Yesterday we saw Moses learn a painful truth: He was not real­ly an Egyptian, and his identity as a Hebrew was ruined. He had become, as he put it, "a foreigner" (Exodus 2:22). That identity would clear the way for him to see his true identity in God. That would be important when God eventually sent Moses back to Egypt to lead his people out of slavery.

In today's text we see that Jesus learned his identity early. When his worried and possibly angry mother asked why he had gone to the temple without telling his parents, Jesus responded, "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" That response is revealing!

You see, a Jew did not speak of God as "my Father." Individual Jews always spoke of God as "our Father." Jesus' departure from that custom revealed that he saw himself uniquely as God's Son. And knowing that he was God's Son likely led him to understand, even at a young age, that his Father had sent him on a mission—to rescue his people.

At 12 years old, a year before he would officially become a Jewish adult, Jesus had already learned things that take most of us decades to figure out: his true identity and his purpose. Let's adore him together today for resolutely and lovingly ­accepting both.