MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron
For the first twelve years of Jesus’ life, the Gospels give us only glimpses. Angels announce the birth, shepherds worship, wise men bring gifts, and Herod threatens His life. But near the end of Luke chapter 2, the narrative shifts: we move from what others say about Jesus to what He actually did. For the first time, it's possible to observe Jesus in action - growing, learning, questioning, and revealing a quiet but unmistakable sense of divine purpose.
After Joseph and Mary's flight to Egypt and their return to Nazareth, Luke offers two statements that frame our passage for this week. Both highlight the balance of Jesus' development:
- "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). And,
- “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people” (Luke 2:52).
Luke wants us to see that Jesus experienced genuine, normal human growth - physically, intellectually, spiritually, and socially. Jesus came as a helpless infant; he did not arrive fully developed or exempt from the slow process of maturing. He learned to walk, talk, read Scripture, obey His parents, and interact with neighbors and relatives. He ate, slept, played, listened, and observed. In every way, He was truly human.
Yet within that ordinary childhood, something extraordinary was unfolding. Today's scripture passage opens to a scene common to Jewish families, a Passover pilgrimage, made when Jesus was twelve (Luke 2:41-42). Custom required adult males to journey to Jerusalem, and many families brought their sons. Mary didn't have to go, but obviously took advantage of the opportunity.
After the holy days and feast, the large caravan of relatives and others from Nazareth headed home (verses 42-43). Thinking that Jesus was traveling with cousins or friends, Mary and Joseph were a full day's journey away before realizing He was missing. Panic set in.
They spent the second day retracing their steps, and the third day frantically searching through Jerusalem
(verses 46-47). Finally, they found Jesus in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening intently, asking probing questions, and giving answers that astonished everyone who heard Him. The teachers were rabbis accustomed to bright young students, yet they were amazed at His understanding and insight. Jesus was engaging them in dialogue, demonstrating spiritual wisdom beyond His years.
When Joseph and Mary, exhausted and frustrated, located Jesus and questioned the boy, His reply was both gentle and profound. "'Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?'” [or, "'I must be about my Father’s business?'"] (verse 49). By age twelve, He already knew His life had a higher calling, but the next verse (51) shows His humanity: “He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them.” For Mary, the incident was another treasure to ponder in her heart (verse 51). She had heard angelic announcements, had seen shepherds and wise men, and had fled from Herod. Now she faced the mystery of a son who called God His Father. She still did not fully understand, but she kept watching, cherishing, trusting.
And here's the balance for Jesus. He was fully aware of His divine identity and mission, yet submitted willingly to earthly parents. He returned home, continued maturing, and lived an obedient, ordinary life. Jesus worked with Joseph as a carpenter, worshiped in the synagogue, celebrated the feasts, and grew in favor with God and people. The rest of the gospel accounts are silent about those childhood years precisely because they were commonplace.
Luke's bookend statements (verse 40 and 52) are not filler; they are theological. Jesus' humanity was genuine and complete. He experienced what every child should, and did not bypass the process of development. The short passage between these two verses corrects centuries of fanciful legends. Apocryphal gospels, later imagined and obviously invented, depicted a young Jesus performing miracles. But the scripture account in Luke is restrained and believable: an extraordinary child who returns home from the temple and obeys His parents.
There are three things we can learn from this childhood glimpse of Jesus. First, it affirms the wonder of incarnation - the eternal Son of God entering fully into human life. Second, it shows divine purpose can unfold quietly. For thirty years, Jesus lived in the obscure village of Nazareth, working with wood, worshiping, growing in wisdom. Third, it models balanced growth for believers. We are called to increase, not only in knowledge and spiritual devotion, but in every dimension—physical wellbeing, intellectual maturity, spiritual depth, and healthy relationships. As Jesus grew “in favor with God and with people”, so should we.
God invites us to trust His timing. As we see in Joseph and Mary, He continues to work through ordinary faithfulness and spiritual dedication. The boy in the temple was normal in every human way, yet uniquely divine. In a world obsessed with instant achievement and visible success, Luke 2:40–52 offers quiet, profound comfort.
