Grow Up to be a Child Part 5 “Childlike Curiosity” Traditional Service Livestream

When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
At 12 years old Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and for three days sat with teachers, listened to them, asked questions, and grew in knowledge. Children are by nature more curious.

Like a lot of us, I took a foreign language as a student while growing up. I passed the course but to this day my ability to speak Spanish or German is abysmal at best. It’s well documented that children are far more adept at learning a new language than adults. Adults by and large, struggle to learn a new language. According to researchers it has to do with the elasticity of a child’s brain, their openness to new learning and lack of concern over making mistakes. Adults fight against years of rigid and fixed ways of learning that are counterproductive.

So, when do we start to lose the ability to learn a new language? Research says it begins when we’re about 12 years old, which happens to be the age Jesus is when he sits down in the Temple to ask questions.

For adults, learning a new language is one of the hardest things we will ever do. What if Jesus is trying to teach us a new language. A language that describes what the kingdom of heaven on earth looks like. He uses words like peace, forgiveness, love, patience, servitude, sacrifice, generosity, humility, hospitality. Given the world we live in, sadly most of it sounds like a foreign language.

Jesus is teaching us a new language. The language of heaven is reserved only for the children and only for those adults who never stop growing or asking questions, who never cease to learn more. Blessed are those who stay forever curious.