In My Father's House (part 1)

But He replied, “Why were you looking for Me? Didn’t you know that I must be in My Father’s house?” – Luke 2:49 (NET)

As we read through the Gospel of Luke, it is worthwhile and necessary to keep in mind the purpose behind his writing. He begins with a declaration that he is going “to write an orderly account” (1:3) of “the things that have been fulfilled among us (1:1). Luke, quite naturally (like the rest of the New Testament authors), always has the crucifixion and the Resurrection in view. That view colors all that he writes and all of the material that he presents. The recipient of his writing, the Roman official to whom Luke refers as “most excellent Theophilus” (1:3), is not receiving new information from Luke, but rather, confirmation of the story, that he may “know for certain” (1:4) the things that he had been taught. Presumably, Theophilus had been instructed concerning the crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus (the main emphasis of the message of the Gospel), so as he reads, he is not being introduced to Jesus little by little, only to be met with a surprise twist at the end of the story. What he knows about Jesus is also going to influence the way that he reads the story, with the seminal events of crucifixion and Resurrection not far from his thoughts.

So with a consideration of these things concerning author and reader, it will be useful and beneficial for us to also have the crucifixion and Resurrection at the forefront of our thoughts, influencing our reading of the text, thereby enabling us to find those things throughout the whole of the writing, rather than only at the end of the book, or only when Jesus speaks of His death and Resurrection. It makes perfect sense to be able to read the crucifixion and Resurrection, and even the rest of the Gospel message that Jesus is King and Lord of all things, into the text whenever possible, especially as we consider that it is the Gospel itself that is the saving and transformative power of God. Luke wants to aid us in this exercise. To this end, we are going to take a look at the story of Jesus in the Temple. This story occurs after a significant chronological leap in the text, as it follows immediately upon that section of Luke’s Gospel that is known as the “birth narrative.” In the narrative that leads up to the Temple story, we learn about the prophecy of John the Baptist’s birth, his father’s (Zechariah) being unable to speak because he did not believe the words of the angel Gabriel, and the announcement to Mary that she was going to give birth to the Messiah.

We pause briefly here to make an interesting comparison and contrast between Zechariah and Mary. When Zechariah hears the words of Gabriel, informing him that his wife is going to give birth to a son, he replies by saying, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well” (1:18). Gabriel responds by saying, “because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place” (1:20). When Gabriel tells Mary “Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus” (1:31), Mary responds with “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” (1:34) Effectively, Zechariah and Mary ask the same question. In response, Zechariah loses the ability to speak, whereas Mary is given a positive affirmation and further revelation from the angel.

Returning to the review of the birth narrative, following Gabriel’s visit to Mary, we read about Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, Mary’s hymn of praise to the Lord after the blessing from Elizabeth that was inspired by the Holy Spirit, the birth of John, the restoration of Zechariah’s speech and his subsequent prophecy, the birth of Jesus, the visit of the shepherds, Jesus’ presentation at the Temple, the prophecy of Simeon, and the words of the prophetess Anna. Near the end of the birth narrative, we hear some troubling words from Simeon. He says, “Listen carefully: This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. Indeed, as a result of Him the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed---and a sword will pierce your own soul as well!” (2:34b-35) A sword will pierce her soul “as well”? Mary knew that the Messiah that has been born to her is destined for glory and redemption for Israel, so what is this talk of swords and pierced souls? As Theophilus reads this, he knows that Luke is referring to the crucifixion to come, as Luke skillfully weaves this into his text.

Then, we come upon the aforementioned chronological leap. Luke quickly jumps ahead twelve years to present the story of Jesus in the Temple, before skipping over another eighteen years or so, which marks the beginning of the third chapter and the longer narrative of the ministry of Jesus. Why the chronological divisions? To answer that, we return to the purpose of Luke’s writing and the fact that he is always keeping the crucifixion and the Resurrection in view. He wants to tell stories about Jesus that draws the attention of his reader to the event that would be referred to by the author of Hebrews as “the consummation of the ages” (9:26). To that end, Luke has already successfully brought the mind of his reader into a contemplation of the crucifixion with his birth narrative, and now, he will attempt to accomplish the same, with an inclusion of the Resurrection and Jesus’ Lordship, with the story of Jesus in the Temple.