Wesley Menke

26 December 2021

Some seasons of life are more difficult than others. Take adolescence. That can be a very challenging time of a person’s life; not just for the adolescent but also for their family. It is a time of life marked with transition. One is somewhere between childhood and adulthood not really being either one. It’s typical for there to be added stress and tension within the family structure. The same thing was even true of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. 

When Jesus was 12 years old entering adolescence, a tween-ager, there is a profound miscommunication and he is left alone in Jerusalem while his entire family travels back to Nazareth, maybe with a stop in Bethlehem. How did this happen? It wouldn’t be fair to say that Mary and Joseph were negligent. Nor would it be fair to say that Jesus was rebellious. But at the same time they all have to bear some of the blame. Jesus very well wandered off away from his family and got wrapped up in a deep discussion either not noticing or not caring that his family had left him. Mary and Joseph were busy helping with nieces and nephews, and worried about the responsibilities that faced them when they got home. All of these little factors add up to Jesus being a 12 year old child being left alone for three days. What did he do during that time? Where did he sleep? How did he eat? Maybe Simeon and Anna took him in and cared for him, remembering when he had been presented in the Temple. 

There’s just something about being an adolescent that is different from the rest of life. It’s not the only time either. Two year olds are known to have strong personalities and are prone to test the limits of safety. Sometimes at the very end of life a person can also require extra attention and care. That’s just how it goes. Some seasons of life are more challenging than others. But no matter how old or young a person is, now matter what chapter or season of life they are in, they are still made with an indelible image of God. Whether you are middle aged, a toddler, a senior, or a teenager, you are always made in the image of God. There is no age in which you are not one of God’s precious children. 

Why is this so? Because you are saved by Grace through faith, and not by your works. Rebellious teenagers, and terrific two year olds are just as saved by Grace as are perfectly behaved fourth graders and mild mannered octogenarians. Your behavior doesn’t earn God’s favor or salvation. God loves you unconditionally no matter your age or how well behaved you are. Jesus was a teenager. Jesus was a two year old. Jesus was an adult, and though his life was cut short, and because his life was cut short he knows the full arc of human life, the suffering he endured on the cross was not unlike the suffering some people experience from chronic illness. So if Jesus who was the sacred Son of God knew every age and stage of life, then every age and stage of life is known by God, and is sacred. This has profound ethical implications.

As people of faith we must treat human beings with utmost respect no matter their age. We must look critically at how our world treats people during the difficult seasons of life. How do care for the elderly, for those who live alone, for those who need medical assistance? How do we care and support teenagers and children? 

When I was in my last year of seminary before internship I received some pastoral care from famed Clinical Pastoral Education supervisor Pastor Rod Seeger. Pastor Rod is a legend in the west coast Lutheran church as one who has mentored many a pastor and chaplain with brutally honest guidance. At the time I had a lot of anxiety about being a good parent, and raising my children up the right way. Pastor Rod asked me if I knew the three rules of parenting. I said that no I didn’t. So he told me.

Rule #1 of parenting: T