In My Father's House (part 3)

When Jesus’ parents found Him in the Temple courts, not only did they observe that He was asking questions, but they were also able to see that He was able to interact with the teachers. Luke writes, “And all who heard Jesus were astonished at His understanding and His answers” (2:47). This is indeed quite remarkable for a twelve-year-old. Now, it is one thing to be able to ask an intelligent question, and quite another to be able to make informed inquiries based upon the answers provided. It is unlikely that these teachers were actually asking Jesus questions in order to solicit His opinions, but rather, that His “answers” were along the lines of additional, probing questions. Quite simply, a boy would not presume to instruct a group of teachers, nor would a group of teachers in that day, regardless of how astonished they might be at His instruction, sit and listen. It is quite reasonable to think in this way, as it would be in the mold of what we see throughout the records of Jesus’ ministry. While Jesus would teach, quite often, the teaching would be prompted by a question that has been put to Him, or Jesus would receive a question, and in response, posit an additional question.

While the teachers and others present were being astonished at Jesus, “When His parents saw Him, they were overwhelmed” (2:48a). Of course they were overwhelmed, and upon locating Him, there would be a veritable flood of emotions. They had been searching for Jesus for three days. The entire time, quite naturally, imagining that the worst possible things have happened to Him. Not only was there the natural fears associated with not being able to find one’s child, Mary had the additional knowledge of all of the prophecies concerning Jesus, beginning with the angel Gabriel, ringing in her ears. One is left only to wonder if Mary, in her distress, enlisted the help of as many people as possible in her search for her missing Son. Her cries of “have you seen my boy?” might serve to elicit sympathy and assistance from the people in Jerusalem, but the addition of “He’s supposed to be the messiah” could have been quite the effective tool to gain greater attention for her plight.

With a very human response that can be understood by anybody that has ever “misplaced” a child, for three minutes or three days, “His mother said to Him, ‘Child, why have You treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously’.” (2:48b) Relief of fear is not the only thing that Mary is feeling right now. She expresses a bit of anger. We can easily identify with this, and putting ourselves in Mary’s place, we would probably add things like “Why did you do that? Why did you leave the group? Don’t ever do that again. Your father and I were worried sick. You could have been lying dead in a ditch somewhere. We called the police and the hospitals. You have no idea what you have put us through.” It is also unlikely that Jesus was ever allowed to forget this incident. Every time Jesus would go out of the house to play with His friends, Mary would be sure to ask Him where He was going, how long He would be gone, and probably given Him detailed instructions about when He needed to return to the house, with whom He could speak, and so forth. We can even envision the scene at home with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, as Jesus is given an assignment to fetch supplies for Joseph’s business. Inevitably, He hears something like, “Go right there, get what we need, and come right back. Remember what happened that one time we went to Jerusalem.” Indeed, at the close of the incident, Luke tells us that “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. But His mother kept all these things in her heart” (2:51). This echoes Luke’s previous statement about Mary treasuring up in her heart and pondering the events surrounding Jesus’ birth (2:19).

Now, of course this “keeping in the heart” included the answer that Jesus gave to His parents when they found Him. After His mother’s question to Him that is an understandable mix of relief and anger, Jesus, with what might be understood as a degree of exasperation, replied “Why were you looking for Me? Didn’t you know that I must be in My Father’s house?” (2:49) Though Mary knows, from Gabriel’s announcement to her, that Jesus would be called “the Son of the Most High” (1:32), and “the Son of God” (1:35), both of which were terms for Israel’s king, and though she has located Jesus in the Temple of that Most High God that is referenced in those titles, as would happen so many times throughout His life, especially with His disciples, “His parents did not understand the remark He made to them” (2:50). As we make the transition to analyzing this particular story, wearing spectacles that will allow us to see the crucifixion and the Resurrection embedded here in the tale, where do we most often find, in the Gospel accounts, remark’s indicating that Jesus has not been understood? We find them precisely at those places where Jesus speaks to His disciples about His upcoming crucifixion and Resurrection.