#17 Lu. 2:41-52;  JESUS IN THE TEMPLE AT TWELVE

 

Introduction:

 

     In our previous text Luke told us about the life of

Jesus from the time that He was forty days old until He was

twelve years old.  In out text today He tells us about a

special event that took place while He was twelve years old

and then moves quickly through teh teen years of Jesus into

adulthood.

 

I.  The annual trip of Joseph and Mary to Jerusalem to

    observe the Passover

 

     V. 41, "Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at

the feast of the passover."  Actually under Jewish law, both

parents were not required to go.  The mother was not required

to go.  However, every Hebrew male twelve years old and up

were required to go.  Those who could not travel because of

old age or because of sickness were, of course, excused from

going.

     There were actually three times each year that every

male twelve years old and up were required to go to

Jerusalem.  They were required to go for the Passover and

stay for the seven days of unleavened bread which followed.

They were required to go back to Jerusalem for the Day of

Pentecost, which was just fifty days from the Passover.  Then

they were to return later for the Feast of Tabernacles.

     Luke tells us that even though Mary was not required to

go, it had been her custom to go with Joseph to the Passover.

Women were permitted to go.  They were just not required to

go.  Luke says nothing about he going to the other two events

during the year, but she did go to the Passover.

     Luke does not tell us whether or not Jesus was carried

with them on those earlier trips.  Some believe that He was

carried with them annually.  However, it was not required of

Him to go until He was twelve years old and if He ever went

with them prior to the age of twelve, the Scripture says

nothing about it.  There is a strong probability that He had

always been left at home with some of the women kinfolk who

did not go and that this is His first trip back to Jerusalem

and to the temple since He was forty days old.

 

II.  When Jesus was twelve years old

 

     V. 42, "And when he was twelve years old, they went up

to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast."  That is, they

went not only for the Day of the Passover, but for all seven

days of the celebration which followed.  During this seven

day period the people ate unlevened bread.

     There is more thatn just this trip to Jerusalem that we

need o obsere.  When an Israelite boy became twelve years

old, his father began to train him to take on adult

responsibilities.  He did not take on full adult

responsibilities at twelve, but that is when his formal

training began.  He started wearing certain garments that he

had not been permitted to wear in earlier life.  These

garments signified that he was nowa responsible person under

the Hebrew law.  The father also began to train the twelve

year old in a trade so that he could earn a livelihood.  He,

of course, did not take on the responsibilities of earning a

livelihood, but he did enter into that training.  Almost

without exception, the father trained the young man in the

same trade that he had followed.  Since Joseph was a

carpenter, he began to train Jesus in doing carpenter work at

the age of twelve.

     If I understand it correctly, the young man spent the

whole twelfth year in being taught about his father's trade

and about the responsibilities of adult life before he

actually launched out to undertake to do the work.  In other

words, beginning at the age of twelve, Joseph would carry

Jesus with him to his work every day.  He would show Him how

and give him a chance to ask questions.  Then, beginning with

that thirteenth year, He was expected to begin doing some of

the easier chores and would eventually be expected to learn

to do even the hardest of them.

     It was a big event in that twelfth year of a boy's

life for him to go to Jerusalem with his dad to observe the

Passover for his first time.  It was a big event for both the

boy and for his family.  He was going there to learn so that

when he became an adult, he would be able to take a

responsible position in family worship as the head of a

Hebrew family.

     So now that Jesus was twelve years old, it was a big

event for Joseph Joseph and Mary carry Him with tehem on this

trip to Jerusalem.  We may be in doubt as to whether or not

this is His first time to go, but it was require of Him to go

this time.  Jesus and Joseph and Mary and their kinfolk in

the area got together with a whole lot of other folk from

Nazareth and other villages of Galilee and they headed off to

Jerusalem.

 

III.  Starting home without Jesus

 

     V. 43, "And when they had fulfilled the days, as they

returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and

Joseph and his mother knew not of it."  After the eight days

of celebration were over, the whole crowd of people that had

traveled together to Jerusalem got together at an appointed

place and left together to go back to Galilee.  Luke tells us

that Jesus did not leave Jerusalem with them and that neither

Joseph nor Mary knew that He was not with them.

     At first, I wondered how this could be.  How could they

have failed to know that Jesus was with them?  He was their

responsibility.  It would seem that they would make it their

business to know that He was with them.

     However, after learning more about the customary way in

which the people traveled to and from Jerusalem for the

feasts, I can see how it could very easily happen.  The

custom was that the women did not actually travel with the

men.  The women and the children got together and traveled

ahead of the menfolk.  They were not reuired to go at all,

but the ones who did  would travel ahead of the men. The men

then got together in a group and followed after the women and

children.  Since Jesus was still pretty much a child the age

of at twelve, Joseph would just assume that He was with Mary.

However, since Jesus was nowt twelve years old and in

training for His adult years, Mary would just assume that He

was with Joseph and the menfolk.  Either that or perhaps He

might be with some of the other kinfolk who had children

about His age.  So when it came time to head 'em up and

move'em out they did not hesitate a moment.  They both joined

right in with the others and headed toward home.

 

IV.  Turning back to search for Jesus

 

     V. 44, "But they, supposing him to have been in the

company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among

their kinsfolk and acquaintance."  It was only after the end

of the first day's travel that Joseph and Mary got together

and discovered that Jesus was not with either one of them

then they began to inquire among their kinfolk and

acquaintances.  All along this long procession of people the

word of inquiry traveled.  "Has anybody seen Jesus, the son

of Joseph and Mary?"  Pretty soon Joseph and Mary had their

answer.  Jesus was not in the procession anywhere.

     I am sure that you who are parents can understand the

panic they felt.  Perhaps you have had some experience that

helps you to understand.  At first there was apprehension.

Then when it was confirmed that Jesus was not with them,

panic set in.  They probably did not get much sleep that

night.  I suspect that they spent a great deal of the night

in prayer.  "Oh, dear God, please let Him be safe."

     The next day Joseph and Mary left the procession and

started back toward Jerusalem in search of Jesus.  Perhaps

some of their kinfolk or friends went back with them to

assist in search.  V.  45, "And when they found him not, they

turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him."

 

V. Finding Jesus in the temple

 

     V. 46, "And it came to pass, that after three days they

found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors,

both hearing them, and asking them questions."  I am not sure

whether this verse is meant to say that they did not find

Jesus until three days after they started searching or three

days after they departed without Him.  I do not suppose it

makes much difference one way or the other, but what I think

it means is that they traveled without Him one day before

they missed Him.  Then they traveled back toward Jerusalem

one day and they spent one day searching for Him in Jerusalem

before they found Him.  This makes a total of three days.As I

said, I really do not know for sure.

     When they did find Him, He was in the temple sitting in

the big middle of a bunch of rabbis discussing the things of

God with them.  Here was this twelve year old boy sitting in

the middle of a bunch of men with doctor's degrees and

discussing religion with them.  And He was discussing it on

their level.  They did not have to talk down to Him so that

He could understand.  He was discussing it on their

level.......and.......and beyond their level.

     Luke said that in much of the discussion Jesus was

hearing them.  That is, much of the time He was just

listening.  Now let me remind you of something right here

which we learned in our previous text.  Jesus was not born

with His human brain knowing all that His Deity mind knew.

His Deity mind knew all things.  But His human brain had to

learn.  And to at least to some degree, Jesus was learning

from these teachers of Jewish religion.  But somehow I have

my doubts that He needed to learn much from these men.  I

think He learned  so much about God's truths from His godly

parents and from the Word of God, and from God the Father

Himself that there was not a lot that these men could teach

Him.  Furthermore, if theese Jewish rabbis were as warped by

the traditions of the fathers as the scribes and Pharisees

tht Jesus had to contend with in later years, then they were

not qualified to teach Him very much.

     What He could learn from them and, no doubt did, was

their views of what God had said in Scripture.  He learned

that the Jewish leaders had many erroneous views of the

things of God.

     Luke said that He not only listened to the rabbis, but

He asked them questions.  Jesus did not just set out to

give them a lecture nor to teach them a lesson.  I'm sure

that He could, but He didn't.  Instead, He asked them

questions.  Then He would sometimes respond to what they said

by giving His own view.  I feel sure that one of the things

He questioned them about was the meaning of the Passover that

they had just observed.  He would want to know if they

understood the real meaning of the Passover.  Did they

understand why the Passover lamb was slain.  Did they

understand why in the land of Egypt, the blood of the

Passover lamb was sprinkled on the door posts?  Did they

understand who the Passover lamb represented?  Did they

understand that this was a picture of One whose blood would

be shed?  Did they understand that a man's eternal destiny

hinged upon applying that blood to the door posts of his

heart by faith?

     V.  47.  "And all that heard him were astonished at his

understanding and answers."  The rabbis were fascinated.  It

was not often that they would find a twelve year-old as

interested in the great truths of God as this one was.  And

they had never before in all their lives seen or heard one

who was as knowledgeable about the Scriptures as He was.

They had not seen any grown men with the insight into the

things of God that this young boy had.  They were fascinated.

They would not be as fascinated with Him in later years when

they would meet with Him in Bible discussion.  But right now,

He was a boy and they were fascinated with Him as a boy.

 

VI. The exchange between Mary and Jesus

 

      V. 48, "And when they saw him, they were amazed..."

This verse speaks not of the rabbis, but of Joseph and Mary.

Even Joseph and Mary were amazed at the knowledgeable way in

which He was discussing the Holy Scriptures and the

traditions of the fathers with the rabbis.  Apparently He had

never discussed these things with them in such depth and with

such great understanding at home.  As dedicated parents they

had taught Him about God and had taught Him much of the word

of God, but they had never taught Him on such high level of

understanding.  Even Joseph and Mary were amazed.

     The latter part of verse 48 deals with the a rebuke from

Mary.  Mary rebuked Jesus for failing to be in the group when

they left for home.  She primarily rebuked Him for allowing

her and Joseph to go through the worry and anguish of not

knowing what had happened to Him.  (V. 48), "...and his

mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?

behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing."

     Now note carefully the answer that Jesus gave to Mary.

Take a look at what He said.  Then take another look at it

and see if there is not more to it than first meets the eye.

V. 49, "And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me?

wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"  I

think that Jesus must have astounded them again with His

answer.

     Now, let me first point out that Jesus was not trying to

be a smart aleck kid with His response.  But this woman was

upset because He had lingered behind. She asked, "Why have

you caused your father and me this sorrow?"  She knew that

Joseph was not His father.  That is, Joseph was not His real

father.  Joseph was His foster father and thus His father

from the legal point of view.  But Joseph was not His real

Father.  Just as Joseph was teaching Him and training Him to

be a carpenter and to be a responsible adult citizen, even so

God, His Heavenly Father, was teaching Him and training Him

to do the work that He had for Jesus to do.  God the Heavenly

Father had kept Him behind.  God was training Him to meet

with the very top men in the nation of Israel and to deal

with them on matters pertaining to His real Father's

business.  He was not attempting at this young age to step

out into the ministry that God the Father had sent Him to the

earth to perform, but He was in training.  He was learning.

He was getting some firsthand experience.

     Joseph and Mary should have understood this.  They might

not have known that God would keep Him behind to meet with

the Jewish rabbis and to have a training session with them.

They should have known His special interest in spiritual

things.  When they discovered that He was missing they should

have known that He was not off somewhere else involved in

other things.  They should have at least known where they

could find Him.  They should have known that He would be in

the temple of God learning all that He could about the things

of God and about the present leaders of God's people.  They

should have understood, but they didn't.  V. 50, "And they

understood not the saying which he spake unto them."

 

VII.  The chief message of the passage

 

     The chief message of this passage of Scripture is that

Jesus is the Christ, the very Son of God.  He came to this

world, not to learn to be a carpenter and to build good

houses.  True, He did learn to be a carpenter and I am

convinced that whatever He built, His customers got their

money's worth.  But Jesus did not come to this world because

people needed a better carpenter on the scene.  Jesus came to

this world because people need a Savior.  People are going to

hell and God the Father sent Him here to be a Savior.  God

sent Jesus Christ to this world so that whosoever will may

turn to Him and trust in Him and be saved.