to the temple as a Nazirite for life, which meant he would never drink wine or strong drink or even eat grapes; he would not cut his hair; and he would never touch a dead body, not even his parents’ bodies. Usually, a Nazarite pledge is made for a set amount of time; but Hannah pledged her son to a lifetime as a Nazirite, which was seriously unusual.
Jesus was presented to the temple as the firstborn of Mary, was circumcised and blessed. While they were there, two different prophets came and blessed him and prophesied about him. He was specifically called the savior and redeemer of Israel [see 2:33-38].
Both men lived in service to God and were recognized by the ordinary people of their times as holy men, sent by God for the redemption of the children of Abraham.
1 Also the note on this passage in the New Interpreter’s Study Bible (NRSV), where his inability to tell the difference, and his chastisement of Hannah are noted with the comment “This portrayal [of Eli] raises the question of how effective a leader such an out-of-touch man can be, .. . especially one who is the priest of the nation’s most important shrine.”
2 This is still true today. Therefore, Jews never have lamb for Passover; they have chicken or some other kosher meat.
3 This was no slight thing. The Roman Peace was a tangible thing, making travel safer because the roads were patrolled by Roman soldiers, and retribution for acts of banditry was swift and deadly. Only bandits and traitors were crucified.
4 Although some writers say that Jesus was perhaps going to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah, the coming of age ceremony for Jewish boys, there is nothing in the narrative that indicates this was so. The age at which a boy becomes A Son of the Law is 14, not 12 [see Jewish Encyclopedia online]. The ceremony takes place on the first Sabbath after the end of the boy’s thirteenth year. In any event, there is no evidence before the 14th Century of this ritual, and no mention of it in Scripture, though up until this age a father could be punished for the misdeeds of his son. Becoming Bar Mitzvah made the son responsible for his own actions.
In the Gospel lesson, we see the boy Jesus sitting in the Temple, asking and answering questions with the rabbis, who are impressed by his wisdom. But it is not only his wisdom which is seen in this passage, we also see his humility in being submissive to his parents, despite his confusion as to why they did not understand where they could find him, nor why he was there. While Luke does not use the word “Nazorean,” Matthew 2:23 does: “There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean,” which may be a corruption of the term Nazirite. It is this designation that ties these two men together even more tightly.
In Colossians, Paul lists the qualities of holiness, which is what the vow of a Nazirite attempts to accomplish in the one who takes that vow (see Numbers 6). Thus he calls every follower of Jesus to embrace those qualities. Each of us may have a separate job to do, but we are all called to be holy. Prophets must confront the national leaders to assure that they are not misled by the power bestowed on them, but living in a republic, all of us are called to do our part in perfecting the nation as well as ourselves.
This is not all about politics, however. We are called to follow in the path of Jesus in healing people and relationships, in demonstrating love and forgiveness, in caring for the poor and “the alien in our land” (Exodus 22:21 and a multitude of other verses in Torah.)
This being the day before New Year’s Eve, the pastor has an ideal opportunity to challenge those attending worship to consider this list as the ideal “New Year Resolutions” for 2019.
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
The story of Samuel and his call takes place at a time of major shifts in the governmental system of the Hebrew people. As with all such shifts, there is chaos in the land, allowing those who seek to gain or maintain power to leave behind their moral compasses.
The family of Eli is one such family. Eli is the high priest at Shiloh, one of the “high places” where the Canaanites had worshipped. It had become for the Hebrews one of two main worship centers, and it is to this temple that the writers of Samuel refer. Eli’s two grown sons, Hophni and Phineas, serve as priests but are the basest kind of men. Rather than seeking to please and serve the LORD they steal from the LORD and from those who come to sacrifice to God, generous portions of the sacrificial meat. Further, they engage in sexual relations with the women who work at the temple (see 2:12-17, 22-25.) Eli is also lacking in spirituality, for he cannot tell the difference between a woman in distress and a drunken woman (see his confrontation with Samuel’s mother Hannah in ch. 1:12-18).1
This is the background for the birth and dedication of Samuel, whom Hannah gave as a offering of thanks to God soon after he was weaned (about three years old). His family had to pay the temple for his upkeep, and Hannah even made him a little ephod -- a linen garment like the ordinary priests wore in the temple -- each year. The point of today’s passage is that Samuel was an answer to prayer: Hannah’s prayer, of course, to do away with her shame at being barren and the torment of her husband’s other wife; but also the answer to the prayers of the High Priest, who cannot control his own sons despite his grief over their behavior; and the prayers of the nation, who despair in the midst of social and political power struggles, knowing that their nation will suffer for the sins of their leaders (a major theme running throughout the writings of the prophets).
The other theme evident in this story is the claim God has on Samuel. Since he was an answer to prayer, Hannah has given him to God to live a pure life, dedicated to serving God. The comparison cannot be missed: Hannah’s son (the child who is an answer to prayer) vs. Eli’s sons (men who lack any moral sense).
The story of the child Samuel parallels the story of the child Jesus: each is a gift (Anointed One) from God, asked for by the people to save the nation. Each is born in a time when those who have been called to serve the people are taking advantage of them instead. In both cases, those at the top of the religious hierarchy are deeply involved in fleecing the flock. And in order to hold their power, the religious establishment and the political leaders have joined forces, so each can maintain their comfortable station in life.
Contrary to popular opinion, there is a place for politics to be discussed in the church. The Bible consistently takes a stand on subjects that are part of the political life of any nation. As does Jesus.
Colossians 3:12-17
What does it mean to be holy? Holy things are set aside for use in worship, and nothing else. The golden basins, candlesticks, and inlays are meant to display the glory of God. In the case of people, it also denotes a state of separateness; thus, the Levitical priests became holy, as they were set aside to serve God. To demonstrate this state of separation, the priests wore a gold medallion on their foreheads as they approached the altars, so that God (and the worshippers) would recognize them as being God’s own. In a way, the priests became as slaves of God, for like slaves, they were bound to the service of God, and no other. Christians today do much the same thing, dressing priests in robes that are unlike anything a parishioner might wear; pastors of all denominations regularly wear a cross, a sign of who “owns” us.
Paul has taken the word “holy” and applied it to all of the people of God, which matches the Reformation emphasis on the “priesthood of all believers.” We are all called to be holy, set aside for the use of God. Jesus told his disciples that we are to be like salt, which cannot be corrupted, though it can be diluted or spread in a pot of stew to the point where you cannot know it’s in there. But Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth -- i.e., we are the element that makes the whole world the property of God.
But how do we demonstrate our holiness? Young people will say, when a friend uses foul language, “You talk to your mother with that same mouth?” It does not demonstrate holiness if we curse one another. Paul says we must “clothe ourselves” with the qualities of one who is no longer the ‘average’ kind of person. Rather than looking for personal gain and accumulating ‘stuff,’ we should be cultivating kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness toward others, love (letting Christ rule in our hearts) and gratitude (thankfulness). “And whatever [we] do, in word or deed, [should be done] in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (v. 17).
That’s quite a list, so we will work best if we deliberately choose one at a time. Since this is the next to last day of 2018, it might be that we could set ourselves the plan to concentrate on one a month. In January, we could start with kindness, for example.
A good place to begin might be at home. How often do we ask for a favor as if what we’re asking is owed to us? “Go unload the dishwasher and put everything away, James” is quite different from “Honey, I need a hand. Could you please go and unload the dishwasher?” And yes, it feels like asking politely opens us for disappointment. And it may! But kindness at home will soon spread further. It can make us more aware of how we demand service at a restaurant, grocery store or other places where we could ask politely. In fact, a person’s character, it has been said, can be discerned by the way one talks to a person who is serving us.
When we thank whoever has been registering our purchases at a store by saying, “Thank you for being so pleasant,” we may be surprised by the reaction of the clerk. I’ve taken to saying, “May all of your customers be as kind to you as you have been to me.” Mostly, the clerks blink, but many have said, “Thank you! If only all of my customers were as nice as you have been!” But all I did was thank them. A simple kindness.
Compassion would be perfect to practice in February, since the root meaning of the word is to “be able to feel with” other people. Again, to the clerk behind the counter, a simple “You look really tired! Are you okay?” often yields the fact that her small child has been sick and thank God her mother lives close by and can take care of her little one so she doesn’t have to miss work and the money she earns.
And so on. A month of practice should be enough for us to learn how to reach out in love to those around us. So then we can move on to the next quality of holiness. Holiness is not going around telling people how much they need Jesus. It’s telling those who inquire that I’ve met Jesus, that he is the one who has taught me how to behave.
We are not holy to earn heaven. We are enabled to be holy by the love God has shown us. We are kind to others because we know that God is kind. We forgive others, and we ask for forgiveness, and so we learn humility. We learn to follow the model that Jesus held up for us, even when God’s plan is not at all clear and we feel like chafing at the leash, but we follow along meekly. We learn, in this way, that our being beloved is not dependent on being holy, but our being holy is totally dependent on our understanding that we are loved.
Luke 2:41-52
How far can you walk before your body starts complaining? Not hiking, where the walking is the goal, but to get someplace. Say, from Nazareth to Jerusalem -- a distance of about 95 miles. If you can walk three to four miles an hour, 12 hours a day, stopping for meals and to rest, and are walking on a path in gently rolling hills or on a plain, we might make 30 miles a day.
But Jesus and his parents were in a caravan that included older adults and children of varying ages. That kind of group moves much more slowly, has to stop more often, and generally takes more time to establish camp, fix meals and pack up to move again. So, eight miles a day would be a reasonable estimate. How long it would take for the trip also depends on whether they were bold enough to walk through Samaria, which most Jews avoided; this would require crossing the Jordan and walking down the east bank, which would add an extra day to the trip. So 20 miles a day? That would mean 5 days on average to get from Nazareth to Jerusalem. Ten miles a day would mean a week-long trip.
If this sounds daunting, it would have been. There was great incentive for those who were deeply religious: the only way to fulfill all of the Law regarding the Passover sacrifice was to go to the Jerusalem Temple. One could celebrate Passover at home, but the lamb sacrifices could only be done in the Temple.2 It was (and is) a special blessing to be able to make the trip -- and Luke says Jesus’ family went every year. A week each way, plus the week of Passover, adds up to 21 days where Joseph would be away from his business and the money he could have been earning. They traveled with friends and extended family both for the celebration along the way and for safety. Despite the Roman roads and the patrols that assured the Pax Romana (Roman peace)3 there was still the possibility of being set upon by bandits. And if someone were injured or fell ill along the way, there were trusted people at hand to help them.
This story takes place when Jesus was twelve years old,4 just the age for loving to explore. Rather than leaving Jerusalem with his parents, Jesus stayed behind. Since they were traveling in a large crowd, and Jesus was of an age to be hanging around with the other boys, they didn’t notice that he was missing. But when it came time for supper, they started looking for him. After all, a boy of his age is constantly hungry. Where could he be?
There is no hope but to turn around and return to Jerusalem. But where, in all the crowds and noise of a city, might they find him? Since they didn’t find him until the third day of their search, we can guess that they looked in the various bazaars, where a curious boy could find all sorts of fascinating things to admire. Then there are the food shops, the outdoor eateries, the bath-houses, all of which might have a strong attraction to a boy of twelve.
However, when they found him -- three days later -- he was in the Temple, sitting with the rabbis, asking and answering questions. This was the way young men were taught. One of the rabbis would ask a question, and everyone in the circle would offer an opinion. Someone would quote a scripture or a comment by a learned man, and the group might then start quoting a variety of verses in Torah, building an argument for true understanding of God.
However, the crux of this story is this: “Your father and I have been searching for you all over Jerusalem! What are you doing here?” Mary has identified Joseph as Jesus’ father, a simple statement. Jesus, however, responds with a question of his own: “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my father’s house?”
How did this misunderstanding take place? Surely his mother, who had been told by an angel that she was to bear the Messiah, should have known that he was the son of God! And yet, she calls Joseph Jesus’ father -- which in terms of who was providing the boy with food, clothing, discipline, a place to live and a trade that would help him earn a living all his life, is evident -- but ignores the claim God had on her son.
How often parents forget that our children are not ours, but God’s! How often we ignore the signs that this boy will not be like other boys. How often our desire is for our children to be like us, when they are their own persons, following their own dreams and perhaps also the call of God! We can surely identify with Mary and Joseph.
Jesus, on the other hand, feels the pull of his heavenly father. This trip to Jerusalem could be Jesus’ first Passover trip with his parents; perhaps prior to this he has been left in Nazareth to be cared for by relatives not making the pilgrimage. The Temple was physically magnificent, spread over a huge space in the middle of the city, reminding the people that they had a heavenly father to serve, and much to learn. Jesus seems to be swept up by this grandeur and the opportunities offered to learn more about God. His declaration was not against Joseph. It was simply his statement that what the angel had told Mary was true: God, not Joseph, is Jesus’ father, and that father has plans for his son.
Nevertheless, he leaves the rabbis behind and follows his parents. His humble agreement to do so is stressed by Luke both before and after this story:
(v. 40: “[Jesus] grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him.”)
(v. 52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”).
In Samuel’s case, his mother had made a pledge that if God let her bear a son, she would give him back to God as a Nazirite. This pledge could have been undone by Samuel’s father, but his love for her is so great, he honors Hannah by upholding her pledge.
In Jesus’ case, his mother was as yet not married when the angel Gabriel told her that she would bear God’s son. When she agreed, her betrothed husband could have hauled her before the judges as an adulteress, but instead he went ahead and married her and acknowledged Jesus as his own.
Samuel was presented to the temple as a Nazirite for life, which meant he would never drink wine or strong drink or even eat grapes; he would not cut his hair; and he would never touch a dead body, not even his parents’ bodies. Usually, a Nazarite pledge is made for a set amount of time; but Hannah pledged her son to a lifetime as a Nazirite, which was seriously unusual.
Jesus was presented to the temple as the firstborn of Mary, was circumcised and blessed. While they were there, two different prophets came and blessed him and prophesied about him. He was specifically called the savior and redeemer of Israel [see 2:33-38].
Both men lived in service to God and were recognized by the ordinary people of their times as holy men, sent by God for the redemption of the children of Abraham.
1 Also the note on this passage in the New Interpreter’s Study Bible (NRSV), where his inability to tell the difference, and his chastisement of Hannah are noted with the comment “This portrayal [of Eli] raises the question of how effective a leader such an out-of-touch man can be, .. . especially one who is the priest of the nation’s most important shrine.”
2 This is still true today. Therefore, Jews never have lamb for Passover; they have chicken or some other kosher meat.
3 This was no slight thing. The Roman Peace was a tangible thing, making travel safer because the roads were patrolled by Roman soldiers, and retribution for acts of banditry was swift and deadly. Only bandits and traitors were crucified.
4 Although some writers say that Jesus was perhaps going to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah, the coming of age ceremony for Jewish boys, there is nothing in the narrative that indicates this was so. The age at which a boy becomes A Son of the Law is 14, not 12 [see Jewish Encyclopedia online]. The ceremony takes place on the first Sabbath after the end of the boy’s thirteenth year. In any event, there is no evidence before the 14th Century of this ritual, and no mention of it in Scripture, though up until this age a father could be punished for the misdeeds of his son. Becoming Bar Mitzvah made the son responsible for his own actions.
