"About My Father's Business: You Can Learn a Lot from the Boy"
Study Guide

The Story of the Boy—"About my Father's business"

• Luke 2:41-50
  
• Luke 2:49—the only recorded words of the boy Jesus in all the gospels:
  
  • The Greek literally reads: "Did you not know that I must be in the __________ of my Father?"
    
  • The article "the" before the blank is for a plural noun (masc or neut).
    
  • Which is why "[business] affairs" or "[business] interests" (NLT and NRSV footnotes) fits best.
    
  • KJV works the best: "‘Did you not know that I must be about My Father's _____________ [affairs/interests]?'"
    
  • "‘You should have known that I must be where my Father's ________ is.'" New Century Version

The Story of a School—"About our Father's business"

• And what is our Father's business around here?
  
• Is _____________ _____________ —overnight this summer the business of the press and politicians—our Father's business?
  
• How do we know they are our Father's business and our business today?
  
  • Because of the first public words the boy Jesus speaks when he grows up.
    
  • Luke 4:18, 19
    
  • "To preach good news to the poor and freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind and release for the oppressed—to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
    
• If ever there were a new year for us to get down to business being about our Father's business, this would surely be the year!
  
• The first annual Ministry Fair 2003 @ Pioneer next Friday evening (7:30) and Sabbath morning (9:30-12:30)!
  
• "With such an army of workers as our [young], rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Savior might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end come—the end of suffering and sorrow and sin!" Education 271
  
• You are God's Plan A for wrapping up His business on earth!

Answers: business, work, Benton Harbor.