After three days, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. (Luke 2:46-47, ESV)
Haven’t we all, at some point, wanted to be associated with the “Cool Kid”? We often tie our self-worth to being accepted by someone known for holding respect or honor in a certain area of life.
I recently heard a story about Ben Hogan, where players would go to the range to watch Hogan hit balls before or after a round. They would observe and say, “Great shot, Ben,” then he would hit another ball, and they would repeat, “Great shot, Ben,” apparently trying to become friends with Hogan or to be associated with him.
At one point, Mr. Hogan looked back at them and said, “You guys don’t know what you’re looking at.” He wasn’t happy with the shots that these players were praising.
He pursued a level of perfection that no one can really comprehend. They saw great shots, but Mr. Hogan saw shots that did not meet the standard he had set for himself.
Mr. Hogan wasn’t always the “Cool Kid.” He worked tirelessly to beat everyone. Once he was winning Major Championships and most of the other tournaments he played in, people wanted to learn more about him.
I think it’s safe to say that Jesus wasn’t exactly the “Cool Kid” when he was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The other twelve-year-old kids were probably wondering what was wrong with this kid that he would rather sit with the old guys and ask them questions instead of playing games with kids his own age.
Jesus later had his own “You don’t know what you’re looking at” moment in John 14:8-9 when Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” The disciples didn’t realize what was right in front of them. It was perfection standing before them.
Jesus’ victory was over death. He conquered the grave and rose on the third day after being crucified. Then, people really wanted to get to know about him. For two thousand years, people have been trying to know Him and walk with Him as His disciples. Are you one of those people?
Most of us didn’t have a personal relationship with Ben Hogan or many of the other greats of the past, but what encourages me every day is that anyone can have a personal relationship with the Messiah, the Savior of all people. All we need to do is surrender our lives to Him as our personal Savior and Lord, study His word, and pray fervently.
In my mind, Jesus is the coolest person there is, and we should all strive to be his best friends and share his story with anyone who will listen.
Prayer: Lord, give us an unwavering desire to know you and to do anything that we can do to help others find you. Amen.