Written ~ 03-04-2024
Read Luke Chapter Two
Luke 2
In Luke Chapter One we concentrated our study on the miraculous birth of John the Baptist, chapter two is the story of Christ’s birth, if you would like to read further studies about chapter two, they were posted at Christmas time 2023. Their references are Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-15, Luke 2:16-20 and Luke 2:21-32.
Today we are going to look at Luke 2:41-52,
41 “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss Him at first, 44 because they assumed He was among the other travelers. But when He didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for Him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they couldn’t find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for Him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered Him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
49 “But why did you need to search?” He asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in My Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t understand what He meant.
51 Then He returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And His mother stored all these things in her heart.
52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”
In our verses for today, Jesus is twelve years old, he’s becoming a young man and beginning to exercise the wisdom and knowledge He has been given by His Father in Heaven.
During the Passover Festival, Jerusalem would be flooded with people from all over, they came to offer their sacrifices at the Temple and have a Passover meal together. Large family groups would make the pilgrimage each year. It was a time of celebration. During the 8 day period, three Holy Feast Days would be observed, Passover, Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits. This entire eight day period would be known as the Passover Feast or the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
(If you are curious about these Holy Days you can find them in the Old Covenant prescribed by the Law given to Moses by the Almighty God, they are found in Exodus chapter 12, Leviticus chapter 23 and Numbers chapter 28.)
Jerusalem would be crowded, the hustle and bustle would have been a little chaotic. So, when the Festival was coming to an end, each family group would gather their belongings and begin their journeys home. That why it’s very possible that what happened in verses 2:43-44 could easily have happened… Mary could’ve thought Jesus was with Joseph, the men and the other young men, Joseph could’ve thought he was with Mary and the other women and the younger children.
43 “After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss Him at first, 44 because they assumed He was among the other travelers. But when He didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for Him among their relatives and friends.”
Now, I don’t mean to poke fun, but if you have seen the movie “Home Alone,” this would be the moment in the movie where the mom sits straight up in the seat of the airplane and cried out “Kevin!”
As the search began, Mary and Joseph quickly realized that Jesus, in fact, was not with them. Like any parent who loses a child, panic must have struck their hearts, I’m sure their search became much more frantic. They probably asked every person they came across if they had seen Jesus. It doesn’t say in our passage how far out of town they reached before they had their “Jesus is missing!” moment, but verse 2:44 says it was in the evening. Verse 2:45 says, 45 “When they couldn’t find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for Him there.” Can you imagine Mary and Joseph running all the way back to Jerusalem with the type of adrenaline any worried parent would have? They would have searched the campground, the marketplace, they would have turned over every inch of where they had been that past week. Now look what it says in the first part of verse 2:46, “Three days later…” it took them a full three days to find Jesus until, “…they finally found Him in the Temple…”
I’m sure after three days their worry would have overcome them, so the relief they must have felt would have been considerable. But I think mixed in with that relief was a little bit of confusion when they found Jesus in the Temple, look at what the rest of verse 2:46 and what verse 2:47 says, 46b “…sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers….”
Verse 2:48a says it all… in their worry and in their searching, it seems this is the last place they thought their twelve year old boy would be… “His parents did not know what to think…” When they entered the Temple, how long do you think they stood there with shock written all over their faces as they saw their son sitting there among the religious leaders answering their questions with such understanding. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says this about verses 2:46-47, “The questions Jesus put to the teachers were probably not merely boyish inquiries but the kind of probing questions used in ancient academies and similar discussions. He also gave answers, some of which amazed the teachers.” Also one thing to note, is that this passage, verses Luke 2:41-52, is the only Biblical account of Jesus’ boyhood.
Ok, let’s continue on with verses 2:48-50,
48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
49 “But why did you need to search?” He asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in My Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t understand what He meant.
That one statement from Jesus must have blown their minds a little bit, “Didn’t you know that I must be in My Father’s house?” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary said, “This is the first recorded instance of Jesus’ awareness that in a unique way He was the Son of God.” To Mary and Joseph, Jesus was their son, the little boy they nurtured and watched grow into a fine young man. So I can understand their confusion when Jesus questioned them as to why they searched for him, to him it was obvious, he needed to be in His Father’s house.
The rest of this chapter shows them back in Nazareth, pretty much life as usual, but Mary had a lot on her mind, it doesn’t say in our passage for today… but I wonder if Mary looked at her son a little differently. Maybe everything the angel Gabriel had told her about who her child would be flooded back into her memory. Let’s look back at Luke 1:31-33,
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. 33 And He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end!”
Luke 2:51b, “…And His mother stored all these things in her heart…”
This is Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! The Savior of the world!
~AMEN~