Jesus was "Home Alone" in His Father's house before Macaulay Culkin was. LOL
Posted on 12/20/2022 6:27:02 AM PST by sodpoodle
Remarkably, Luke 2:39–52 is the only passage that records anything that happened during Jesus’ young years. From the time of His infancy until His introduction to Israel when He was twenty-nine, the Bible gives only this story. However, we learn much about Jesus as a young person in these few verses.
JESUS DEVELOPED SPIRITUALLY DURING HIS PRETEEN YEARS. Of the first eleven years of His life, the Bible simply says, “The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40).
There are four concentric rings describing the situations in which youth learn discipline and obedience:
the home, school, society, and church What one is taught about obeying parents will have a lot to do with success in life. In the early years, children learn what it means to respect authority and to honor superiors. It is said that
from ages 1 to 6 a child forms attitudes; from 6 to 12 he forms habits; and from 12 to 18 he forms character. These years pass quickly and can never be revisited. Once the child has passed through them, the opportunity to accomplish good results is largely gone forever. The poet expressed it:
I saw tomorrow look at me, From little children’s eyes, And thought how carefully we would teach If we were really wise.
Parents have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference. A child is awake 60,000 hours by the time he is twelve. Of these, he spends about 5,000 in school, about 2,500 in Bible class and worship (if he never missed a service) and 53,000 hours at home.
JESUS FOLLOWED THE EXAMPLE OF HIS PARENTS. “His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover” (Luke 2:41), and Jesus went with them (2:42). Jewish law required all males twelve and older to attend three annual feasts (Deuteronomy 16:16)—Pentecost, Tabernacles, and Passover. The attendance of females was not forbidden or required (cf. 1 Samuel 1:7, 22, 24). Perhaps Joseph went to all three and Mary went only to the Passover, the greatest of the feasts.
This was Jesus’ first Passover to participate, for a Jewish boy was regarded as “a son of the law” at twelve; that is, at this “Bar Mitzvah” He began to obey religious duties as an adult. At that age, children were thought to be able to “hear with understanding” (Nehemiah 8:2). Though many left after two days, Jesus’ family stayed the week. They must have enjoyed worshiping and were in no hurry to leave.
JESUS AND HIS PARENTS HAD MISUNDERSTANDINGS. “And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried” (Luke 2:43). “Joseph and his mother knew not of it” (2:43).
Joseph and Mary supposed Jesus was somewhere in the group heading back home. Friends and relatives traveled together to and from Passover—whole villages often went together. It was a happy, festive time. Since women traveled more slowly than men, they started first and the men caught up with them late in the day. Older children had freedom to play together.
Joseph likely thought Jesus was with Mary (probably had been in previous years), and Mary thought He was with Joseph (she assumed He would now want to travel with the men). When they first missed Him, they must have thought He was somewhere nearby playing with other children. When Jesus did not show up as expected, “They sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.” They must have run through the crowd asking, “Have you seen our Son?” or, “Is Jesus with your children?”
When they did not find Him, they turned back to where they had last seen Him. It took a day to return, so when they got to Jerusalem, He had been missing two days. (A “day’s journey” was twenty to thirty miles depending on the water supply and terrain.) Jerusalem was a big, crowded city during Passover, and it was not until “after three days they found him in the temple” (2:46).
Merry Christmas and God Bless.
Jesus was "Home Alone" in His Father's house before Macaulay Culkin was. LOL
In those days, the modern notion of a goofy “teenager” did not exist. You were either a boy or a man. And dissing your parents could get you stoned.
He also learned a useful trade.
Jesus was obviously already mature and independent at the time of this vignette, but why would He allow his parents to leave town without him? Given that He did nothing without forethought and meaning, He might have been sending a message to Mary and Joseph (and us) about His future and destiny. But then, who knows?
As some Bible scholars have said, much about Jesus in the Bible is still very mysterious...and this adds to the authority of the Bible because no one would have composed a fiction like this. It leaves the reader hanging with more questions than it answers. In other words, like fact, not fiction (i.e., it is what it is).
He went to the movies and then like a lot of boys his age, wanted to become Top Gun.
Little did he know at the time... 😎
Scripture doesnt tell us if He was punished or what else Mary and Joseph said.However I find it very telling that He never left again till He was 30,,,,
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