Jesus and the Passover

Sacred Gifts and Holy Gatherings
Holy Days

Passover

Luke 2:41-50The Message

They Found Him in the Temple

^41-45 Every year Jesus’ parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up as they always did for the Feast. When it was over and they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it. Thinking he was somewhere in the company of pilgrims, they journeyed for a whole day and then began looking for him among relatives and neighbors. When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him.

^46-48 The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt.
His mother said, “Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you.”
^49-50 He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?” But they had no idea what he was talking about.

For ReflectionWhy were the teachers so remarkably impressed with Jesus?  Could it be that their amazement stemmed from the fact that Jesus was not only from an artisan class, but also, perhaps, Jesus could not read!

Not many could in Jesus time.  However, not being able to read did not mean that many did not know the oral tradition scriptures. The stories of God and God's people were transmitted and received orally within a discipline of creative performance.  Thus oral tradition was quite different from scribal recordings.  Oral tradition was not just gossip, rumor or memory.  Rather things known and understood in the oral tradition were stated in terms which were used carefully and exactly as taught by oral masters to apprentices.  Thus, Jesus understandings of the meaning of scripture was enriched by the depth of the practice of the oral tradition.  Scribes and other literate religious leaders spoke from the authority of the written word.  Jesus spoke with authority from the oral tradition.  His arguments and declarations were based and evidenced in His memory and interpreted as divine guidance.  Jesus was not bound by the written word.

Pray

for wisdom as found in the written scriptures.  Pray that you will be encouraged and challenged to interpret the practice of the gospel as found in multiple versions of the Bible.  Pray that you will open your mind to God's guiding wisdom.