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The gospels all give different accounts of what happened to Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus AFTER Jesus was born in a borrowed stable…

MATTHEW tells us of the frantic flight of the family down to Egypt, the return home 2 years later, and then nothing until John the Baptizer.

MARK tells us nothing of Jesus’ birth – he starts with John the Baptizer.

LUKE tells us the story of Simeon and Anna and the Temple prophecies over the baby Jesus, the story of the 12-year-old Jesus when He stays behind in the Temple, and then Luke falls silent until John the Baptizer.

Like MARK, JOHN tells us nothing about the birth of Jesus, he starts with a beautiful description of who Jesus is, but then he too skips ahead to John the Baptizer.

What was goin’ on the rest of the time from when Jesus was 8 days old and they had Him dedicated in the Temple, and the years until He was 12, and then another 18 years when Jesus was 30 and went to the Jordan to see John?  My guess is, they went on with life as usual, just like we do!  I think they got busy livin’ their lives, enjoyin’ the highs and workin’ thru the lows – just like we do!

I think the gospels are silent on the “in-between-years” of Jesus’ life, NOT because they were boring or unimportant, but that those “missing” years are an example for us of how to live our lives, day in and day out, following God! Yes, there are gonna be glad times and there are gonna be sad times – but mostly, there are gonna be ordinary, everyday times. You see, Jesus was the Son of God, but Jesus was HUMAN too!  He came into this world as one of us so He could experience exactly what we experience – bumps, scrapes, bruises and all! Everything that is part of the human condition – EXCEPT SIN – Jesus experienced just like we do!

Hebrews says it this way, “For this reason He had to be made like His brothers and sisters in every way. Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted!”

Jesus had to face all the same obstacles in life as anyone else, but the point is, Jesus was HUMAN – just like you and me – and even He had to learn all the same life lessons as you and me. Jesus had to know what it was like to be human! Any problem you and I face today, Jesus faced as well. And what did He and His family do during all these hard times – all those years that are NOT accounted for in the Bible…?

They went on with their lives – they did exactly what you and I do – we do the best we can, and we trust God for the rest. Jesus understands our problems – and we can trust Him to help us through it all!

Pastor Corey Jenkins

Sidney 1st United Methodist Church