The Business

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”   Luke [2:49]

The words above were spoken by a very young Jesus. It is one of the few glimpses we have into the childhood of our Savior. The story is one that can get glossed over at times. There is no miracle being performed and the premise is somewhat relatable to many people today: a child being temporarily lost or left behind. It is a situation full of fear followed by relief. Perhaps if it were a sitcom, some humor would be injected into the situation as well.

As I read through the story, this particular verse caught my attention this time. Especially the last half “Did you not know I must be about My Father’s business?”

Generally, when we think about business, we think about our jobs, big corporations, merchandise, or even just money. The goal of businesses today is to make a profit and keep shareholders/owners happy.

How do they do that? For the most part a business provides a good or service that people want or need. I thought this was an odd term to use in this context. But the more I thought about it, the more appropriate it seemed.

Jesus served those he came into contact with while he was on earth. He also provided the most important good on earth. A bridge to his Father so that we might have a relationship with Him. Something all people must have in order to experience eternal life with the Father. Jesus expected Mary and Joseph to know he was doing God’s business.

I’ve heard the term “God’s business” in reference to pastors and church staff, but just like a business has many people with many different jobs, God’s business is the same. Am I doing God’s business? When people see me, do they know what business I work for? Sometimes I don’t like my answer to those questions, but it’s a good reminder of who I should be working for every single day.

Walt Howard


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