Most parents can relate to the anxiety of not knowing where their child is.  After the Feast of Passover, all the pilgrims returned to their homes.  For those from Nazareth it was at least three days walking.  They would have travelled together, partly in fellowship and partly for security against the threat of robbers (Luke 10:30).  The men and women would talk in separate groups; the girls and young boys travelling with the women, and older boys with the men.  But in the year before manhood, the twelve-year-old Jesus was probably in-between groups.  Presumably, Mary thought He was with Joseph, and vice versa.  When the families reassembled at the end of the first day's journey, Jesus was nowhere to be seen.

So, worried Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem the next morning.  The day after, they found Jesus in the temple questioning the rabbis and being questioned by them.  This was His third day of discussing God's law, and it seems a crowd had gathered to hear the tutorial, in which Jesus deeply probed the teachers' knowledge, and contributed with understanding which amazed everybody.

It was to be His ministry style.  On many occasions, those who posed riddles to trap Jesus found that He made them think again by asking them a question.  Indeed, Jesus' entire ministry was devoted to making people think - about the source of His power, wisdom, kindness, love and truth.  Most importantly He wanted people to know who He was, so that they could believe in Him and be saved through His death and resurrection.  He still has the same objective today.  Jesus continues to challenge our assumptions, and press us with the question, "Who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:20).  To resist His right of being our Lord as well as our Saviour means that we have never understood His salvation (see www.crosscheck.org.uk to know more).

It is good to allow God to put us under the spotlight in order that we can clearly see the weakness of our own strength and the strength of His gospel.  Every day we need to believe who He really is.  Then we can face anything with Him. And when others try to trap you, why not ask them a question about who they think that Jesus is, and why?  Then you can encourage them to find out the truth in the Bible.