…written of Joseph and Mary, and of Jesus, after His birth:

“So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” Luke 2:39-40 NKJV

Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover every year. Jesus went with them–this was an observance to which the entire family would adhere.

At the time of this account, Jesus was just twelve years of age–very young. But His growth in the knowledge of the scriptures had already greatly begun.

Therefore, when they had finished the days there, Jesus lingered, though his parents began to make their return. In fact, they went an entire day’s journey before realizing He was missing, which they were shocked to learn.

They had assumed He was with the company; but among their relatives and acquaintances, they couldn’t find Him anywhere. This situation caused them to head back to Jerusalem to search further for Him there.

They must have been terribly concerned about this son, over whom angelic proclamations had been made. It was after three days that they finally found Him in the temple, which was where He’d stayed.

There, Jesus was seated among the teachers–listening to them and asking them questions on His own.  All who’d heard young Jesus were astonished at the understanding and answers that He had shown.

Mary and Joseph’s first reaction was amazement at this scenario involving their son.  But then Mary asked Jesus how he could have put them through such anxiety by what He had done.

Jesus asked why they had even sought Him, for being about His Father’s business was prime to Him–didn’t they know?  But they didn’t understand or fully perceive yet of His destiny and how it would grow.

Jesus was subject to them, however, and went with them for the return back to Nazareth, then.  Mary “kept all these things in her heart”…deeply there, she must have remembered that Jesus would be special among men.

After that, Jesus’ wisdom and stature and favor with God and men only increased….but His being the Son of Man and Son of God had visibly arisen…and was seen at the time of that Passover Feast.

P. A. Oltrogge

(…from Luke 2:41-52)

“And in the sixth month, the angel, Gabriel, was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, ‘Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ Then said Mary unto the angel, ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ And the angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38 KJV

“…behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’ And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:20-25 NASB, Ryrie

“…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 NKJV

“Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter responded and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!'” Matthew 17:1-5 NASB