Recently I noticed a bumper sticker that read, “If you have trouble finding Jesus, try looking for his mother.”  I was reminded that Mariolatry is alive and well.  Also, I was reminded of a time when Jesus’ mother had trouble finding him.  The account is in Luke 2:40-45, a passage rich with valuable instruction for the truth seeker.
       (1) There is suggested the idea of someone lost.  Jesus was separated from his family and they did not know it (Vs. 43).   The tragedy of his being lost to his parents was compounded by their ignorance of it.  How illustrative of the multiplied millions of souls who are traveling to eternity’s shore, not realizing the fact that Jesus may not be in their company.  How many people are lost without Christ and do not know it?
        (2) Jesus was lost to the one’s least expected – his parents: “Joseph and his mother.”  Why did they lose Jesus?  It was not because of a failure to love and appreciate him.  It was not because they could not have known his whereabouts.  It was not because they did not think that he was in their company.  It was simply due to their carelessness that they lost him.  This is not a criticism of them.  The same is often true of us all.  Their worries at the end of the day were due to a careless moment earlier that resulted in the parental panic that naturally accompanies the thought of a lost child.  The application is that Jesus would seem least likely lost to religious people, but he in fact may be!
        (3) The parents of Jesus rested solely upon supposition (Vs. 44).  We do not operate on the ground of supposition with immunity in too many areas of life.  Experi-ence quickly teaches us the danger of supposition in matters where money is involved.
    Religiously, however, the majority of people are headed to the eternal shore on the skiff of supposition (Matt. 7:13).  The Bible plainly condemns partyism (1 Cor. 1:10).  But, where is the denomination that does not suppose that it has Christ?  It is often true that many people seek the Lord in the religion of “their relatives and acquaintances.”  The Bible teaches that we must do God’s will in order to be saved (Matt. 7:21).  But, where is the partial practitioner thereof who does not suppose that he has Christ?  The Bible teaches that we must grow spiritually (2 Pet. 3:18).  But, where is the Christian who scarcely tries who does not suppose that he has Christ?
    Let us not suppose, but let us seek knowledge of our spiritual state!  It would be well for all religious people to ask, “Did Christ ever hear of the company with which I am journeying?”  Is he in it?  Is it mentioned in the Bible? Is it possible for us to be traveling away from Jerusalem while supposing that Jesus is in our company?
    Are there any that are seeking Jesus today?  They are indeed seeking the right one (Jn. 14:6).  In order to find him they will have to sever all human ties and return to Jeru-salem and they will find him in the church for which he died (Acts 20:28).