This is the only inspired incident that God has given us of Jesus' experiences during His boyhood. Luke stressed Jesus' wisdom and His conscious awareness that He was the Son of God so his readers would have confidence in Jesus' deity. There is a strong contrast between Jesus' earthly parents and His heavenly Father. Stories of the precocious condition of a great person in his or her youth are common. They demonstrate the uniqueness of the individual and his or her superiority over others. However, Jesus was more than precocious.
2:41-42 Again Luke pointed out the godly characters of Mary and Joseph. Jewish males were to go to Jerusalem three times a year, at the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. In Jesus' day, women usually attended with their husbands or fathers.103Those who could not attend all three festivals tried to attend Passover at least. Customarily Jewish parents took their young sons with them for a year or two before the boy became a "son of the covenant"usually at age 13. Luke called Jesus a "boy"(Gr. pais, also used of servants) here rather than a "child"(Gr. paidion), the term he used of Jesus in verse 40.
"Jewish boys became responsible for their actions at thirteen (m[ishnah]. Niddah5.6; m[ishnah]. Megillah4.6). At the age of twelve the instruction of boys became more intensive in preparation of the recognition of adulthood (m[ishnah]. Abot5.21). The Bar Mitzvah of modern times, however, postdates the time of Jesus by five hundred years. . ."104
2:43-45 Luke noted that Mary and Joseph stayed for the duration of the eight-day festival, another tribute to their piety. Mary and Joseph probably did not miss Jesus for a whole day because each may have supposed He was with the other since men often travelled with men and women with women.105Perhaps they assumed He was with the other children or the other adults in their caravan of pilgrims.106
2:46-47 On the second day, Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem, which evidently took the whole day. Then on the third day they began searching for Jesus and found Him in the temple sitting among the rabbis listening to their teaching and asking them questions. Luke's reference to His being in their "midst"suggests Jesus' centrality in this august group, though He was then a learner and not a teacher (cf. Ps. 119:99-100).
"Already early in life Jesus values the pursuit of comprehending God, as he increases in wisdom and stature' (2:52). His approach to knowing God and seeking understanding pictures how we should pursue the same, even at a young age."107
Jesus' understanding and His answers amazed (Gr. existanto) them all (cf. 4:32; 9:43). One suspects that some of these rabbis remembered this incident when Jesus later became a popular teacher Himself. Obviously Jesus already had unusual wisdom and insight into the Scriptures, which were the center of these discussions.108
2:48 Mary and Joseph were understandably anxious (Gr. edynomenoi) about their Son's safety (cf. v. 35; 16:24-25; Acts 20:38). When they found Jesus, his participation in conversation with the rabbis astounded (Gr. exeplagesan) them.
"It is one of the characteristics of Luke to observe the various responses of awe at the words and deeds of Jesus, which is also consistent with ancient narratives touching on the observation of wonders."109
Mary's question had the force of scolding, revealing an unwarranted but understandable attitude.110
2:49-50 Mary and Joseph's anxiety contrasts with Jesus' calmness. Mary's reference to Jesus' earthly father also contrasts with Jesus' reference to His heavenly Father. Jesus' first question prepared His parents for His significant statement that followed in His second question. Jesus' response to Mary and Joseph showed that He regarded His duty to His heavenly Father and His house as taking precedence over His duty to His earthly father and his house.
"Jesus' point is that his career must be about instruction on the way of God, for the temple was not only a place of worship, but was also a place of teaching. Jesus has a call to instruct the nation. Though he is twelve now, a day is coming when this will be his priority."111
Even as a boy, Jesus placed great importance on worshipping God and learning from and about God. However, Jesus obedience to God did not involve disobedience to Joseph. Jesus implied that His parents should have understood His priorities, but they did not grasp the true significance of His words.
Did Jesus not owe it to His parents to tell them beforehand that He planned to linger in the temple so they would not worry about Him? He may have done so and they may have forgotten, but this was not something Luke chose to explain. His purpose was to record Jesus' response to Mary and Joseph that expressed His awareness of His unique relationship to God and His duty to God.112
"Jesus' reply, though gentle in manner, suggests the establishment of a break between himself and his parents, although this will be modified in v. 51. There is thus a tension between the necessity felt by Jesus to enter into closer relationship with his Father and the obedience which he continued to render to his parents."113
All committed young believers who live under their parents' authority have struggled with this tension.
These are the first words that Luke recorded Jesus saying in his Gospel, and they set the tone for what follows. All of Jesus' words and works testified to the priority He gave to the will of His heavenly Father. "Had to"(Gr. dei) reflects a key theme in Luke's Gospel that highlights divine design. The Greek word occurs 99 times in the New Testament and 40 times in Luke-Acts.114
