Why Is the Story of Mary and Joseph Finding the Twelve-Year-Old Jesus in the Temple Told in the Bible? I never understood

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I have long wondered why this passage is important enough to be in the Bible. We don't
know much about his life for his first decades, but this is singled out.

When Mary and Joseph were going home to Nazareth in a family group, they realized Jesus, then 12 years old, wasn’t with them. After searching for him for 3 days in Jerusalem, they finally found him in the Temple.

This is told in the Gospel of Luke 2:41-51:
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; 43 and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the company they went a day’s journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; 47 and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” 49 And he said to them, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
 
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mdgspencer said:
And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
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This is probably one of the most important verses in the text.

It also shows how Jesus was learning and it constitutes a joy and sorrow of Mary’s so it is very important to meditate on the mystery.
 
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Why did Mary and Joseph find Jesus when Herod’s troops could not? Because they searched for Him with pure hearts. To find Jesus is truly one of the greatest joys we may know, because only He can satisfy the longings of our heart. And it is also our duty as we strive toward sainthood.
 
Actually as to why, I guess you’d have to ask the author. I think possibly because it has a somewhat prophetic ring to it, showing the wisdom of the boy and how, it prefigures all that Jesus would prophesize in the future. And it somehow, at least to me, makes the jump from infant in a manger to a 30 year old being baptized in the Jordan, with nothing in between, a bit more credible.
And, I think it shows a facet of the patience God has with man. Especially the “and he was obedient to them” phrase.
 
In his gospel, Luke is appealing to a Gentile audience that likely found it difficult to defend or explain that Jesus could be divine and human, the son of God. This seems to be why Luke emphasizes the virgin birth to the degree that he does. It strengthens Luke’s claim that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, by demonstrating that not only was Jesus born of woman through the power of the Holy Spirit, but that even at a young age, Jesus was aware of his vocation and lineage. Also, it seems to indicate the Luke had close access to the testimony of Mary since he mentions her so prominently alongside of personal testimony that only she would be able to provide. Luke loves namedropping. You see prominent early Christians throughout his gospel rendering details not found in the other gospels such as Mary, Rufus and Alexander, etc. It helps to give Luke’s gospel the authentic feel that we recognize today.
 
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My take…

The jews believed God dwelled in the temple and the temple would have been destroyed at this time - so - after 3 days, a reference to the 3 days between crucification to resurrection, they found him in the temple, a reference to Jesus being present in the tabernacle as God was in the temple.

Peace!!!
 
Luke undoubtedly got the information from Mary after the resurrection. Probable in the upper room. Can’t you imagine all the questions about Jesus that were ask? This was of course an event very important to Mary etch in her mind. to think loosing the son of God for 3 days? As others have said the story is a prophecy.
 
Yeah, aside from its being a nice human glimpse into what Jesus was like as an adolescent, Mary losing Jesus for 3 days in Jerusalem and finding him again is an obvious foreshadowing of decades later when she “loses” him to death for 3 days and then finds him again.
 
It also shows that even at 12 Jesus had a sense of who His Father really was and what His future mission would be.

But I love especially his very teenage-boy response to Mary’s concern - “why were you looking for me?”. I can almost see Him rolling His eyes as He says it.
 
Not likely. St Luke also wrote Acts which ends around early 60s AD with St Paul’s imprisonment. So it is likely that St Luke wrote his gospel before 70 AD.
 
Agree with this! I find myself chuckling at this line!
The story also shows that Jesus clearly knew at age 12 who his real father was as well as his mission. And what I meditate most on is the phrase about Mary and Joseph, “they did not understand a word he said.” It is a curious line, but it has helped me see that even this holy couple did not have any clue at times what God was doing and had to live in faith and trust. Just like us.
 
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At the age of 12 a boy would still be seen as a child. When turning 13 he would be considered an adult with adult responsibilities regarding living the faith.
 
These passages show the humanity of Jesus and Mary. It highlights that they did understand who Jesus was and his mission fully…
 
It also shows that even the best people can go astray. Mary and Joseph, surely the best people, walked away from Jesus for a day before they realized they were walking away from him.

Patrick
AMDG
 
I guess that sort of thing wouldn’t happen in todays world…can anyone here imagine not knowing for a full day where your child was
 
There are several factors in that verse.
At the age of 12 to 14 or so according to Jewish culture and tradition, Jesus would be considered a man.
That He was found in the Temple astonishing all the high priest with His knowledge of the O.T and understanding of it.
Three days and tree night as in prophecies being fulfilled and that which is to come.
When He was ‘found’ He conversed as a man and not as a child would.
A couple more, but they have been covered.
And as an observation: All mothers(well, most) sort of think of their sons as their "BABIES’ no matter how old they get.
 
Peebo said:
I guess that sort of thing wouldn’t happen in todays world…can anyone here imagine not knowing for a full day where your child was
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They each thought he was with the other parent, or with other family/friends in the caravan. Things like that do happen today when parents are busy or distracted. Of course it is a horror when they find out he is not with either. All parents can relate to how awful it must have felt.
 
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I like this answer.

The only way they could crucify him was by him willingly allowing it.
 
Dan_Defender said:
Not likely. St Luke also wrote Acts which ends around early 60s AD with St Paul’s imprisonment. So it is likely that St Luke wrote his gospel before 70 AD.
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This is more likely however, 30 years after the resurection and the Jews still beliving in the presence of God of the temple as Jews did, I’m sure caused the Christian writer to revisit where God dwells from a Christian point of view.

Peace!!!
 
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