Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Feast of the
Passover. When He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem as was their
custom for the Feast. When it was over the parents headed home, while
unbeknownst to them, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Thinking Jesus was with
them they traveled for a day, but then began looking for Him among their
relatives and friends. When they could not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem
and looked for Him. After three days, they found Him in the temple, sitting with
the rabbis, listening to them and asking questions. All those who heard Him were
astonished at His understanding and answers. When His parents saw Him, they were
astounded! His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your
father and I have been so upset looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Why were you
looking for Me? Don’t you know that I must be about My Father’s [sic] business?”
But they did not understand what He was saying to them. Then He went to Nazareth
with them and obeyed them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
And Jesus grew in wisdom, winning favor with God and people.
(Luke 2:41-52)
Luke continues to emphasize that Jesus’ family participated in the religious and cultural practices of Judaism, one of which was to celebrate Passover each year in Jerusalem. At puberty, a boy became a son of the covenant, comparable to today’s bar-mitzvah ceremony. Parents were encouraged to bring their sons one or two years earlier to get them used to the rituals of the Temple.
People tended to make pilgrimages in groups for reasons of safety. The adults would have traveled in groups separated by gender. Children generally traveled with their mothers, except that older boys could choose to travel with the men. Mary and Joseph each would have assumed that Jesus was traveling with the other parent. It wasn’t until the families got back together in the evening that Jesus’ absence was discovered.
Would it have taken three whole days back in Jerusalem to find Jesus? Unless they had friends or relatives who lived in Jerusalem, it would seem that the first place they would have looked would have been the Temple, since that is where they had spent the Passover. Some scholars believe the three days took into consideration the first day of travel, at the end of which Mary and Joseph discover Jesus was missing, then a second day to travel back to Jerusalem, where he would have been found at the Temple on the third day.
During the Passover season, the priests and rabbis made it a practice to be available to the public to provide religious instruction and guidance. They would sit in the outer courts and hold discussions among themselves, and answer questions put to them by the public audience. This is where Jesus would have been found, not only asking questions, but perhaps offering His own interpretation of scripture passages, in answer to the questions the priests and rabbis put to him. Remember that he had been sitting at the Temple for three days, listening and asking questions. Word of this intelligent boy would quickly have spread throughout the Temple, where soon the rabbis began questioning Him. Obviously, everyone was impressed with his understanding of the scripture. Everyone, that is, except Mary and Joseph.
In just the same manner as a modern mother would feel and behave, Mary is exasperated that her budding teenager has caused her so much worry. “Why did you do this to us? Your father and I have been so upset looking for you!” From Mary’s scolding question to Jesus, we can assume that the ensuing years after their return from Egypt must have been normal for a first-century family. Memories of angelic beings, prophetic dreams, a virgin birth, visits from shepherds and Magi, must have seemed as though they belonged to an almost forgotten past. Indeed, when Jesus replies, “Why were you looking for Me? Don’t you know that I must be about My Father’s business?” they did not understand what He was saying to them. Some translations use the sentence, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
This episode marks the first time recorded in canonical scripture where Jesus indicates self-awareness. (Some of the apocryphal gospels contain stories of the child Jesus exhibiting extraordinary powers). In contrast to Mary’s “Your father and I…,” Jesus’ reply of “…being about My Father’s business…” implies that Jesus recognizes His unique relationship with God. In saying, “My Father,” Jesus was also saying, I am God’s Son.
Luke’s statement that Mary and Joseph did not understand Jesus’ response can also indicate that though they might have remembered the miraculous events surrounding Jesus’ conception and birth, they didn’t grasp the full significance of who Jesus really is.
Though Jesus has become aware of His divinity, Luke is quick to point out that this knowledge did not further interfere with his relationship to Mary and Joseph. He returned to Nazareth with them in obedience, where He grew up, “in wisdom,” well-liked by those who came into contact with Him.
Just as Luke had reported when the shepherds came to visit twelve years earlier when Jesus was born (2:19), he again tells us that Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.”
This episode is the last recorded time in the gospels where Joseph is mentioned. Scholars generally believe that Joseph died before Jesus began His ministry.
This episode is also the last recorded in the canonical gospels of Jesus’ life before He began His ministry as an adult. There are extrabiblical writings that indicate that Jesus might have traveled into Asia during those “lost years,” but those are beyond the scope of this study.
This ends today’s study.
Points to Ponder