Every year, Jewish believers desired to celebrate the Passover. Jesus' hometown of Nazareth was about 80 miles from the Temple. The narrative in Luke 2:41-52 likely did not describe Jesus' first Passover trip to Jerusalem; but at age 12, He was finally old enough to take His place as a law.
At the age of twelve, Jesus was on the cusp of Jewish manhood, a time when a boy would begin to take on more religious responsibilities and prepare for his Bar Mitzvah, which traditionally occurs at age thirteen. Significance of the Temple: The temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship and religious life. First, Theophilus should understand that Jesus knew and loved the law from an early age, and that in the very city where he was lynched 20 years later, he was approved at the age of 12.
Or perhaps he wasn't approved. You can be astonished at something you don't like. Maybe the teachers of the law did not care for the implications of Jesus' answers; but then a 12 year old is no threat.
They can. Why Did Jesus Go to the Temple at Age 12? "After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers." - Luke 2:46-47, ESV Today, we come to one of the most unique and puzzling passages in the Gospels.
The period between the ages of 12 and 30 in Jesus ' life is often referred to as the "silent years" because the New Testament provides little information about what Jesus did during this time. The Gospels focus primarily on His birth, a brief account of His visit to the temple at age 12, and then pick up the narrative again at the beginning of His public ministry around the age of 30. Jesus stayed behind at the temple when he was age 12.
This is the only fixed event in his life (besides his birth) when we know his age with certainty. He explained to his mother that if she (and we) knew him we'd know he had to be in his "father's house." This was the reason he had to stay behind in this particular year. If we can figure out the riddle we'll know the specific year of.
The Boy Jesus at the Temple - 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. There is a special significance to Jesus' journey to Jerusalem at the age of twelve. While his parents believed he was on their way back home, Jesus stayed at the temple, fully engaged with the teachers.
After three days of anxious searching, His parents found Him in the temple courts, astonishing the teachers with His knowledge and responses. Jesus stayed behind for a tutorial with the Temple rabbis and teachers, who were amazed by the boy's level of understanding. At twelve years of age, a Jewish boy could start his training to become a rabbi, which would be completed at around the age of thirty if he was sufficient academically to finish.
I. Who was Jesus and why was he in the temple at age 12? Jesus, also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, is a central figure in Christianity and is believed by Christians to be the Son of God and the awaited Messiah.