Turning twelve in Mary Baker Eddy’s Church
Twelve years old might not be an age that is broadly associated with spiritual awakening. A twelve-year-old typically has no formal educational degree and has several years to grow before being considered a legal adult. And yet, Mary Baker Eddy designated in her Church Manual the age of twelve to be when individuals could have the privilege of joining in membership with The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston (see p. 35). It occurred to me that there must be significant signs of spiritual awakening taking place at this age for her to have designated this as the right time to consider children ready to be church members.
Christ Jesus’ own experience furnishes proof of this. At twelve years of age, he extended his stay in Jerusalem without his parents’ knowledge in order to discuss Jewish Scripture and law with religious teachers in the Temple. It has always been common in Jewish tradition for boys approaching Jewish adulthood (age twelve or thirteen) to engage in theological discourse with rabbis and teachers, but in Jesus’ case, “all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luke 2:47).
When his parents found him after three days of searching, his mother admonished the young Jesus for what she perceived to be thoughtless behavior. Jesus’ reply, in part, was, “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). It was quite the mature reply to his justifiably concerned mother! But Jesus was being divinely impelled to prepare for his ministry; he was already heeding the call to the Messiahship.
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