41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Luke skips ahead to when Jesus was twelve years old. His parents still show obedience to the law. The law required that every Jewish male make the trip to Jerusalem for the feasts of Passover, Tabernacles, and Pentecost (Deut 16:1-17). They would have stayed about a week because Passover was a week-long celebration. After the feast, Mary and Joseph headed home with a group of friends and family and assumed Jesus was with them only to discover Him missing one day into the journey. Because they couldn’t find Him, they headed back to Jerusalem. After a day of searching, they found Him in the temple (“After three days…” would be one day travelling away from Jerusalem plus one day travelling back to Jerusalem and another day to search for Jesus). They found Jesus sitting with the teachers listening and asking questions and engaging with them about the Scriptures. Everyone who heard Him was amazed because of His understanding of God’s word. Mary rebuked Jesus because of her own distress at having to look for Him. Jesus had not intentionally mistreated them but it was a case of misunderstanding. It seems that Jesus had grown up a rather ordinary boy and perhaps Mary and Joseph had forgotten His divine mission. He certainly had not. He knew that He was meant to be in His Father’s house. Still, they didn’t fully understand what He was explaining to them. In case there is any doubt about Jesus’ sinlessness after this interaction, Luke points out that Jesus headed back to Nazareth with his parents and was obedient to them. Even though Mary didn’t fully understand what her twelve-year-old had told yer, she treasured these things in her heart. Jesus continued to grow physically and emotionally and found favour with God and man. Jesus was able to develop a full and rounded character without any participation in sin (Heb 4:14-16).
If you are young, what are the “normal” expectations your parents put on you? If you are a parent, what is it you expect of your children? Is it a normal expectation that you will grow spiritually and spend time in God’s word and at church? Or is it a foreign idea that you would spend much time in spiritual matters? Do you think the normal expectations you have of natural development are swayed by Scripture, or by the world? What needs to change?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Hannah and Samuel: 1 Samuel 1-2