Little boy Jesus

As most of you know, I teach Sunday school to the 3-5 year olds at our church.  Some of my favorite things about it is the energy that the kids bring to class (it can be a lot to handle at times but mostly is just fun) and the answers that they give to some of my questions.  Every now and then I like to ask my class to imagine how Jesus would respond to different situations, not as an adult, but as a 3-5 year old.  

The only snapshot we get from the Bible of Jesus between infancy and a 30-year old is a short description in Luke about how Mary and Joseph couldn’t find 12-year old Jesus after returning from Jerusalem after a Passover feast.  Imagine what Mary and Joseph must have felt!  Once they realized Jesus wasn’t with their group, they returned to Jerusalem and found him in the Temple talking with a group of teachers.  In response to his mother telling him she was worried about him, Jesus replied “didn’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business?”  Wow!  What an experience it must have been like to parent the Son of God.

As a parent of two energetic little boys, it’s really interesting to me to think what it must have been like for Jesus growing up.  Did he ever throw temper tantrums? (I’m looking at you Owen…)  Was he a picky eater?  Did he ever push his parents’ buttons?  

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, I smile thinking that the beautiful baby Jesus would grow up to be a little boy capable of such wisdom, but possibly a little bit of cheekiness as well.