Daily Devotional

When I tell people that I work with junior highers, I usually get a quizzical look. Even for people who like spending time around children, that wonderfully awkward age of 12–14 is rarely their first choice. This is, I think, in part because a majority of people had a junior high experience that was... less than positive. And who can blame them? The flaming cocktail of acne, braces, voice cracks, growth spurts, hormones firing on all cylinders, and a massive dose of social awkwardness is brutal. Throw in some rambunctious energy, Gen Alpha slang, and waaaay too much toilet humor, and it’s no wonder many shy away from these mischief-makers. So why would I or anyone else willingly choose to spend time with this age group?

Obviously, every age needs biblical teaching and pastoral care, but junior high is far and away my favorite age to work with. Junior highers are at a pivotal point in their emotional and spiritual development. I think of them as the happy medium between the energy and innocence of young children and the social-intellectual development of high schoolers. They have an enthusiasm and zeal for life without the cynicism and melodrama of the later teen years. Spiritually, junior highers get to move from learning Bible stories to answering fundamental questions about faith, discipleship, and their own relationship with the Lord (What does it look like to follow Jesus? Is Christianity just for my parents or for me, too?). As junior highers formulate their concepts of identity, of priorities, of life purpose, a positive influence for Christ in these formative years has the potential for lifelong impact. I’ve often joked that given an army of junior highers, I could take over the world.

I think we can forget that Jesus was once a junior higher, too. In fact, the only story we have about Jesus between His infancy and His public ministry is as a junior higher, in Luke 2:41–52. It’s a familiar story for many of us: on their yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph lose the twelve-year-old Jesus for three days, eventually finding Him in the temple, astonishing the priests with His questions and answers. On the one hand, Jesus in this story acts like a typical junior higher. I suppose He had the same playful sociability of the junior highers I know – why else would Mary and Joseph assume the missing Messiah was with friends or family? Jesus also experiences the same growing pains – an adult Jesus, for example, would probably have let His parents know that He was going to the Temple instead of leaving them in the dark. I think there’s even a twinge of that sharp tongue that characterizes junior highers in His response to His parents (Luke 2:49).

But on the other hand, this pericope shows Jesus embodying the traits I hope to see in my junior high students. He is respectful toward His parents, even when they fail to grasp His identity and mission (Luke 2:50–51). He shows a love of learning, choosing to spend His “free time” listening to the temple teachers (Luke 2:46). Most importantly, though, He seeks to grow in His connection with the Father, rather than wasting His formative years goofing around (Luke 2:49). My prayer for all junior highers is that as they grow in stature in these years, they would also grow in wisdom and in love for God and others, just like Jesus (Luke 2:52).

If there are any junior highers in your life, maybe send them some extra encouragement this week. It's a hard age, but a critically important one. And maybe cut them some slack for their energy and antics; remember that Jesus was once a junior higher, too.

"English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers."