Jesus as a Boy in the Temple

[Fifty-Fourth in a series of posts on Bible Stories] Encore Post: Passover is the highest holy day in Judaism. The Old Testament required all of God’s people to celebrate Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles in Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17), but many could not afford to be there more than once a year. Since entire communities would make the trip, they tended to travel in caravans, making the trip a joyful, almost continuous picnic.

A boy’s twelfth year is a year of joyful study. When Jesus grew up, twelve-year-old boys studied God’s word so that they could become a Bar Mitzvah — a son of God’s covenant. When they were ready, they would read a passage from the Bible in Hebrew during a Sabbath service in the synagogue on a Saturday. To do that, he had to learn to recite almost the whole Bible by heart. Once he completed the reading, everyone considered him a spiritual adult.

Since most Jewish people were in Jerusalem for Passover, it was the custom of the faith’s leading rabbis to gather in Solomon’s Porch — the courtyard Herod the Great had built around the temple proper — to teach. Jesus stayed behind in the temple to listen to them. The disciples of these teachers asked them questions. The teacher would ask the disciple a question. Once the student replied, the teacher would comment on the answer. Often these discussions were written down and studied as a part of the oral law — the Talmud.

The rabbis were very impressed with Jesus’ answers. They didn’t know how a young man from faraway Galilee could learn so much about the Torah. In the meantime, Mary, Joseph, and their families began the trip home to Nazareth. They assumed Jesus was with his cousins. When they couldn’t find him, they went looking for him. They found him at the temple.

When Jesus replied to Mary’s scolding, he revealed much about himself. First, he knew God was his Father. Second, that teaching was the family business that he would take up. Finally, in perfect obedience, he followed her instructions perfectly. In this one incident, we learn something important about Jesus’ nature. He is God and man at the same time.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

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