Jesus’ Childhood

As a family, read Luke 2:41-52 together. Afterwards, share the following discussion. 

What happened?

When Jesus was twelve years old, He and his family traveled about eighty miles from their hometown in Nazareth to the city of Jerusalem to attend the Passover festival.  It probably took about three days for them to get there.  After the seven-day celebration was over, the family started home, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem – without His parents knowing.  Eventually, they realized He was missing.  Imagine what Mary and Joseph must have felt in that moment.  They were chosen by the Creator of the universe to raise the Son of God, and somehow, they managed to lose Him!  Needless to say, they were probably quite frazzled as they began to search for Him among their relatives and friends.  When they still couldn’t find Him, they finally returned to Jerusalem to search for Him there.

After three days of looking and retracing their steps, Mary and Joseph finally discovered Him in the temple sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions.  Mary was upset with Him for making them so worried, but Jesus said, “Why did you need to search?  Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”  They then returned home to Nazareth, where Jesus grew in four key areas of life.  He grew in wisdom, in stature, in favor with God, and in favor with the people around him.

Why is this important to us today?

Those who heard Jesus in the temple were amazed at His answers and His understanding of the Scriptures. Even at a young age, Jesus provided a wonderful example for all young people to follow. His priority was to know and do the will of His Father in Heaven. As He was growing up, He studied the Scriptures, was obedient to His parents, and learned a skill to support Himself.  As He grew physically, He also grew in wisdom, in His relationship with His Father, and in His relationships with the people around Him. Since this passage of Scripture is the only account that we have of Jesus’ early years, we don’t have many details of His youth. However, we do know that He lived a perfect life, because eighteen years later, His Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Spend a few minutes talking about what you just read by answering these questions together:

1. Why do you think Jesus chose to stay behind in Jerusalem?

2. How did the time Jesus spent in the temple help Him grow?

3. How are you making God’s Word and knowing His will a priority?

How can we better follow God this week?

Invite family members to talk about how they are making their faith their own.  Does each person have a time set aside to read the Bible and pray? Does each person actively listen during the church service?  Taking notes, asking questions, reading and re-reading can help us personalize and apply all that we learn from God’s Word. Then, like Jesus, we too will grow in wisdom, in our relationship with God, and in our connections with the people around us.  What will you do differently this week in order to grow in wisdom and in your relationships with God and the people around you?