Category: New Testament
Scriptures:
Luke 2:41-2:52
Luke 2:41-2:52
41 His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.
42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast,
43 and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and his mother didn’t know it,
44 but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey, and they looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 When they didn’t find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions.
47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I were anxiously looking for you.”
49 He said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
50 They didn’t understand the saying which he spoke to them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth. He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Commentary
At the age of 12, Jesus is still considered a “child” since. His full embrace of the ancestral traditions would happen when he turned 13. Thus, Jesus in the Temple serves as a bridge between the infancy narrative and Jesus’ upcoming ministry, which will start with his (second) encounter with John the Baptizer, this time at the Jordan River.
That Jesus stayed behind to engage with the teachers of the Temple at the age of 12 demonstrates that he had reached an ability that is not measured by chronological years. Note that the text states that Jesus was listening and asking—it does not state that he was debating or correcting. It is also unclear if Jesus was just learning or if he is also teaching, but he does give answers. We should be careful not to set Jesus and the teachers against one another; rather, Jesus is engaging in practices that would have been expected, although for someone at least a year older. Those who heard Jesus were “amazed,” which does not need to be read in a negative way.
Jesus’ dwelling in the Temple harkens back to the Annunciation, where Gabriel announces the upcoming birth to Mary. Mary is told that Jesus will be called “Son of God” (Luke 1:35), and now Jesus tells Mary that he is in his “Father’s house” or is about his “Father’s interests.”