OET interlinear LUKE 2:50

Section 2:41–52: The boy Jesus spoke with the teachers

In this section, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. This may have been Jesus’ first time to go there for Passover. While Jesus was in Jerusalem, he went to the Temple and discussed religious matters with Jewish religious leaders.

When Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem to return to Nazareth, they traveled with a group of people. They did not realize that Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem and was not traveling with them. This may have happened because of the way Jews normally walked in smaller groups when they traveled together. The women and small children walked ahead since they traveled more slowly. A boy normally traveled with his mother. But when he became a man, perhaps as early as twelve years old, he traveled with his father. So, as they returned from Jerusalem, Mary probably thought that Jesus was with Joseph, and Joseph may have thought that he was with Mary. Joseph and Mary traveled for a whole day before they realized that Jesus was not with them. The events in this section show three things:

1. Joseph and Mary did not know where Jesus was;

2. they did not know exactly what he was telling them when they found him;

3. by the age of twelve (or before), Jesus was aware that he was God’s Son.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Mary and Joseph Find Jesus With the Teachers in the Temple Courtyard (GW)

Jesus when he was twelve years old

But they did not understand the statement He was making to them.

• But Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus meant when he said this to them.

• But his parents did not comprehend the meaning of what he said to them.