1. Mary Worry
Read Luke 2: 41-52
Early church had little interest in the boyhood of Jesus
No traditions passed down
Many imaginative stories later (Gospel of Thomas)
Elaborate stories and exaggerations
Not allowed in NT
Jesus does not depend on exaggerations

2. Jesus went to the synagogue school in Nazareth
Jesus is learning in the temple, not teaching
Rabbis usually teach by Q&A and discussion
Jesus had a desire to learn more
Realized later that there was a lot that the teachers of the law did not understand
Jerusalem had a permanent population of some 80,000 at the time of Christ. During Passover, Succoth and Shavuoth, the great festivals during which Jews were obligated to make sacrifices at the Temple, between 100,000 and 250,000 visitors (historians differ) would stream down the long city thoroughfare.

3. Second Temple

4. Synagogue

6. Males required to attend three festivals
(Read Ex. 23:14-17)
Women not required to attend but often did
Boys were required to go also (may not have Jesus’ first trip)
Importance is that at 12, He was considered a man
Feast lasted 7 days
Lost for 3 days may include 2 days of travel

7. Mother was anxious when they found Him
Have you ever lost a child and how did you feel?
1st use of term Father
About my Father’s business or in my Father’s house
Do you think Joseph understood?
Jesus’ mother saw Him as a lost child

8. V 52 in favor with God and man
Jesus was not a somber personality, but friendly and cheerful
He attended parties and feasts
Not incompatible between religion and enjoyment of life
Have you ever known anyone who appeared very religious on the outside, but inside seemed very unhappy?
Have you ever known anyone who let religion keep them from enjoying the good things of life?

9. Drab clothes and drab life
Formal piety can be difficult to live with
Love is the basis of all relationships
Society of friends were shaping their rule of life and they put in: to share myself with my household an hour a day in relaxed conversation
How does that fit in with today’s family lifestyle?
True Christianity is to always be mindful of relationships with others

10. What is the purpose of this story?
Impress us with Jesus’ IQ
A preview of a future showdown
At 12, has Jesus already realized His divine mission
At 12, spiritual maturity, Passover Lamb
Stories are often layers of meaning
Routine yet breathtaking, temporal and eternal, human and spiritual
What about this story is relevant to you at this point in your life

11. We do not really know Joseph and Mary’s degree of understanding
We do not really know Joseph and Mary’s degree of understanding about their Son
Raised Him in a religious home with religious values
Sometimes children do not seem to follow a parent’s course
Have you known of a child that has strayed far from the values they were brought up with?
How do their parents handle it?
Do they blame themselves I some way?

12. Parents today have to be very intentional about their goals
If your child is involved in a sport or other activity that is on a Sunday, how do you as a parent make the decision as to where they should go?
Lots of subtle voices today
How heavy an influence is peer pressure on today’s youth?

13. Burden of influence should come from children’s parents
A parent cannot act one way and tell the child differently
For example, a parent loses credibility if they smoke or drink and
then tell their children not to
A parent drops his child off at church is not a good example
Life’s perils come in very comfortable clothing
Just because it looks good and feels good does not mean it’s OK to do but on the other hand, we should not miss out on the true pleasures and joys of life for the sake of religion.