The Boy Jesus at the Temple

Scripture

Luke 2:41-52

Commentary

We have very little information regarding the time between Jesus' birth and the beginning of His ministry.  Ultimately what Jesus was like growing up isn't important as His ministry revealed all we need to know about Him.

Nevertheless, this one glimpse that we get of Jesus as a boy shows us the kind of man that He would become.  At the age of twelve Jesus wandered off to the temple to hear the teachers.  He listened diligently and asked intelligent questions.  Even the teachers were amazed by His knowledge of the scriptures.

Jesus' disappearance is not a matter of bad parenting.  People would have traveled to the feasts in large groups for protection.  It would have been expected that Jesus played with friends while the group traveled and this is why His disappearance wasn't noted until the third day of travel.

It is apparent that Jesus understands who He is at the age of twelve as He tells His parents that He had to be at His Father's house.  They do not understand what He means but Jesus obviously understands His mission on earth even as a child.