Luke 2:41-52

THE PARENTS’ LESSON

(MOREOVER, OUR’S)

This recorded account and Passover is an integral part of the Christmas Story. The Gospels of Mathew and Luke blend this traditional Hebrew celebration into a montage of events that testify to Jesus’ manhood and reflect a critical part of God’s plan for us. All of the events surrounding the beginning of Jesus’ temporal life have significance in telling us about His mission and His role in God’s Plan. There are seven credible testimonies in the gospels, which gives us the message that Jesus was fully a man. This reality is most often attacked by those who are trying to confuse us about God’s plan. (1) The angel testifies as He is conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit. (2) Elizabeth testifies about His birth regarding how God is coordinating the arrival of God’s new Elijah, John, and (3) Jesus was born in a natural birth process. (4) He was circumcised according to the custom, (5) He was praised by the priest Zechariah, (6) He was acknowledged as the Messiah by Simeon, and (7) He was examined by the Rabbis in His 12^th year of age. Each of these events illustrates His human reality. According to Jewish tradition, two independent witnesses are required to establish a fact. Here we have seven witnesses. This fact is critical in making His sacrifice meaningful. If He was not a man then His resurrection is meaningless [1 Corinthians 15:14].

⁴¹Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.

Passover was a day of great significance to all Hebrews. This celebration started on the tenth day (the taking of a lamb) of the first month (“the day of first fruits) [Exodus 12: 1-3, Numbers 28:26] commemorating God’s saving action in freeing the children of Israel from their slavery in Egypt. To the Christian the day following the Passover Sabbath is a celebrated as a remembrance of Jesus’ resurrection, and thereby setting His children free from the slavery of sin. The similarities between these two events are striking --- freedom from slavery and the coming of God’s power to solve the sin problem once and forever. The gift of freedom is followed by the promise for the future.

God vividly illustrated to the people of Egypt that He was Sovereign over all. There were nine plagues in this demonstration representing various characteristics of His creation, from insects to storms. The final display was to prove beyond any question that God controls life and death [Exodus 7-12]. Life is given to those He chooses and death for those He selects. The Lord directed the children of Israel that God’s demonstration of mercy be celebrated as the Passover because His action would give them freedom from the slavery. The children of Israel were released by the Pharaoh immediately following this last plague [Exodus 12:31-36].

Then always following the Passover was the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Exodus 12:17], which represented the packing and traveling process on leaving the country. In the third month after leaving Egypt they came to Mount Sinai where God met them with fire, smoke, thunder, and lightning [Exodus 19:16-19]. This awesome display of power introduced the people to whom God was, and through Moses, they were given some clues about what He was planning for them. This historic day was then later celebrated as “Pentecost,” meaning fifty, because it occurred seven weeks and one day after they left Egypt.

This Passover recorded in the Gospel of Luke was a very special celebration because it was Jesus’ first Passover as a man, and it happens to be the only year we have any record of Jesus visiting Jerusalem until after He started His ministry [John 2:12, 13]. As was the custom, all males 12 years or older were required to travel to Jerusalem, according to Jewish tradition, to attend at least three annual festivals. The Feast of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles or Booths were required. Hashanah or the Trumpets, Yom Kipper or the day of Atonement, and Hanukkah or The Dedication of the Lights were optional. A devout Jew could conceivable attend some feast or another during 10 months in a year. It was preferred to live in close proximity to Jerusalem and by necessity have a goodly income to be able to afford all these celebrating.

The festivals Passover and Pentecost and normal travel time could easily consume at least three months, not including extensive travel, some came from as far away as Spain. Very often, the women and children did not make this trip. This verse states “parents,” but the Greek is not explicitly implying that both of His parents did this every year. The father and men of the family, such as brothers and uncles, could be termed as parents. There is no reason to assume Jesus and His mother went every year. When a boy turns 12, however, he is required to attend all these festival as a part of his religious education. Jewish boys were home schooled in the Scriptures and taught some trade, and by the time they reached 12-years-old they were expected to demonstrate their knowledge of the Torah under the questioning of a Rabbi. This particular story is told and recorded for a reason; let’s try to discover some possible reasons.

⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.

This Feast was held on the 14^th day of Nisan, the 1^st Month of the Sacred Year, which was followed by the Feast of the Unleavened Bread and lasted through the 21^st day of Nisan. On our calendar this would put it in the March or April time frame, and this Feast was based upon the directions God gave to the people of Israel as a commemoration of His freeing them from slavery [Exodus 12:43-13:10]. This was considered by the Jews the highest and most holy time in their history.

These seven days were followed by the observance of Pentecost, fifty days later, as a commemoration of the coming of God to Mount Sinai [Exodus 19:1-6]. Notice the order of the feasts, first, the gift of freedom, and then the coming of God’s power. The order is significant, and it should not be thought of as occurring the other way around. All existentialist should take this seriously. God acted and the people react. We need always to make this important distinction.

Jesus’ family trip is dated by most historical scholars as occurring in or about 5 to 7 AD. King Archelaus (4BC to 6AD), Herod’s son, was removed from his office by Caesar Augustus in 6AD and then the area of Judea was placed under a Roman governor, named Coponius who governed over a period of violent armed resistance from the Jews reacting to Roman taxation (6 to 10 AD). He was one of Pontius Pilate (26-36 AD) predecessors. This recorded story and trip apparently occurred during a narrow widow of time of about two years of relative peace, at the end of Archelaus’ rule and beginning of the Jewish revolt, in 7 AD [Acts 5:37]. The lack of Judean information, historical or scriptural, subsequent to this revolt and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry is remarkable. This information gap tends to tell us that nothing of Biblical significance took place during this period, between 7 and 29 AD, which is between this Passover visit and the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry [Luke 3:1-3]. Some try to fill this gap in time with invented stories, but we should always remember the Bible tells us what we need to know and not what is unimportant. The gaps are an important indication we should be spending our time on what is said and not on what is not.

Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, introduces Him to us as “The Lamb of God,” who takes away the sin of the world [John 1:29]. This metaphorical reference to the Passover is obvious. A living breathing innocent lamb must be sacrificed so the angels of death will Passover those who are protected by the lamb’s blood; God has determined this is the way to solve the sin problem.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” [John 11:25, 26]

⁴³After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.

This is reminiscent of the movie “Home Alone.” First, we need to appreciate this trip was similar to a convoy made up of many families traveling together. The alternate routes were limited and the sharing of resources (carts and animals) and the grouping together was a necessity because of economic and security concerns. Robbers would target solitary travelers but large groups would naturally be considered as too risky.

The reason they were unaware that Jesus was not in the convoy is difficult to fathom. One reason could have been related to the fact that Jesus was such a perfect boy --- they never had to be concerned about what He was doing. Another reason, maybe this unawareness was an induced blindness to set the stage for the lesson The Spirit continues to iterate. It becomes an example of our human frailties; we worry because we do not truly believe God is Sovereign. Alternatively, if He had not gone missing, this story losses a lot of its drama, significance, and our empathy. Whatever the reason here, God’s lessons usually have multiple levels of messages. Are we listening to His Spirit? Are we reacting as we should or are we trying to claim we are in control? The scriptures tell us that our anxiety is an indication we may not be trusting God or we do not believe He is in control [John 14:1, 1 Peter 5:7].

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [Philippians 4:4-7].

Their Lesson and Ours --- In Anxiety Management

⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.

The organizing and the logistics required for a large group to travel together is not a trivial task. Then being on the road for a day they finally realize He was not with them. Our life too can become complex. It would have been normal to start panicking about now; apparently, this is what they did.

We are not told how many people were included in their company called “family and friends,” but it is known that traditionally whole villages would travel together, which could easily be counted in the hundreds. One 12-year-old boy could have been misplaced among hundreds, if he was so inclined. We can find good excuses, but fixing the cause of our anxiety is our problem.

We have available numerous recommendations on how to manage our anxiety. Likewise, the Bible is rich in wisdom on this subject.

Counselors will tell you about anxiety, which can be compared to what The Bible Says:

COUNSELORS WILL SAY:	THE BIBLE SAYS:	REFERENCE
Use humor.	Rejoice	Phil 4:4
Use experiences to cope	Think on these things	Phil 4:8
Maintain an optimistic/hopeful outlook	All things are being worked	Romans 8:28
Understand and accept change	Don’t worry	Matt 6:28-34
Establish goals and work toward them	Do everything “Unto the Lord”	Romans 14:6
Engage in self-examination	Examine yourselves	2 Corinthians 13:5
Maintain your sense of self-esteem	Grace to the humble	James 4:6

Notice the two approaches selected here are very similar in technique and content. The Biblical approach was written long before anyone ever heard of psychological counselors.

⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

On a typical travel day, maybe 10 to 12 hours of travel time, they may have covered as much as a third of their journey. The return to Jerusalem took another day. It is not clear what the “after three days” means; this could be a harbinger of other three days of separations (Jonah’s, Lazarus’, and Jesus’ entombments). The Hebrews do count days differently than we do. In the Greek, “after” can mean “among.” Any time during the first and the last day is one day each, therefore, this time could be stated as among three days (discovering Him missing, the travel, and the finding). When they discovered Him missing, it seems they began to panic.

Then after much agony they found Him in the temple courts; after all, this is certainly a logical place for Him to be. Notice, He is not teaching; He is listening and asking questions as one who is learning. This implies He is learning because He is at this point not omniscient. This is an important factual recording because it is telling us that Jesus was required to develop in His knowledge as He did in His physical body [Luke 2:52]. He was keeping the teachers busy and involved, in that they were sitting around Him; He was the center of their attention. We are not told how long this Q& A was going on, but it could have been days and even weeks.

⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

There were both questions and answers were coming from this 12-year-old boy, indicating an exchange of information. Jumping to the conclusion that God’s son would naturally be born having all the answers intuitively is not supported by these verses. He amazed them but He did not frighten them away with any supernatural insights or mystical mind games.

He undoubtedly drew upon His knowledge of the Torah, which was their expertise. Evidently, He was not seen as a threat to their authority, at this time.

He appeared as a very bright and an unusually wise young man. They were fascinated with the depth of His understanding and the advance level of His maturity. This passage is conveying to us an important clue about how God works in our lives, just as He worked in the life of His Son. The presence of God’s Spirit gives enlightenment beyond knowledge and this is used for the edification of others. The principle highlighted here is that this life is for growing up inside of God’s will; this concept is foreign to our world’s wisdom.

The biggest difference between Jesus and us is we have the influence of the sinful nature continually tempting us to follow our desire to be in control. Jesus was born without this controlling influence because He was completely controlled by God’s Spirit. His growth and understanding, therefore, would be completely uninhibited and allowed to develop quickly.

Jesus had a human nature, with the propensities to be independent from God, but God’s Spirit did not, and could not, allow this nature any degree of control. This nature was later tested to demonstrate both the existence of the nature and The Spirit’s control over that nature [Matthew 4:1-10]. Yet, this nature did give Him lots of pain until the last hours of His life on this earth [Luke 4:1-13, 22:42, Matthew 27:46].

⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."

Did Mary forget about the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy and this child’s birth? We can excuse her of being a typical mother wrought with worry and fear about the safety of her son, but given her experiences, her question here is not consistent with a strong faith, which should be free from fear [Romans 8:15, 1 John 4:18]. It seems her sinful nature is overtaking her logic, her memory, and her training. This can happen to anyone --- this is her and our lesson. This time of anguish here may account for her mature reactions during subsequent experiences recorded where she reflects strong faith in the mist of subsequent turmoil, with such peace and calmness [Luke 1:46, John 2:5, 19:26, and Acts 1:14].

We can identify with Joseph and Mary easily in this situation. We worry about almost everything. We invent things to worry about even when there is no reason. Missing a child is something very serious and worry seems appropriate. It was a very hostile world even in their time. However, we need to remind ourselves of Paul’s exhortation that there is no reason to be anxious about anything [Philippians 4:6]. This is so much easier said than done. We cannot see into the future, all of the possibilities haunt us, and we naturally dread what might happen.

This process of fearing and then being relieved of our fear builds our faith. After a time, we begin to see that all things are being worked for our good, if we are called according to God’s purpose [Romans 8:28]. Since we cannot see into the future, we have no choice but to trust God with our future. Believing He is in control of our future helps when we worry.

Not Understanding --- Part of Growing Up

⁴⁹"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

He is still a boy, but He is addressing them as if He is their God. Of course, that is exactly who He is. His role in the temple is different from His role in the carpenter’s shop. His ministry time has not yet come, but this time is the beginning of His manhood. All of them, Rabbis and parents, needed to begin to understand how God was working in His life and in their own lives. Experiences and current knowledge is never enough to understand God’s ways.

We are like sheep constantly needing The Spirit’s interpretation and guidance of even the obvious, in order to find our spiritual food. In our cupreous thoughts, we rely on our feelings to answer our questions. This dangerous practice causes us to fall for the existential consensus theories.

After all, the quintessential question, in this life, “Who is Jesus?” As His mother and His stepfather, they needed first to answer this question. It seems appropriate that these two people, Joseph and Mary, are given the honor to grapple with this incomprehensible question before anyone else. The answer to this question was hidden from everyone who came before them. The answer, however, is now a gift coming from God’s Spirit accompanied with the power of giving eternal life. The answer cannot be understood, verified, or described by any terms found in religion or philosophy. The answer comes only by grace through the nebulous concept called faith [Ephesians 2:4-9], which we are told is one of God’s works [John 16:13]. God teaches us the answer!

We, however, rarely wait “three” figurative days for an answer. We make up our own answer because we get tried of waiting. Our invented answer is typically some mystical representation of or about Jesus. We love symbolisms, artifacts, and objects to help us with our search for a personal sight of Jesus. We want to see Jesus in something or some one. Our traditions help us in this quest by supplying us with ideas, pictures, and musical inspiration. These searches for Jesus are a part of the process. The problem with our searches is we are looking in the wrong places. He is always in His Fathers Temple.

The Bible tells us we are His Temple [1 Corinthians 3:16] and He is dwelling in us. This is something we do not have to understand and it takes a lot of looking even to believe it.

⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

The lesson has ended, on one level, and Jesus assumed the role of an obedient son again. We can be sure things were never the same again; we can assume this lesson changed His mother and father in the way they saw Jesus and their understanding of God’s mission for Him. This was their secret, just like the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy and birth. One more lesson in the progressive advancement of God’s plan. Those who are without the enlightenment of God’s Spirit are still, to this day, unaware of the answer to the question about the “who” this Jesus is! We can find Him by listening to The Spirit as He tells us about Jesus through God’s word. The symbols become less important in the light of God’s marvelous word.

⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

“Jesus grew” in the Greek, prokopto (prok-op’-to) is rendered as going forward, lengthen by hammering, or beat forward. This has a different connotation than just a child growing up. It implies the sanctification process of growing into a conformance with God’s purpose and plan [Romans 8:29].

We have no records documenting the time and the events occurring between the parent’s lesson in the Temple and the time Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan some twenty-five years later (30 AD). We are told ---

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—  even death on a ross!
⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:15]

The stories we hear and disinformation surrounding Jesus’ birth are numerous, and are well embedded into our religious education. Most of these stories do not give God the glory for His meticulous and wonderful plan of salvation initiated in order to create His eternal family. Keeping close to God’s word and the leading of His Spirit should be our focus. Along this course, we will discard the foolishness invented by those who wish to discredit God, and always The Spirit will lead us to embrace the stories taught in God’s Holy Word.