God's Business the Only Work for Man
Stopford A. Brooke, M. A. Luke 2:49 And he said to them, How is it that you sought me? knew you not that I must be about my Father's business? Here is the true thought for us, not only that all true work which we do is God's work, but that work which is not of God is net work, does not properly exist in the universe at all. "There is no work but Thine." When we first take up our place and labour, we mistake the meaning of our life. We think we are born to do our own will, and we act upon our thought. Straightway all our work becomes selfish: we toil and struggle for ourselves, we are an end unto ourselves; and the result is that we find our work becoming mean; our view of life contemptuous; ourselves ignoble. But when the root idea of life is changed, when we know that we are here to do God's will, and that His will is love to us and all, the impulse and end of our work are altered. We accept the duties laid upon us, and are not anxious to make them into advantages to self. We think, "God has placed me here and told me to do this. He is right, and knowledge and good must flow to all if I am faithful. I am His instrument; through me He is making a phase of Himself known to man; through me He is doing a portion of His mighty labour." The thought transfigures our view of the universe; immediately work becomes unselfish and sanctified, life is ennobled, the commonest drudgery is rendered beautiful, suffering is gladly borne. Men call us aside to the pursuit of pleasure, to the passion of excitement, to the fame and honour we may win, to seek our own will and gain it. "Hush," we say, "we live now in deeper joy than you can know, we have loftier excitements. Fame, honour, they are in His hand and not in ours. My own will! I have my will when I do His will." How magnificent a thing might life become could we but turn away from all temptations to do our own will, and say to the tempters, were they even father or mother — say in the strength of Christ — "I cannot; wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Stopford A. Brooke, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? WEB: He said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?"