His Father’s House

• What do you think Jesus was like as a boy?

• Why do you suppose the Bible is almost completely silent about Jesus’ childhood?

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had tobe in my Father’s house?”
Luke 2:49

The Festival of Passover is one of the most important dates on the Jewish calendar. In Jesus’ day, the festival took place in Jerusalem, where thousands and thousands of Jewish people gathered to commemorate the holiday together.

When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents took him to Jerusalem for Passover. When his parents headed for home, they assumed Jesus was with someone else in their traveling party. He wasn’t.

An entire day passed with no sign of Jesus. Joseph and Mary got worried and returned to Jerusalem. It took them three days, but they finally found Jesus sitting among the teachers in the temple, listening to them and asking questions. Even the most educated teachers were amazed at Jesus’ knowledge and wisdom.

When Mary told Jesus that she and his stepfather had been searching for him, he asked, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” He wasn’t being rebellious or sarcastic. He was genuinely surprised. He clearly knew he had a special relationship with God; in fact, he may have known at this time who he was — God’s Son—and what was expected of him. No matter what he knew when, he always followed God’s perfect plan. And that’s why we celebrate him at Christmas.

PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for giving us Jesus’ story in your Word. Thank you that we can keep learning new things about him today, over two thousand years since he left the earth. Amen.