A Family Memory-Jesus, As A Boy in the Temple
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Luke 2:41-49
The story of Jesus' visit to the Temple at twelve years old is profound—not only because it marks a critical moment in His life, but because it reveals so much about family devotion, priorities, and what it means to pursue the will of God.
Every year, Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover, making their journey in a caravan of family and friends.
This annual pilgrimage wasn't simply tradition; it was a spiritual priority that shaped their family life.
In our own lives, what are we willing to make a priority for the sake of growing closer to God?
In exploring this passage, we’ll see that Jesus, even as a young boy, was about His Father’s business.
This passage is very significant because it is the first time that Jesus made Himself known to be the Messiah.
This journey would have taken this family from Nazareth, most likely through Jericho and finally into Jerusalem.
Let’s take a closer look at this account and see what it means to worship together as families, to walk closely with Jesus, and to prioritize the work God has given us to do.
I. The Priority of Family Worship
I. The Priority of Family Worship
41 Now 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 after the custom of the feast.
God chose Joseph and Mary out of all the people that were living at that time to raise His Son.
They would have taught Him about the Scriptures at home and made sure He attended the Synagogue, but they also made it a priority as a family to go to Jerusalem each year for the Passover.
Here we see...
A. The Faithful Parental Example
A. The Faithful Parental Example
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
The law required only the Jewish males to attend the feasts:
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
Mary, out of devotion, joined Joseph every year in this pilgrimage.
She showed a faithful devotion to God by accompanying her family on the journey to Jerusalem.
Some of Jesus’ siblings would have been born already by now as well, we assume…so no doubt them must have come along as well.
Through these faithful practice of the Jewish customs, Joseph and Mary were training Jesus to obey the commandments of God.
God commanded the Jewish people to teach their children diligently.
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Every parent has a responsibility to teach their children the ways of God.
Faithful church attendance should be one area that every parent ought to train their children by modelling right obedience.
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
A young girl once asked her grandmother, “Why do you go to church every Sunday?” Her grandmother replied, “I go to remind myself every week of the God who loves me, the One who gives me strength, and the Savior who gave His life for me.” When the girl grew up, she shared that memory often, saying, “I go to church because my grandmother showed me what faithfulness looked like.”
This was no small journey for Joseph and Mary’s family; from Nazareth to Jerusalem, it was likely around 90 miles on foot—a challenging feat for any family.
But they wanted to show a faithful example to their family.
Our children may not understand every part of our faith today, but they are watching and learning.
Mary and Joseph’s commitment shaped the early life of Jesus; our commitment can shape the next generation.
B. The Faithful Sacrifice
B. The Faithful Sacrifice
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
Each year at Passover, the people of Israel remembered the Exodus and the blood of the lamb that saved them from death in Egypt (Exodus 12:12-13).
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
The Passover wasn’t just a story; it was a reminder of God’s deliverance, a promise fulfilled by Jesus, our Passover Lamb, who would one day shed His blood to save us from sin (1 Corinthians 5:7).
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
By midday, all labor ceased as preparations began for the sacrifice.
Around 3:00 p.m., the sound of a ram's horn echoed through the Temple, signaling to the gathered worshippers that the time for sacrifice had come.
A family representative would then enter the Temple Court and begin the ritual of slaughtering their lambs.
The numerous priests on duty collected the lambs' blood in silver and brass basins, splashing it onto the altar.
After the ritual was completed, the lamb was taken home to be roasted for the evening meal.
As the day concluded, families gathered to retell the story of the Passover in Egypt.
5 And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Of course Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb.
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Imagine the scene as Mary, Joseph, and young Jesus stood in the temple courts.
The Passover lamb was a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus would make—a truth He was perhaps already beginning to understand.
As families, we should remember to celebrate and reflect on the grace of God.
Just as Israel recounted the story of their deliverance each year, we can remind our families of God’s faithfulness in our lives, instilling a deeper love and gratitude for the gospel.
C. The Faithful Development
C. The Faithful Development
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Jesus never ceased to be God, but was observed as others to be growing in four different ways:
1. Wisdom
1. Wisdom
Wisdom is applying the knowledge from God.
2. Stature
2. Stature
This is in reference to the physical growth of a child.
3. Favor with God
3. Favor with God
This is in reference to the child growing in grace, and in a relationship with God.
4. Favor with Man
4. Favor with Man
This is the social development of a child.
Jesus was a picture of perfect development.
As a twelve-year old Jesus is teaching us that we should be growing in grace.
1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
II. The Problem of the Missing Christ
II. The Problem of the Missing Christ
43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
After the Passover, Joseph and Mary began their journey back home to Nazareth.
They never realized that Jesus wasn’t with them.
Since they would have been travelling with a group of friends and family, no doubt would have thought that He was with someone in the group.
They had already gone a day’s journey before they realized He wasn’t with them.
They would have had to travel a days journey back to get Him.
Verse 46 tells us that that after three days they found Him in the Temple.
Jesus didn’t disobey by staying, His parents just assumed He was with them.
How often do we assume that Jesus is “with us” in our plans, only to realize we have lost sight of Him?
Dwight L. Moody once said, “If you don’t get alone with God, you’ll drift.”
Like Mary and Joseph, we can move through life, assuming God is with us, but drift away from a true connection with Him.
It’s only by consistently "abiding in the vine" that we grow spiritually (John 15:4).
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
After three days of searching, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the Temple, engaging with the teachers.
Even at twelve, Jesus was focused on His Father’s work, asking questions, listening, and teaching.
Imagine the amazement of those learned scholars as Jesus conversed with them.
Here was a young boy, but He spoke with a wisdom beyond His years.
When Mary and Joseph found Jesus it seems that Mary forgot he was the Son of God, and in her concern she scolded him.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
Jesus was never lost; He was in the temple sitting among the doctors of the Law, very much aware of His own identity as the Son of God.
This is the last time that Joseph is mentioned in the Jesus’ life.
some scholars think he may have died during Jesus’ teen years.
At the age of twelve a Jewish male was called a son of the law.
Since Jesus was twelve at this time, He was now responsible for His own actions according to the Law.
Among the doctors of the Law could have been men like Gamaliel (the teacher of Paul), Nicodemus and Caiphas, the future high priest.
You would think they would have remembered Jesus, when He showed back up…but it doesn’t seem they did.
Spurgeon noted, “He who does not long to know more of Christ, knows nothing of Him yet.”
Jesus' desire to understand the Scriptures and converse about His Father’s will was unmistakable.
How much more should we seek to understand the Word, to dive deeply into its riches!
This account shows us that while we may lose sight of Jesus, He is always exactly where He should be—in the place of worship, fulfilling His Father’s will.
May we not become so focused on our plans that we lose sight of Him.
When we seek Him, we find that He is waiting, ready to restore and teach us.
III. The Presentation of the Messiah, Christ
III. The Presentation of the Messiah, Christ
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
The first recorded words of Jesus declared His entire purpose.
This purpose was to accomplish His Father’s Will.
Notice two things here:
A. He Calls God His Father
A. He Calls God His Father
When Mary and Joseph questioned Jesus, He responded,
“Didn’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
This was the first recorded instance where Jesus declared His divine identity.
Jesus didn’t refer to Joseph as His father but spoke directly of His heavenly Father.
In calling God His Father, Jesus announced who He was—the promised Messiah, the Son of God.
This was just the first of many times that Jesus would reference His identity as God’s Son.
30 I and my Father are one.
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.
B. His Life Focused on the Father’s Will
B. His Life Focused on the Father’s Will
Jesus’ words reveal His purpose: to fulfill His Father’s mission.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus would say again and again that He must do the work the Father had given Him (John 4:34, John 9:4).
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
His life was entirely dedicated to God’s purpose, a focus that should inspire our devotion as well.
In our lives, we should strive to be about the Father’s business.
The life of missionary David Livingstone illustrates this devotion well.
Livingstone once said, “I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward.”
He spent his life traveling the unknown reaches of Africa, driven by a desire to share the gospel.
In his last moments, Livingstone was found on his knees, having died in prayer.
His heart, like Christ’s, was consumed with the Father’s business.
Are we willing to be wholly devoted to God, as Livingstone was, with a heart prepared to go forward, no matter the cost?
The people of Africa wanted Livingston to be buried in Africa with them, but England wanted his body back.
In compromise, the people of Africa asked for them to leave his heart, so that they could bury his heart in Africa, where it had been for so many years.
That shows a glowing example of being busy about the Father’s business!
And yet, Luke tells us in verse 51 that Jesus was subject unto Joseph and Mary.
Even though He was Creator God, Jesus submitted Himself to His earthly parents.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we look at the example of Jesus in the Temple, we are reminded of three important questions:
Are we prioritizing family worship?
Mary and Joseph made it a priority to teach Jesus the ways of God.
Are we doing the same for our families?
Are we abiding with Jesus?
Joseph and Mary assumed Jesus was with them, only to realize they had left Him behind.
Are we walking closely with Jesus, or have we wandered, assuming He’s in our plans?
Are we about the Father’s business?
Jesus’ purpose was clear from the beginning, and He lived to fulfill His Father’s will.
Are we committed to the Father’s business in our own lives, pursuing His will in everything we do?
May God help us prioritize worship, abide in His presence, and dedicate our lives to His work.
Let’s strive to follow the example of Jesus, our Savior, who as a young boy already knew and declared, “I must be about my Father’s business.”
The pull of the world is strong, but God has saved us to a life of service to Him.
Are you actively involved in the ministry at the local church?
Let’s get busy being about our Father’s business!