Jesus from 13 to 29 Years of Age
“Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the LORD.” So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” [Luke 2:21-24 NLT]
Once Jesus, as a 12 year old boy, leaves Jerusalem with His parents after they find Him in the Temple discussing the Text with the religious teachers, until He appears at the Jordan River to be baptized and start His ministry at the age of 30, the gospels are silent about those 18 years in between. There is a likely reason for that. It is important to remember that the writers of the gospels never meant them to be a detailed, chronological history of Jesus’ life. They were written to share the good news of Jesus, the promised Messiah, who died for our sins, rose from the dead and gives eternal life to those who believe in Him. Though the gospels give no direct information about Jesus from 13 to 29, they do provide enough that we can draw some defensible conclusions and make some plausible interpretations. Let’s take a look.
We know Jesus was raised in Nazareth, a rather insignificant, out-of-the-way town in the Galilee region of Israel. His stepfather, Joseph, was a tekton (builder). Israel has more stone than wood and tektons could and would work equally well with both construction materials. Think of Joseph as a contractor who made buildings and other structures. We can also reliably conclude that Jesus learned the same trade from Joseph. Tektons, as tradesmen, made a decent living. This dispels the common myth that they were poor. Somewhere during this 18 year period Bible scholars believe that Joseph died. He disappears from the gospel accounts very early and no information is given why or what happened to him. It is quite the mystery.
The introductory Luke verses above beautifully illustrate what devout Jews Joseph and Mary were in abiding by the law. They also annually attended the 3 pilgrimage festivals in Jerusalem. No surprise, of course, knowing that the Father would never have sent His Son into any other type of household to be raised. We also can safely conclude that Jesus, as a child, attended the Nazareth synagogue school studying the TNK ( Ta ‘Knock - Law, Prophets, Writings) likely up to the age of 12. This is supported by His 3 days in the Temple completely amazing the religious teachers with His knowledge and understanding of the TNK. There is no evidence that Jesus received additional formal training by following a rabbi full-time as a teen or young adult. If He had, it is almost a certainty that He would have become well-known among Temple and other religious teachers of the law as a disciple of incredible knowledge and understanding. Instead, we read in John 7:5, “The people were surprised when they heard him (Jesus). “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.”
In summary, I believe Jesus kept a very low profile during the ages of 13-29, learning and practicing a trade like most men His age, in and around a relatively humble and obscure town in Galilee - biding His time waiting to begin His ministry and fulfill the important mission given to Him by the Father.
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