"I Must Be About My Father's Business"

The Son Who Knew His Father

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At twelve years old, Jesus said, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). These words tell us who Jesus is and why He came.

My Father. Mary had said “Your father,” meaning Joseph. Jesus answered “My Father,” meaning God. Jesus knew God was His Father in a way no one else could ever say.

Born of God. Before Jesus was born, the angel told Mary, “that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Jesus did not become God's Son later. He always was.

Joseph's place. Joseph was a good man who raised Jesus and cared for Him. Jesus loved him and obeyed him (Luke 2:51). God gave Joseph an honored job.

God became a man. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Word is Jesus. God the Son became a real baby, then a boy, then a man.

Growing up. Even as God's Son, Jesus grew up like other boys. He “increased in wisdom and stature” (Luke 2:52). He learned, worked and obeyed at home in Nazareth.

Without sin. Jesus faced every kind of temptation we face, “yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He never once disobeyed His Father.

The Father speaks. When Jesus was baptized, a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

Pleasing the Father. Jesus said, “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29).

Talking with His Father. Jesus often went away to pray. He taught His friends to pray, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9).

Our Father too? Can we call God our Father? Yes, when we trust Jesus! “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Loved children. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). Bestowed means given as a gift.

What we learn. Jesus is God's own Son. Through Him we can become God's children and talk to God as our Father.

What to do. This week, start your prayers by calling God your Father. Thank Him that you can come to Him because of Jesus.

Jesus' first words in Luke are about His Father. They show that, even at twelve, Jesus knew who He was and what He had come to do.

A unique Son. John 1:14 speaks of “the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Only begotten means one of a kind. Jesus is God's Son by nature, from all eternity.

Conceived by the Spirit. Gabriel told Mary that “that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Joseph was His legal father, and Jesus honored him. God was His Father.

From first words to last. In Luke, Jesus' first recorded words speak of “My Father” (2:49). His last words on the cross were a prayer placing His spirit into His Father's hands (Luke 23:46). His whole life was lived toward the Father.

How could God grow? Luke 2:52 says Jesus increased in wisdom. Philippians 2:6-7 explains that Christ, “being in the form of God,” “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” He did not stop being God. He chose to live as a real man, learning and depending on His Father.

Did Jesus know everything? As God, the Son knows all things. As a man, Jesus grew in what He knew, and He relied on the Father and the Holy Spirit. Both are true at once, because He is fully God and fully man.

Always pleasing. “I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29). Jesus' perfect obedience is the obedience we never offered God. It is counted for those who trust Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The Father's voice. At the Jordan the Father said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Jesus had not yet preached or healed anyone. The Father delighted in the Son for who He was.

Adoption. “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). The Son of God became a son of Mary so that we could become children of God.

Abba. The Spirit leads believers to cry out, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). Abba (say: AH-bah) is the warm Aramaic word a child uses for a dad. Through Jesus, we may speak to God with that kind of trust.

Application. Your identity as a Christian rests on what God has done, not on what you achieve. If you belong to Jesus, you are God's child. Pray to Him as your Father today.

The Work He Came to Finish

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Jesus' whole life was about His Father's business. From the temple at twelve to the cross, He did exactly what His Father sent Him to do.

His food. Jesus once told His disciples, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Doing God's will mattered to Jesus even more than eating.

Why He came. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Lost people are people who are far from God.

To serve. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). A ransom is a price paid to set someone free.

The hardest part. Jesus knew His Father's work would lead to the cross. In the garden He prayed, and He chose His Father's will over His own (Luke 22:42).

Obedient to the end. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

For the joy. Jesus “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). The joy was bringing us home to God.

It is finished. On the cross Jesus cried, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). The work of paying for our sin was done. Nothing more needs to be added. We do not pay for our sins by being good. Jesus paid for them all.

Risen. Jesus “was buried, and that He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The Father's plan was complete, and Jesus is alive.

Our Father's business. When we belong to Jesus, we get to do our Father's business too. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). That means putting God first.

Everyday work. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). Homework, chores and kindness can all be done for God.

Kids can serve. Jesus was only twelve when He spoke about His Father's business. Timothy knew the Scriptures “from childhood” (2 Timothy 3:15). God uses young people.

What we learn. Jesus finished the work His Father gave Him, and we are saved because of it. We cannot add to it. Now we can live to please our Father.

What to do. Pick one thing to do for God this week. You could help at home without being asked, pray for a friend, or tell someone about Jesus.

In Luke 2:49 Jesus said “I must.” The rest of the Gospels show where that must led: to the cross, the empty tomb and the salvation of all who believe.

It is necessary. Jesus later told His disciples that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected, be killed and be raised the third day (Luke 9:22). The same must, meaning it is necessary, that He spoke at twelve ran through His whole ministry.

Food and work. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Jesus spoke of the Father's will as what kept Him going. The goal was not only to do the work but to finish it.

Seeking the lost. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The Father's business is rescue. Mary and Joseph searched for one lost Son; the Son came to search for a lost world.

The ransom. Mark 10:45 says He came “to give His life a ransom for many.” A ransom was the price paid to free a slave or a captive. Jesus paid with His own life.

The garden. In Gethsemane Jesus asked the Father to remove the cup of suffering, yet He chose the Father's will over His own (Luke 22:42). His obedience was real, costly and freely given.

Tetelestai. “It is finished!” (John 19:30) is one Greek word, tetelestai (say: teh-TEL-es-tie). It means completed or paid in full. The work the Father gave the Son was done. No one can add to it.

The joy set before Him. Hebrews 12:2 says that “for the joy that was set before Him” He “endured the cross, despising the shame.” He saw past the suffering to the people He would save.

Raised. He rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The resurrection shows that the Father accepted the Son's finished work.

Our part. We do not finish what Jesus finished. We live from it. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) describes a life that now belongs to the Father.

Whatever you do. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). Schoolwork, sports, friendships and chores all become part of the Father's business.

Application. At twelve Jesus was already serious about His Father. Ask God to show you one way to serve Him this week, and do it gladly because Jesus has already done the work that saves you.

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Read each section and answer the questions correctly.