Jesus’ Growing Sense of His Uniqueness – Luke 2:39-52

There is a fanciful story from a false Gospel, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas:  “This child Jesus, when five years old, was playing in the ford of a mountain stream; and He collected the flowing waters into pools, and made them clear immediately, and by a word alone He made them obey Him. And having made some soft clay, He fashioned out of it twelve sparrows. And it was the Sabbath when He did these things. And there were also many other children playing with Him. And a certain Jew, seeing what Jesus was doing, playing on the Sabbath, went off immediately, and said to his father Joseph: Behold, thy son is at the stream, and has taken clay, and made of it twelve birds, and has profaned the Sabbath. And Joseph, coming to the place and seeing, cried out to Him, saying: Wherefore doest thou on the Sabbath what it is not lawful to do? And Jesus clapped His hands, and cried out to the sparrows, and said to them: Off you go! And the sparrows flew, and went off crying. And the Jews seeing this were amazed, and went away and reported to their chief men what they had seen Jesus doing.”  This fanciful story stands in strong contrast to Luke’s historic account.

And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.  (Luke 2:39-52 ESV)

Luke omits the account of Herod’s search for Jesus to kill him and the family’s move to Egypt for asylum.  But he gives us our only glimpse of the psyche of the young Jesus.

Passover required every Jew, if possible, to come to Jerusalem for observance of the memorial festival of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.  People caravanned for safety and fellowship and so on the way back it was not unusual for children to be in the company of friends or relatives.  But Jesus’ parents (Joseph is still alive) realize Jesus is missing and return to Jerusalem in great distress.

They find Jesus listening to and asking questions of and giving answers to the teachers.  The teachers find Jesus’ insight astounding.  Did Jesus simply have all knowledge as God, or did he study, like we would  have to do?  We know from Mk 13:32 that Jesus did not access his infinite knowledge, so he must have learned the Scriptures from others and from his own study, submissive to the Holy Spirit as teacher.  And in fact, we’re told here that Jesus grew in wisdom.

His parents naturally rebuke him and Jesus is seemingly insensitive to their concerns, making an odd allusion to his Father, which Mary must ponder.  This indicates an awakening already in Jesus’ mind of a sense of his uniqueness and mission.  Luke is careful to tell us that Jesus was submissive to his parents and that he continued to grow and mature in every way.

False gospels, written much later and designed to revise history to fit heretical doctrines, have Jesus using his divine power to terrify other children, or heal dead birds, etc.  Luke shows us Jesus’ growing awareness of his calling as Messiah.