Al Brown
Jesus was lost! They had supposed He was with some of their relatives, but after much intense searching throughout the entire company of travelers, no trace of Him could be found! Thoroughly alarmed, they retraced their steps to Jerusalem. and searched the city. We can imagine their relief when they finally located Him in the temple.
Jesus was not lost because Mary did not love Him; but because, at least on this occasion, she was negligent. She relied on supposition (Luke 2:44). All parents know that what she did was a “no-no” which can, and often does, end with disastrous consequences.
There is a lesson in this event that every person, not just parents, needs to learn: relying on supposition can be very dangerous when something really valuable is at stake. Of course, most people realize this and refuse to take such chances. The business world always relies on written contracts and documents in which the limits of liability and performance are spelled out in detail and not left to supposition. The various fields of science also insist on documentation rather than mere supposition, as does every other area of human activity.
Yet, when it comes to the most valuable thing a person has―his immortal soul―he nearly always relies on supposition. To make matters worse, based on every reliable bit of evidence we have available to us by which we can make a judgment, his supposition is wrong more often than not. Why do people show such sound wisdom in things having to do with this world, and, at the same time, be so utterly foolish in things which are infinitely more important?
It is not as though God has left man without any guidelines, so that he is forced to rely on supposition. The very opposite is true. This is why God revealed His word to us. It tells us what pleases and displeases our Maker, and what He wants and does not want us to do (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16ff).
Yet, people still suppose it is all right to do something else, and often the very opposite of what God tells us to do. For instance, God clearly tells us that homosexuals who continue to practice this sin “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9ff), but many who claim to be believers in Christ suppose God will still accept them although they adamantly refuse to do His will.
Christ declared that just professing to believe in Him is not enough; people must obey God’s will: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mat. 7:21; cf. also Luke 6:46). However, most religious people suppose it is all right to ignore any part of God’s revealed will they do not want to obey. They not only ignore God’s will; in their arrogant pride, they twist, pervert, and replace that precious word with the worthless opinions of men (Mat. 15:6-9).
These are but two examples of how people not only rely on mere supposition in religion, but stubbornly cling to these opinions even when they directly contradict God’s clearly revealed will. What will you do on that last great day when the Lord comes again if you are among those who base their hope of eternal life on nothing more than supposition? If Jesus was telling the truth, you will find that all your efforts were in vain (Mat. 7:22ff). The risks are just too great to rely on supposition when our eternal destiny hangs in the balance.
