Finding Jesus in the Temple

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Praying the joyful mysteries today before mass -
I wondered if the Temple Priest actually let young Jesus
stay with them - for those three days ?

And I also, during my meditation, consider Nicodemus -
that maybe he was a young Temple Priest - say in his 30’s -
When Jesus was 12 - and sharing and asking questions.

Then 18 years later, they meetagain,
“ the wind blows where it may, so does the spirit of God “
 
I’m not sure Nicodemus was a priest (they could only be Levites). But he was a Pharisee…kind of a precursor to rabbis, not restricted to Levites. but it is nice thinking that maybe they could have crossed paths.

My understanding is that it was Passover, so it was possible Jesus could have gone unnoticed… since thousands of people entered the temple at that time of year.
 
I have often thought this statement may not be literal but allegory to the 3 days between Jesus death and resurrection and the timing of this writing with the destruction of the temple.

Jewish temple is destroyed for Jews = Jesus death for Christians

The Jews were reliant on the presence of God dwelling in the temple = Christians reliant on the presence God in Jesus and His resurrection is the rebuilding of the everlasting temple.

Peace!!!
 
It’s tough to imagine Jesus, 12 years old, ditching Mary and Joseph.
And his laconic reply, when found.

I also wonder where exactly Mary and Joseph looked -
They didnt look in a church, first ?

The fruit of the spirit in the rosary is piety - ?

Someone said to reflect upon - how we need to search for Jesus.
I thought that was pretty good.
 
This account highlights the Law inherent in the Person of Jesus. Jesus is the Law giver. According to the Law a a boy reached adulthood at 12 years, and was expected to carry out adult duties. For Jesus this wasn’t just a rule, it was the truth about Him. He had become an adult. He was no longer under the authority of Joseph and Mary. That’s why He stayed in Jerusalem and went about His mission in His Father’s house. He apparently thought that His parents would know the Law too. I’m sure it was a law obscured by custom and 12 year old’s were not treated as adults. The law may have been used to keep the wayward kids in line by that time.

Remember Jesus was a lad who never sinned. That may be why Mary had confidence that He was with relatives. She could rely on Jesus to do what He ought to do. He had never done otherwise. Imagine her shock when for the first time it seemed that Jesus had sinned against her and Joseph?

Jesus is the Law is highlighted in the description of His time at the Temple discussing the Law with the teachers of the Law. Also in the description of what happened in the Holy Family.

He would never again act under His own authority to begin His mission until He was authorized by His mother 18 years later.
 
Benadam said:
Imagine her shock when for the first time it seemed that Jesus had sinned against her and Joseph?
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Like the rest of your post, but not this line. I can’t imagine Mother Mary for a moment thinking her son might have sinned, no matter how strange the circumstance.
 
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Let us remember that the Gospels often present deeply rich symbolic action, but that does not mean it is not literal. It would be both deeply symbolic and literal.
 
Crocus said:
Like the rest of your post, but not this line. I can’t imagine Mother Mary for a moment thinking her son might have sinned, no matter how strange the circumstance.
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I think it seems possible. The scene seems highly charged. When Mary saw Jesus the emotion isn’t ‘relief’ or ‘joy’ Mary was astonished. Then she calls Him Child. Here He is acting like the adult He is.
What she say’s to Jesus, to me , is what someone who feels they’ve been wronged might say.

“Child, why have you treated us like this?
48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.
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“That you left without telling us?”

If it is a sin, it is because he did not tell them that he could be found in the temple if they were looking for him.
 
Reuben_J said:
That you left without telling us?”

If it is a sin, it is because he did not tell them that he could be found in the temple if they were looking for him.
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Oh no, I don’t think Jesus sinned Reuben… but that is a good point. Jesus assumed they would know where He was…🤔
“Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”[m] 50 But they did not understand what he said to them.
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He didn’t understand that they would even search for Him. He thought they would know He would be starting His mission.

They didn’t understand what He said to them. So a total disconnect going on.
 
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Benadam said:
He apparently thought that His parents would know the Law too. I’m sure it was a law obscured by custom and 12 year old’s were not treated as adults. The law may have been used to keep the wayward kids in line by that time.
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Very spot on… I hadn’t thought of that before, but that must be what it is. Custom clashing with a boy who can’t but help simply following God’s way instead.

No one is doing any wrong on either side… but it’s just misunderstanding.
 
Sorry, the thread title threw me, at first I thought someone was going into like a Greek or Buddhist temple and discovering Jesus somehow, and then I remembered the gospel story.

Anyhow, from what I know Mary and Joseph had a large group together with them, and everybody took turns looking after Jesus probably. They probably just thought he was with someone else I think.
 
I read somewhere, I think on this site, that by custom during a caravan journey the men and women were kept separate. The children could stay with either parent.
Yeshua was 12 years of age and might still have been considered a child. (In fact didn’t Mary address him as ‘child’ when they found him?)
It’s not unreasonable that each parent thought he was with the other at first.
 
This story is all the more remarkable to me as a teacher. Jesus was the age of a 7th grader. Ask any middle school teacher anywhere, and they will probably say that 7th graders are at a wacky stage. Sometimes their thought processes are not logical and there if very little thought given to consequences. While fully God, Jesus was also going through those development years of early adolescence. I don’t know if this explains the misunderstanding, but I think His response is very “adult” as another poster stated. He clearly has the knowledge of the law, but could also be navigating early puberty. I don’t recall which Pope said it, but he encouraged us to think of the Holy Family in real life terms -Mary nursing Jesus as an infant, Joseph teaching Jesus to be a carpenter, etc.
 
What the episode says to me are primarily two things worth meditating on. One, Jesus was fully aware of His mission and who His father was from his childhood on. Some theologians have argued that He didn’t know who He was–obviously not true. Second, Mary and Joseph were “astonished” here and elsewhere in the Gospels. They were often confused. That helps me a lot–even the parents of Jesus Himself had to take it day by day, trusting in God when they did not have the full picture. Just like us.
 
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