3. The Boy in the Temple
We begin this chapter with the story of a young Jewish woman who journeyed to the temple in Jerusalem with her husband for a great festival, only to end up leaving their son in the temple when they traveled back home. You may be thinking that we are discussing the story of how Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem and did not realize that the boy Jesus had stayed behind in the temple when they started the journey home (Luke 2:43-46). But we are not discussing Jesus yet – we are thinking of the young Samuel who the Old Testament tells us was brought to the temple by his parents Hannah and Elkanah (1 Samuel 1:24-28; 2:18-19). Patterns If we look carefully, we can recognize in the story given to us in Luke's Gospel a clear pattern established in the earlier story of Samuel. Mary's song, when she became pregnant (Luke 1:46-55), is similar to the song of Hannah regarding her pregnancy (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Mary and her husband devoutly made yearly trips to the temple (Luke 2:41), just as Hannah and her husband did (1 Samuel 1:3, 7). The young Jesus may have come to understand his calling in the house of God (Luke 2:46-47) just as the young Samuel did (1 Samuel 3), and Jesus is said to have been busy doing his Father's work in the temple (Luke 2:49 NKJV), just as the young Samuel also was doing God's work in God's house (1 Samuel 2:18). Finally, it is not coincidence that Luke tells us directly after this story that "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52), just as we are told "the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people" (1 Samuel 2:26). This does not mean that the story of the boy Jesus in the temple is the same as that of the young Samuel, of course, but that Luke tells his story in such a way as to show us that the young Jesus, like
Samuel, was someone set apart to do a special work for God. Luke also shows another similarity between the young Jesus and the young Samuel in the way the stories of both individuals show how they learned in the house of God.
The temple in Jerusalem was not only a place of sacrifices and prayer, but also a center of scriptural learning. Scribes copied the word of God there, and scholars discussed its meaning in the temple precincts (Luke 2:46). Those who went to the temple to sacrifice or pray might also stay longer to hear the Scriptures expounded and to learn – which is exactly what the young Jesus had done – and we see a parallel once again with the young Samuel: "The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word" (1 Samuel 3:21). Seeking Instruction Luke's account is the only gospel that adds this story of the transition between the childhood and ministry of Jesus, but the detailed nature of the narrative indicates that it was a significant event from which we can learn something.
Although the account of the young Jesus in the Temple is brief, it shows us the intense awareness of his mission the Son of God already had at the age of twelve. The evidence of later Jewish tradition indicates that in a devout family such as his, religious instruction for a boy would have become more intense at age twelve. But Luke shows this was Jesus seeking instruction rather than passively accepting it, and his questioning and answering of the temple scholars had evidently been going on for several days before his parents found him.
We should notice as well that when Luke tells us Jesus said he "had to be" in his Father's house, the Greek word dei he used means "to be under necessity" or "to be compelled" – it denotes not that he likely would be in the temple, but as an obedient son he must be there of necessity. The context shows us the compelling reason was that he might learn (Luke 2:46-47).
So Luke's story shows us that even by the age of twelve, Jesus knew there was a necessity to learn in order to do his Father's will. When we understand this, we see the connection between that need to learn and what Luke tells us next in his gospel – "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52).
It is so easy for us to read the gospels and to see the amazing understanding Jesus had of God's word – displayed time and again when people questioned him – and to somehow think of that as just a result of divine power or wisdom Jesus was given. But Luke's story of the boy in the temple shows us that Jesus, like all of us, had to learn, and that Jesus knew he must learn in order to fulfill his Father's will. Luke's story invites us to ask if we, as Christians, learn for that same reason. It prompts us to ask ourselves if we feel that we are also compelled to learn – in order to grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.