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by John Petty, Progressive Involvement
Luke 2: 41-52
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.
42And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.
43When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed
behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.44Assuming that he was in
the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for
him among their relatives and friends. 45When they did not find him, they
returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46After three days they found him in
the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them
questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his
answers. 48When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to
him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have
been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49He said to them, “Why were you
searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50But
they did not understand what he said to them. 51Then he went down with them and
came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these
things in her heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine
and human favor.
Translation:
And his parents were going to Jerusalem every year to the feast of passover. And
when he was of twelve years, they went up according to the custom of the feast.
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus
stayed behind in Jerusalem, and his parents did not know. But supposing him to
be in the caravan, they went a day's way, and they were seeking him in the
relatives and acquaintances. And they did not find, (and) they returned into
Jerusalem, seeking him. And it happened after three days, they found him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, and listening to them, and asking
them questions. But all the ones hearing him were astonished on his
understanding and his decisions.
And seeing him, they were exceedingly struck in mind and his mother said to him,
"Child, why have you done so to us? Behold, your father and I have been seeking
you sorrowing." He said to them, "Why were you seeking me? Did you not know that
it is necessary for me to be in the things of my father?" And they did not
understand the word he said to them. And he went down with them and they came
into Nazareth and he was subject to them. And his mother kept all the words in
her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and maturity, and grace from God and
humanity.
Background and situation:
The text marks the close of the introductory portion of Luke gospel, his
"Christmas cycle," which had begun in the first chapter, discussed the
conceptions of both John the Baptist and Jesus, the births of John the Baptist
and Jesus, the subsequent circumcision and naming of Jesus, and his presentation
in the Temple.
As is well-known, our text this week is the only episode from the childhood of
Jesus in the canonical scriptures. In fact, it is the only episode from the life
of Jesus between about two years of age and the beginning of his public ministry
at about the age of thirty. (Other such stories do occur, however, in some
non-canonical writings, such as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, and others.)
In these opening chapters of Luke, Joseph and Mary are portrayed as especially
devout and righteous. They observe the rituals and devotional practices of their
people. They have just had Jesus circumsized (2:21) following which they are
said to have acted "according to the law" three times.
In this week's lection, Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph go to the passover
festival in Jerusalem "every year." This emphasis on their participation is
repeated in the next sentence, and Joseph and Mary are said to observe the
"custom of the feast."
With this accent on the family's religious devotion, Luke is saying that Jesus'
family life was oriented toward the purposes of God, and that the Jewish boy
Jesus grew up in a thoroughly Jewish world.
Seeking Jesus:
Yet, in verse 43, Jesus is also acting independently. His parents were on their
way home, but he stays in Jerusalem. His parents assume that he is with the
"caravan" of folks heading back north, yet, without informing them, Jesus has
apparently slipped away and stayed in the city.
Independent travel was dangerous, and people often traveled in groups, usually
with relatives. The entourage in this particular caravan included both
"relatives and acquaintances," which could mean a fairly large crowd.
Joseph and Mary don't miss Jesus for a whole day. When they realize he is
missing, they searched high and low in the group, then returned to Jerusalem.
This also means that if and when they do find Jesus, they will be traveling back
north by themselves, which was much more dangerous than traveling with a
caravan.
Twice, Joseph and Mary are said to be "seeking" Jesus. This puts Jesus' parents,
Joseph and Mary, in the same position as the rest of us. Later, "multitudes"
also seek Jesus (6:19). Later, Jesus will also say that those who "seek" will
find (11:9) and that we are to "seek" the kingdom of God, or the reign of God on
earth (12:31).
Joseph and Mary eventually found Jesus "in the midst of the teachers" at the
Temple. In popular understanding, this is sometimes portrayed as a situation
where Jesus lectures the teachers. Yet, according to Luke, it is not strictly a
one-way conversation. However precocious Jesus might have been, he is not
portrayed as having all the answers. He is specifically said to have "listened"
to the teachers, and was asking them questions.
In turn, "all the ones hearing him"--presumably bystanders as well as
teachers--are "astonished" (existemi). The transitive use of existemi indicates
that they were moved from one condition to another, i.e. their minds were
changed at Jesus' "understanding" and "his decisions (apokrisis)." (Apokrisis is
formed from krisis, which means "separation" or "crisis," to which is appended
the prefix apo, which means "from." Literally, apokrisis is "from separation" or
"from crisis"--hence, a "decision" or an "answer.")
At this point, after looking for him "for three days," Joseph and Mary finally
find Jesus. "Seeing him," Joseph and Mary were, literally, "struck in mind"--ekplesso,
struck intensively, astonished. "Child," Mary says, "Why have you done so to us?
Behold, your father and I have been seeking you sorrowing."
For the third time, Joseph and Mary are said to be "seeking," but this time they
do so "sorrowing." They were "seeking" him and anticipating the worst.
Mary's remark is a reproach. She identifies Jesus as a "child" for whom she and
his "father" (Joseph) have been searching. Indeed, she prefaces her final
reproach with "behold," which is an intensification, and specifically oriented
toward the pain Jesus has caused his parents.
In the context of a traditional middle-eastern family of the time, which valued
loyalty and family solidarity above all else, Jesus has shown disrespect to the
family by going off on his own. Mary puts him in his place.
But Jesus won't stay there. He responds, "Why were you seeking me? Did you not
know that it is necessary for me to be in the things of my father?" These are
the first words spoken by Jesus in Luke's gospel. As such, they carry special
import.
Why were they seeking him? As his parents, they were, quite understandably, very
worried. Luke tells us they were seeking him out of a sense of fear and loss. In
other words, Joseph and Mary thought Jesus was the one who was lost! (Later,
Luke will tell us that Jesus came "to seek and save the lost" (19:10) which is
all of us and not him!)
The second sentence is difficult. It is usually translated as NRSV does: "Did
you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” The problem is that the word
"house" does not actually appear in the Greek text.
It is not entirely clear how the sentence should read. Literally, we have: "in
the ____ of my Father it is necessary that I be." Something is missing in
English which would be understood in Greek. Tannehill says the expression could
refer to "house", but it could also refer to "things" or "business" or
"interests" (p. 76).
One thing is clear, however. The word dei is used, which means "it is
necessary." Luke uses the word in certain special cases. Jesus "must" proclaim
the good news (4:43). He "must" undergo suffering (9:22). In this case, he
"must" be about "his father," meaning God and not Joseph. This is what Joel
Green calls "the primary issue" of the text:
Who is Jesus' father? To whom does he owe primary allegiance?
Jesus' aligning himself first with God's aim comes to the fore especially
through his use of the expression "it is necessary"--employed regularly
throughout Luke-Acts as an indicator of salvation-historical necessity. (p. 156)
Mary and Joseph do not understand "the word" (rhema) Jesus said to them. Yet, it
is clear that things are radically changed. At the beginning of the story,
Joseph and Mary do the action. They go to Jerusalem. They "went up." They "were
returning." It is only then that Jesus is even mentioned as having been present.
Yet, after the dialog between Mary and Jesus, it is suddenly Jesus who is the
actor. "He went down with them" back to Nazareth. Something has changed on the
basis of that dialog. Jesus has disconnected himself from his father Joseph and
aligned himself with the purposes of his father God. From that position, he
leads Joseph and Mary back to Galilee.
That point having been made, "he was subject to them." Jesus is again portrayed
as being loyal to his family, but not until after having established that his
true allegiance is to God which supercedes even the allegiance given to his
family.
The story completes the early identification of Jesus in Luke's gospel. Gabriel
had told Mary that her child would be "holy," and would be "Son of God" (1:35).
He was identified as "holy" in 2:23. Now, in this episode, he is identified as
God's Son.
51b-52: "And his mother kept all the words in her heart. And Jesus increased in
wisdom and maturity, and grace from God and humanity." The verse forms a
"bookend" with verse 40: "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the grace of God was upon him."
The summary verse 40 refers to the years between Jesus' birth and this episode.
The summary verse 51 refers to the years between this episode and his public
ministry. In each case, Jesus grew in "wisdom," and, in each case, the "grace"
of God was upon him.
Finally, one notes that Joseph and Mary search for Jesus for "three days." When
an early Christian heard the phrase "for three days," one of their first
associations would have been to think "resurrection." Jesus had been raised from
the dead after "three days." Virtually every first century Christian would have
made this association automatically. This would indicate that the story should
be understood and seen in light of the resurrection.
In the resurrection, the new family of God supercedes one's earthly family. In
the resurrection, Jesus' conversation and dialog "in the midst" of the teachers
in the Temple is a portrayal of life in the new world of God wherein the
hallowed place of tradition--the Temple--is transformed into a place where Jesus
is now in the center. From that position, he is in dialog with the tradition,
yet with new and astonishing understanding, so much so that the teachers of the
tradition look upon him with respect and astonishment.
See Also:
Sermons, Bible Commentaries and Bible Analyses for the 1st Sunday after Christmas
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