Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at first, ... Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. ... His parents didn't know what to think. "Son," his mother said to him, "why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere." "But why did you need to search?" he asked. "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" Luke 2:41-43, 46, 48-49
Surely
your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I
will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6
Meditate.
Where will you live forever?
 |
| Jerusalem in modern times. Would Jesus recognize it? There is no Temple. He has a better place to live now... ...someday we will be in our Father's House, too! |
Jerusalem
and the Temple are magnificent! I love to be in this place—the place on earth
where God dwells. It is filled with His glory. Glory be to God as people gather
to worship and make sacrifices to Him. Everyone who came to Jerusalem for Passover
came to the Temple with their sacrificial lamb and tried to be there at the
three o’clock time. That was when the lambs were to be slaughtered for the
sacrifice. There were hundreds of priests on duty to perform the procedure
quickly and according to the protocol. It was important for it to be done just
right.
Seated
in the Court of Prayer, the Rabbis taught, discussed, and debated about just
how the sacrifices were done, according to the Book of Leviticus in the Torah.
I had memorized that in my Hebrew classes, so I knew what it said, and now I
was able to be right here in the Temple and watch the sacrifices. All the
blood. Oh, it was indeed stomach-wrenching, but necessary to wash away the sins
of the people. So much sin. So many sacrifices. Year after year, people have
been relying on the blood of animals to make themselves right with God.
Our
Heavenly Father God had a plan for one man to take away the sins of all the
people. The Rabbis talked about that from the Book of Genesis. The debate was
intense between some of the Rabbis. How could one man take on everyone’s sins? Once
sinless, everyone would be able to live forever with our Heavenly Father God,
in Heaven? It is declared in the Book of Psalms, in a very comforting verse
that David wrote… Surely your goodness and unfailing love will
pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD
forever. Yes. That verse was deliberated, also. Living in the house of God…forever.
As the Rabbis taught and debated from numerous scripture passages, we won’t be
living here in Jerusalem, but in a wonderful place above the earth where God
Himself lives now. That is what I ultimately want to do forever…and want for
all my family, friends, and everyone. Where is my family? Will they find me in
my Father’s House?
Prayer
– Lord Jesus, just as You are living in Heaven now, I want to live there for
eternity, too. Thank you for Your sacrifice and promise to allow that to
happen.
Verse
of Salvation ~ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name
under heaven by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12
© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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