“I Must Be About My Father’s Business”:
The Boy Jesus In The Temple

Date: June 1, 1997-A.M.
Speaker: Harvey Porter
Main Scripture Reference: Luke 2:41-52

In Exodus 23, and verse 17, and also in Deuteronomy 16:16, the Jews were commanded to go to Jerusalem three times a year for three commemorative festivals. One was the Feast of Weeks [also called Pentecost]. One was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commonly known as Passover. And the last was the Feast of Booths. This is sometimes called the Feast of Tabernacles. This is when all the families, with their children, lived in tents, and it was reminiscent of the time when the Israelites were coming out of Egypt, and they camped in the desert for 40 years. So all these feast days had a Scriptural significance for the children of Israel.

Of course, Jerusalem is going to be the City of David, the city of the king, and the Israelites will finally take it during the time of David. Solomon, his son, will build the Temple there. And so in this latter part of the history of the children of Israel, Jerusalem is the center. And it was the center in the time of our Lord.

Now, I mentioned in our class this morning that we’d be interested in knowing what our Lord did while He was a teenager—while He was a young man. We don’t know anything about this section of His life except one passage, and it’s found in Luke, the second chapter, and begins with verse 41 and continues through verse 52. I’ll read it for us: “Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When He was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while His parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking He was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for Him. After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.’

“‘Why were you searching for Me?’ He asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?’…” (Older translations say, “[I had to be] about My Father’s business.” It really carries with it the same idea.) “…But they did not understand what He was saying to them.

“Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

[End of reading.]

Dr. Luke starts this Gospel by saying that he took in hand to go back and to talk to people who were eye witnesses of the life of Jesus, and to record diligently what they said about the Lord. Well, it means to us that Luke was NOT an eye witness. He comes on the scene late. But he is a “chosen vessel,” and he’s inspired also to write. None of the rest of the Gospel writers told in any detail about the birth, nor anything else about the early life of our Lord. But this one incident is listed in the synoptics as well.

A lot of pictures have been drawn of Jesus in the Temple. A lot of little colored cards…I can remember the little cards that we got in Bible class. And it was one of the favorite subjects for a Bible class of small children especially.

There are a lot of lessons in what these few words describe for us. First of all, I see that Joseph and Mary were devout parents. Isn’t that interesting that God chose this young woman—a virgin, who was engaged to be married to this man? We sometimes have the idea that maybe Joseph was a little older than Mary because he died early in life. And the indication is, I think, that Jesus probably was head of the family for some time after the death of Joseph. He’s the oldest of the children. And there are four brothers that we know of…and sisters. The word “sisters” is just pluralized, indicating more than one—no names are given for the sisters. [See Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 6:3.]

So Jesus grew up learning the trade of a carpenter, probably at the side of His supposed father [Joseph], who was His earthly father. His real Father was God, and His real mother was Mary.

Now Luke will record what Mary said when the angel appeared to her, [Luke 1:46-55]. It is called “The Magnificat.” And that word comes from a Latin version of the Bible, and it [the Latin version of the Bible] put headings at these various places as a guide to the contents of the verses under those headings. “Magnificat” was the Latin word for “magnificent”. She [Mary] is talking about how great and magnificent God is to choose her, a noble person, to be the mother of His Son. Boy, that is beautiful!

Luke also records Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, [Luke 1:39-56], who also is “with child of the Holy Spirit,” and that child is John the Baptist. John also is a special vessel of the Lord. He would be a cousin of Jesus. And, of course, he’s the forerunner—he introduces all the people to Jesus. How he loved our Lord! When he first sees Jesus coming, he says, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world,” [John 1:29]. John put the word “sin” in singular number. ALL the sin of the world—not “sins” of the world, but all the SIN of the world is lumped together, and Jesus will take it away! All the way back to Adam, and all the way as long as this world shall last, JESUS is our sin bearer! Before the cross and after the cross.