Obedience of the King

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”But they did not understand what he was saying to them.Luke 2:41-50

Joseph and Mary were by-the-book Jews. They also reared their children by the book, including the firstborn Who IS the book. This was Jesus' 11th or 12th Passover celebration in Jerusalem, so this annual festival was a familiar event for the family. The parents certainly trusted Jesus to be aware that the caravan was preparing to leave. But, one day out, "where is He? Not among the friends and relatives we travelled with! We must return to the city and find Him." This was NOT familiar, not knowing the whereabouts of their son.

They found Him, of course, deep in thoughtful discussion with the teachers at the Temple. This youth was coming into human maturity mentally, emotionally and doctrinally. This year He became a participant in the dialogue. He certainly would have known the right questions to ask, and would have known the accurate answers. He listened, He asked, He commented. If only the teachers could have realized with Whom they were speaking, they would have truly been awestruck. As it was, they were greatly impressed with the boy's obvious grasp of doctrinal truths. Mary reacted as any mother would, with scolding. Jesus seemed as astounded at their concern as they were at his apparent lack of attention to family details. ("How could they not know where I'd be? This is where I belong, among the teachers in My Father's House.")

Looks like what we have here, folks, is a failure to communicate. The Son was beginning to come into His calling, and the parents were just being parents. It was only a momentary glitch, however, and the son rejoined the parents for the return trip home. Anyone who thinks God the Son was an anti-establishment, anti-authoritarian rebel just doesn't know Him. Jesus IS the established authority of the universe. He is the author of the divine institutions (volition, marriage, family, nationalism). He IS the Word of God (John 1:1-14). The only law He rejected was that of man-made false religion, which He exposed as a Satanic trap.


Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:51-52