Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G015 The Lord Jesus at Twelve Years Old
Luke 2:41–52

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All Scriptures quoted in this article are from the New King James Version (NKJV), unless otherwise noted (https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/).

Luke 2:41-52

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.

43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;

44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.

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

Before we study the meaning of Luke 2:41–52 together, there are a few things we need to remember. The Lord Jesus was completely a human being like us because He was born by a woman, with a soul within a spiritual body, which is the spirit, and a physical body, which is the flesh. However, the Lord Jesus was also completely God, because His soul and spirit were the soul and spirit of God the Word. The Bible tells us:

“who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)

The Bible has affirmed the following:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

We understand that the Lord Jesus had to be born and grow up in a normal way like everyone else to be completely a human being. Only a human being can justly bear the penalty of sin in place of another human being. The life of one person can only be exchanged for the life of another person. But because the Lord Jesus is also God, His life is everlasting; therefore, He could exchange His everlasting life for the lives of all people in the world.

Because the Lord Jesus had to be born and grow up normally like everyone else, He also had to nurse from His mother; He also had to have His diapers changed by His mother; He also had to learn to read and learn to write; He also had to read and meditate on the Bible; He also had to learn a trade so that He could earn a living and also support His mother and His younger siblings after Joseph, His adoptive father, passed away.

It is important that the Lord Jesus also had to face temptations like any other person. Yet He did not sin:

“For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:16-18)

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hê-bơ-rơ 4:15)

According to Deuteronomy 6:7 and 11:19, a father has the responsibility to teach God’s Word to his children. From the time of Ezra (457 BCE), after the people of Israel returned from the Babylonian exile to rebuild Jerusalem, there were schools in Jerusalem for orphaned children. From 64 BCE onward, in every city and village of Israel there was a school where children from six years old and above could attend to study [1].

The cost of the schools was paid by contributions from the local community. On average, each teacher was responsible for teaching 25 students. If there were more students, additional teachers would be added. Only a married man could serve as a teacher.

By the time of the Lord Jesus, there were six main subjects taught to Israelite children in the schools:

• Learning about animal husbandry, farming, and prayer.
• Learning about the laws concerning the Sabbath and the festivals.
• Learning about marriage and divorce.
• Learning about civil law and criminal law.
• Learning about the rituals of offering sacrifices, worship in the Temple, and abstaining from unclean foods.
• Learning about keeping oneself clean and the purification rituals.

However, according to one research source, at the time of the Lord Jesus, as many as 90% of Israelite children living in the Promised Land of Canaan did not know how to read or write [2]. This was likely because too few children were sent to school by their parents. Two apostles who were close to the Lord Jesus, Peter and John, were also among those who were uneducated (Acts 4:13). Only after the year 70, when the City of Jerusalem and the Temple of God were burned and destroyed by the Roman army, did Judaism require the people of Israel—both adults and children—to learn to read and to study the Bible in Hebrew [3].

We can understand that because Joseph and Mary clearly knew the purpose of the birth of the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus was taught directly by Joseph, and possibly also by Mary, to read and write, to memorize, and to meditate on God’s Word. It is also very possible that Joseph and Mary sent the Lord Jesus to study at the local school in the city of Nazareth.

We do not know how old the Lord Jesus was when Joseph passed away. According to Church tradition, Joseph died early. The Scripture passage we study in this lesson is the last time Joseph is mentioned while he was still alive. Thus, even if Joseph died early, it would have been after the Lord Jesus had passed the age of twelve and had already gained remarkable understanding of God’s Word.

Also in this passage of Scripture, we do not see any mention of the younger siblings of the Lord Jesus. From the context, we may understand that until the time when the Lord Jesus was twelve years old, Mary had not yet given birth to other children. Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 list the names of the brothers of the Lord Jesus: James, Joses, Simon, and Judas. But Matthew 13:56 and Mark 6:3 do not list the names of the sisters of the Lord Jesus and instead use the plural form of the noun “sisters,” so the Lord Jesus had at least two sisters.

If Mary only began to have other children after the Lord Jesus was twelve years old, then even if Joseph died early, it would have been at least when the Lord Jesus was eighteen years old. Among the people of Israel, sons usually began to learn a trade from their fathers at the age of twelve. If Joseph died when the Lord Jesus was eighteen years old, then He would already have had a well-established trade in hand to support His mother and His younger siblings.

The question is raised: When did the Lord Jesus recognize that He was God incarnate as a human being, the Lamb of God who would die to bear the penalty of sin in place of mankind? We do not have the answer. But the passage of Scripture that we study in this lesson helps us understand that by the time the Lord Jesus was twelve years old, He already had that awareness.

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.

According to the law of God, three times each year the men of Israel had to appear before God at the three festivals, at the place He designated. That place was the city of Jerusalem after the people of Israel had entered the Promised Land of Canaan.

“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.” (Deuteronomy 16:16)

The Feast of Unleavened Bread includes the Passover on the previous day, because during the Passover the people of Israel must also eat unleavened bread. Passover falls on the 14th day of Nisan, that is, the first month. The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th and continues until the end of the 21st day of Nisan. The Feast of Weeks, also called Pentecost, falls on the 6th day of Sivan, that is, the third month. The Feast of Tabernacles begins on the 15th and continues until the end of the 21st day of Tishrei, that is, the seventh month.

The sentence “His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover” does not mean that they did not go to Jerusalem during Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. As two people with deep faith in the Lord, Joseph and Mary surely did not neglect the three festivals that the law of the Lord required the men of Israel to attend in Jerusalem to appear before Him. Although Mary was a woman and the Lord Jesus, as a child, had no obligation to appear before God at those three festivals, out of their devotion to the Lord, Mary went together with Joseph and brought the Lord Jesus with them to attend the festivals. The distance from Nazareth to Jerusalem was about 105 km. If traveling on foot, it would take about three days on average.

The sentence “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast” does not mean that before the Lord Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph and Mary did not bring Him with them whenever they went to Jerusalem to attend the festivals.

The meaning of Luke 2:41–42 is that Joseph and Mary had the custom of going to Jerusalem for the Passover. On one of the occasions when they went to Jerusalem for the Passover, the Lord Jesus was twelve years old.

“According to the custom of the feast” means according to the established regulations of the feast, implying that the men of Israel had to appear before God in Jerusalem and that each family had to prepare a lamb for sacrifice during the Passover.

The Bible does not clearly state at what age the men of Israel were required to appear before God three times each year at the three festivals. But the Bible tells us that the age of adulthood is twenty. Therefore, we may understand that this was also the age when a man in Israel had to appear before God at the three festivals.

According to the custom of Israel, when a girl is twelve years and one day old and a boy is thirteen years and one day old, they begin to bear responsibility for violating the commandments of God. In other words, the people of Israel considered that when reaching that age, children were fully aware of the violation of God’s commandments. However, the Bible does not state at what age children must bear responsibility for sin. In Leviticus chapter 24 there is the case of a boy who blasphemed God and whom God commanded to be put to death, but it does not state how old the boy was. In Deuteronomy chapter 21 there is also the law prescribing the death penalty for children who refuse to obey their parents, but it also does not specify from what age it applies.

If the Lord Jesus was born on October 8, 7 BCE, then the Passover when He was twelve years old would have fallen on April 9, 7 CE. Joseph’s family may have set out about four or five days before the feast, even though the average journey was three days. Because they had to bring along a lamb to eat during the Passover, the pace of travel would not have been fast, and they would also have wanted time to wash themselves and become clean before attending the feast. They could have bought a lamb after arriving in Jerusalem, but that would have cost more than bringing one with them.

43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;

44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

“They had finished the days” means they observed the full eight days of eating unleavened bread, from after sunset on the 13th until sunset on the 21st day of Nisan. Each day they went to the Temple to participate in the prayer services and to listen to the scribes teach God’s Word.

Joseph’s family, together with their relatives and neighbors, may have left Jerusalem and begun their journey back to Nazareth on the morning of the 22nd day of Nisan, the day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, after going to the Temple for the morning prayer. When everyone left the Temple, both Joseph and Mary did not know that the Lord Jesus was still in the Temple courts, conversing with the scribes. They thought the Lord Jesus was traveling with other families in the group. In the evening, when they stopped to rest for the night and did not see the Lord Jesus, they began to search for Him among the people traveling with them.

45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

When they could not find the Lord Jesus, the next morning Joseph and Mary returned to the City of Jerusalem. They had to travel one day. In the afternoon they arrived in Jerusalem, and for the entire next day they searched for the Lord Jesus in the city. Finally, on the fourth day, when they went to look in the Temple, they found the Lord Jesus conversing with the scribes.

The phrase “after three days” is used to refer to the fourth day, counting from the day Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem to return to Nazareth. On the first day, they were on the road from Jerusalem toward Nazareth. On the second day, they returned to Jerusalem. On the third day, they searched for the Lord Jesus in the city of Jerusalem. On the fourth day, they found Him in the Temple courts.

Thus, the Lord Jesus had also spent three days conversing with the scribes, the ones responsible for copying the Scriptures and teaching the Scriptures. They had rooms in the Temple courts dedicated to the teaching of the Scriptures.

The Bible does not record the content of the conversation between the Lord Jesus and the scribes but only briefly states that He listened to them and asked them questions. Listening means that He listened to them explain the Scriptures. Asking questions may have involved asking about the deeper meanings of the prophecies concerning the Christ.

47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

Perhaps besides the scribes there were also people who had come to hear the teaching of God’s Word. From the ordinary people to the scribes, everyone was astonished at the understanding and the answers of the Lord Jesus. The understanding mentioned here is the understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures. The answers of the Lord Jesus were perhaps His teachings about the meaning of the prophecies concerning the Christ. It is possible that never before in the lives of those who heard the Lord Jesus had they heard anyone teach God’s Word so clearly and reasonably as the Lord Jesus did.

48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

Joseph and Mary were astonished when they found the Lord Jesus because they saw Him discussing with the scribes. We may understand that Joseph or Mary signaled for the Lord Jesus to come out of the teaching room to meet them, or when the Lord Jesus saw them, He may have asked permission from those in the room to step outside.

The words Mary spoke to the Lord Jesus were a gentle rebuke. “Why have You done this to us?” means that He had caused them worry and weariness while searching for Him. “Your father and I have sought You anxiously” states what had actually happened. Although they were worried and distressed while searching for the Lord Jesus, Joseph and Mary probably were not angry with Him or rebuking Him harshly—especially when they saw Him discussing God’s Word with the scribes.

The words of the Lord Jesus in response to Mary are the first words spoken by Him that are recorded in the Bible.

“Why did you seek Me?” In the Greek original of the Bible, the pronoun “you” is implied because the verb “seek” is used in the second person plural form. This question from the Lord Jesus implies that if Joseph and Mary had been beside Him in the room listening to the teaching of God’s Word, they would not have had to search for Him with such worry and distress.

“Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” This sentence implies that Joseph and Mary already knew clearly the purpose of the birth of the Lord Jesus, and therefore they should have known that He had to live a life devoted to serving God.

Today, each of God’s people is called a son or a daughter of God. So should each of us also be present in the business of God? What are the business of God in which we must take part?

Today, many people confess faith that the Christ may return at any moment to take the Church out of the world. The presence of the Church in this world will soon come to an end. The Church needs to be zealous in the business of God. Yet it seems that they are not present in the business of God. In fact, they do not even know which works are the business of God.

50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

The reason Joseph and Mary did not understand what the Lord Jesus said to them was because, until that time, no one had ever called the God “Father.” They understood and believed that the Lord Jesus was the Christ. But they did not know that the Christ is the Son of God, begotten by God in the womb of a virgin, Mary. They also did not yet know that He is God incarnate as a human being. Later, there were also many times when the disciples of the Lord Jesus and those who heard Him did not understand some of the words He spoke to them (Matthew 13:13; Mark 4:12–13; 9:32; Luke 9:45; John 8:27; 12:16; 16:18).

Today, those who truly belong to the Lord will understand the words of the Lord Jesus, because the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, dwells in their bodies and leads them into all the truth of God’s Word. In addition, God has also appointed in the Church those who teach God’s Word.

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)

“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28)

If someone does not understand God’s Word, that person is either not truly one of God’s people or does not obey those whom the Lord Jesus has entrusted with the task of teaching them (Ephesians 4:11). However, we must distinguish between those who truly teach God’s Word in the Church and the false teachers and false prophets in religious organizations. Those who truly teach God’s Word are those who live according to God’s Word, live according to what they teach, and keep the commandments of God. False teachers and false prophets, on the other hand, preach the false doctrines of religious organizations, live in sin, and openly violate the commandments of God.

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.

“Went down” means going down from the City of Jerusalem to the roads leading to other places. Because the City of Jerusalem is located on a mountain, the Bible always uses the expression “going up to Jerusalem” and “going down from Jerusalem.”

The phrase “was subject to them” implies that the Lord Jesus had already been obedient, and He continued to be obedient. Obedience to parents is one of the Ten Commandments of the God.

Although Mary did not understand the words of the Lord Jesus about calling the God “Father,” she kept those words. The noun “statement” in verse 50 appears in the singular form, while the noun “things” in verse 51 appears in the plural form. This means that Mary kept in her heart not only the word in which the Lord Jesus called the God “Father,” but also the words that she had heard the Lord Jesus speak in conversation with the scribes. We may understand that Mary not only remembered the words spoken by the Lord Jesus but also pondered them.

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

The increase of wisdom in the Lord Jesus implies that over time, as His body matured, His wisdom also increased. This means that the Lord Jesus was completely human, and His understanding developed normally like that of any person who has faith in God. It was an understanding inspired in a human being, not the understanding of God. Throughout the time from His birth until He was raised from the dead, the Lord Jesus lived and acted entirely in the person of a human being. He did not use His divinity. For this reason, while He was living in the flesh in the world, He did not know the day and hour when He would return to take the Church out of the world (Mark 13:32).

“In favor with *God and men” means that He fully kept the commandments of the God. The Ten Commandments of the God were summarized by the Lord Jesus Himself as follows:

Matthew 22:37-40

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Whoever truly loves God above all things and loves others as himself, demonstrated through keeping the Ten Commandments of the God, is complete in love, holiness, and righteousness. Such a person becomes like the Christ and is called a son or a daughter of the God (2 Corinthians 6:18).

Luke 2:52 speaks of the Lord Jesus throughout the time from when He was born until He entered His ministry of preaching the Gospel and offered His own life as the sacrifice for the redemption of mankind.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
12/102022

Notes:

[1] Compayre, Gabriel; Payne, W. H., “History of Pedagogy (1899)”, Translated by W. H. Payne, 2003, Kessinger Publishing; ISBN 0-7661-5486-6; at page 9.

[2] Hezser, Catherine “Jewish Literacy in Roman Palestine”, 2001, Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism; 81. Tuebingen: Mohr-Siebeck, at page 503.

[3] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/jewish-literacy-as-the-road-to

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.