SUMMARY
In the only Gospel passage describing Jesus between his infancy and the beginning of his public ministry, he and his family travel to Jerusalem to observe PassoverPassover commemorates the deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt as described in the book of Exodus. It is celebrated with worship and a meal on the fourteenth day of the month called Nisan, which is the first month of the Jewish year. The time... More. After Jesus’ parents lose track of their 12-year-old son, they discover him three days later in the TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More, where he astonishes the religious teachers with his insights.
ANALYSIS
No other New Testament book offers information about Jesus’ life between his infancy and his public ministry, which begins when he is about 30 years old (according to Luke 3:23). Yet even this short passage reveals very little about him. They nevertheless situate Jesus and his family within a context of observant Judaism and underscore his exceptional nature as someone with insight into the ways of God.
Ancient audiences were accustomed to hearing tales about heroic figures’ displays of extraordinary characteristics even as young children. The beginning and closing verses of this passage summarize Jesus’ development, as a maturing child and a person full of wisdomWisdom encompasses the qualities of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, which sometimes invokes a Woman as the personification of Wisdom, is a collection of aphorisms and moral teachings. Along with other biblical passages, it teaches, "The fear of the... More. Like other human beings, he grows, learns, and develops. The passage follows immediately on the heels of Luke’s account of Jesus’ circumcisionCircumcision is an act of cutting off part of a male (or female) sex organ for religious or health reasons. In the Bible circumcision was performed on males to indicate inclusion into the Jewish religious community. Some church calendars commemorate January 1 as the Circumcision... More and presentation in Jerusalem. Remarks made then by Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38) are confirmed in this passage, insofar as it makes comments about Jesus’ wisdom and God’s favor (Luke 2:40). Later, concluding comments about wisdom and favor (Luke 2:52) attest that the boy Jesus continues to warrant the high expectations placed upon him in all of Luke 1-2. Jesus is already validating the promises that he is someone special, God’s own Son. Still, his actions evoke more wonder than understanding from those who observe him.
Luke’s Gospel begins in the Jerusalem Temple and ends there. In this passage Luke signals that Jesus was no stranger to Jerusalem, for his family customarily traveled there to celebrate Passover (Luke 2:42). By accentuating Jesus’ identity, piety, and ministry, Luke leads readers to understand him as a full participant in his Jewish context. At the same time, Jesus is no ordinary pilgrimA pilgrim is a person who undertakes a journey to a place of religious or historical significance - often for spiritual purposes. A pilgrimage to Mecca is a religious obligation for a good Muslim. In the early days of Hebrew history pilgrims traveled to Shiloh,... More. He somehow eludes his parents and their traveling party. (Jerusalem during Passover was packed with visitors, and Galileans might have traveled to and from the city in large groups for security or to prolong the celebrations. Nothing here suggests his parents are especially negligent.) Seemingly oblivious to the commotion his absence causes, Jesus remains in the Temple, his “Father’s house,” where he displays his impressive theological understanding. Luke implies either that Jesus’ insight comes naturally to him or that he is an exceptionally fast learner. God’s hand must be upon such a remarkable prodigy.
With this dramatic story Luke also begins to sever some of the strong family ties featured so much in Luke 1-2. Ultimately, Jesus is God’s Son, engaged in his divine Father’s business. This relationship takes priority over the one with his earthly parents, even though it does not make him reject or act disobediently toward them. The reality of this relationship sets the stage for Jesus’ supernatural identification as God’s Son after his baptismJesus was baptized (literally, "dipped") in the Jordan River by John the Baptizer, at which time he was acclaimed from heaven as God's Son, the Beloved. Much later baptism became one of the sacraments of the Church, the action by which a person is incorporated... More (Luke 3:22) and the devil’s tests concerning what it means for him to be the Son of God (Luke 4:1-13). Mary ponders the whole situation in her heart, perhaps with delight or perhaps with confusion; in any case, she heightens the story’s sense of anticipation as she possibly wonders where all this will finally lead.
