Dear Explorer,
Read Luke 2:41-52
My father-in-law, Frank Weatherford, was a pastor. I remember one of the first sermons that I heard him preach. It was from this text. His premise was: If Jesus' own earthly parents could forget him for a whole day, what about you? Are you traveling with Him day by day and hour by hour, or do you forget and leave Him at church?
It's a good question!
Sometimes I wonder what Jesus shared with the priests and teachers (doctors) at the temple. Do you think He told them He was the Messiah?
I don't know. But I wonder if He was laying that foundation so they could discover the truth at a later time. Maybe.
At this time of Jewish history, there were a limited number of scrolls available. Most synagogues would have only one copy to use. Because of this, oral/verbal history was important. Therefore, it was customary for the older men to quiz the younger men and the younger men would ask questions of the older men so that they could learn about God and Jewish history.
I think it is important to note that even though Jesus had superior knowledge to all present, He conducted Himself in such a way that they respected Him and were able to learn from Him. He must have been very respectful and courteous as He was the youngest among older men. Note that Luke says that they were amazed at his answers.
Then Luke records that Jesus went home and submitted to his earthly parents. Do you think that would be hard to do?
I mean, most teenagers THINK they are smarter than their parents, but Jesus really was!
Then look at Luke 2:52 – it says that as Jesus grew up, He was liked by all the people around Him. That doesn't sound like someone who was arrogant or rude about their superior knowledge, does it?
That's really all we know about Jesus' childhood. The next information we have about Jesus is the beginning of His ministry when He was around age 30.
How would you sum up your childhood? What did you accomplish from birth to age 21 (or your current age)?