Sermon Central
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How To Raise Your Parents
Contributed by Johnny Creasong on May 8, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: Raising children is one thing, but God has called children to raise their parents as well!
How to Raise Your Parents
41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.
42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.
43 After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.
44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?"
50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
(NIV)
The FOUNDATION to be used when RAISING one’s parents is: HONOR them.
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
(NIV)
The first area I must raise concerning my parents is my opinion of them. Let’s face it: No parent is perfect and most are doing the best they can. Parents deserve an "A" for effort. In fact, in God’s economy, this effort of shaping human beings is such a good thing it deserves great honor, especially from the people who benefit from it most--the kids! It is easy for children to take for granted and/or fail to notice the work their parents do. This word “HONOR” means “to weigh heavily”. Put what they say on the scale and make sure that you weigh it heavily when you make your choices.
Children, as you RAISE your parents, recognize that the WALLS they put around you are for your good. As we children grow older, we desire and need more freedoms. Children, please be patient when your parents still see you as a “little kid” or when you seem to be growing up too fast! Parents sometimes need some vision correction to get back to the dream God has for their children.
Jesus’ parents needed a little vision correction when they could not find him with the rest of the people who were with them on the journey. Notice what Jesus did:
48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?"
50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
(NIV)
I can only imagine how frantic Mary was! I would venture to say that she did not ask Jesus calmly, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.” (Luke 2:48 KJV) Doesn’t that sound like she had spent three days trying to find Him! Mary must be mad! I don’t know if she jerked her little 12 year old rabbi around and dragged him out of the temple, but I can assure you she was not happy when she found her firstborn Son. The word used in the original means that they were dumbstruck! They could not believe that Jesus would put them through all this!
Mary asked Jesus the same question every parent asks their child when they cannot believe what this kid has put them through! “Why?” “What were you thinking?” And the twelve year old Jesus answers with the same question, “Why”, but then He reminds them about “why” he came into the world in the first place: “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 NKJ) Don’t take this as a flippant answer from a smart aleck kid. Look what Jesus does next: “Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.” (Luke 2:51 NIV)
