Luke 2:41Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

At the feast of the Hebrews the law commanded men not only to observe the time, but the place, and so the Lord’s parents wished to celebrate the feast of the Passover only at Jerusalem.

Bethlehem was indeed their city, their paternal city, Nazareth the place of their abode.

Rightly with the growth in age, St. Luke has united increase in wisdom, as he says, And he was strengthened, (i. e. in spirit.) For in proportion to the measure of bodily growth, the Divine nature developed its own wisdom.

Perhaps it may strike you as strange that Matthew should say that His parents went with the young Child into Galilee because they were unwilling to go to Judæa for fear of Archelaus, when they seem to have gone into Galilee rather because their city was Nazareth in Galilee, as Luke in this place explains it. But we must consider, that when the Angel, said in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Rise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, (Matt. 2:20.) it was at first understood by Joseph as a command to go into Judæa, for so at first sight the land of Israel might have been taken to mean.

But if as some say the flesh was changed into a Divine nature, how did it derive growth? for to attribute growth to an uncreated substance is impious.

In the narrative of the search, we see that the initiation of the Lord's ministry began twelve years prior. This number likely reflects the multitude of those proclaiming the gospel of faith. Not without purpose did He, in disregard of His earthly parents, receive divine wisdom and grace. After three days, He was discovered in the temple, serving as a portent, for after three days of His glorious sufferings, He who appeared to be dead would reveal Himself upon the heavenly throne, adorned in the divine splendor of our faith.

Each year, His parents traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival. When He turned twelve years old, they made the journey once more for the feast. After the celebrations were over and they were returning home, the young Jesus chose to stay behind in Jerusalem. This was during the concluding days of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He remained in the city, eager to engage with the teachers of the law. Meanwhile, Joseph and His mother were unaware of His absence, as it was divinely ordained that they would not be obstructive, considering He was merely a child and devoid of formal learning.

Or again, Luke is here describing the time before the descent to Egypt, for before her purification Joseph had not taken Mary there. But before they went down into Egypt, they were not told by God to go to Nazareth, but as living more freely in their own country, thither of their own accord they went; for since the going up to Bethlehem was for no other reason but the taxing, when that was accomplished they go down to Nazareth.

Wisdom truly, for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, (Col. 2:19.) but grace, because it was in great grace given to the man Christ Jesus, that from the time He began to be man He should be perfect man and perfect God. But much rather because He was the word of God, and God needed not to be strengthened, nor was in a state of growth. But while He was yet a little child He had the grace of God, that as in Him all things were wonderful, His childhood also might be wonderful, so as to be filled with the wisdom of God. It follows, And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the feast of the Passover.

The Jewish males were required to journey to Jerusalem for sacrifices three times each year during Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, in accordance with the Mosaic Law: “Three times in the summer shall every male of thy sex appear before the Lord thy God” (Ex. 23:17). As the people of God grew and were organized into tribes, it became impractical for all the inhabitants of Palestine to assemble in Jerusalem three times a year on the same days. Nevertheless, many, especially those living far from the city, made the journey out of devotion, as exemplified by St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin during the Passover festival.

Every year, the parents of Jesus traveled to Jerusalem to observe the Passover feast in accordance with the law (Exodus 23:14, etc.). When Jesus was twelve years old—an age at which children began their instruction in the law, thus earning the title ‘children of the law’—Joseph and Mary attended the feast in the city along with Him. After the feast concluded (Exodus 12:18; Leviticus 23:5-8), the crowds began their journey home. They typically traveled in groups, and Joseph and Mary were among their relatives and friends in one such caravan. As they journeyed, they did not notice that Jesus was not with them. While this caused them concern, finding Him in the busy crowd proved challenging.

Since the era of the Babylonian exile, the Jewish people have displayed an exceptional commitment to observing the law that mandates all adult males to pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the three major festivals each year. During the foremost festival, the Passover, women also made the journey to Jerusalem, often accompanied by their children once they reached the age of twelve. These festivals were pivotal occasions for the community, as they would send their finest offerings to the sacred temple. The righteous Joseph, embodying the nature of a faithful Israelite, dutifully observed this legal obligation, and when Jesus turned twelve—when he too became accountable under the law—the holy family set out for Jerusalem to celebrate this significant time in their Son's life.

Nazareth is approximately 150 versts from Jerusalem, and the path of the worshipers traversed a bustling region, causing their pilgrimage group to swell into a large caravan, filled with joyous songs and spiritual fervor. Jerusalem, the most revered city in the holy land, housed the central sanctuary of the people—the temple. It was believed that nothing impure could enter this city, and the land itself was thought to be so sanctified that neither serpent nor scorpion could inflict harm. While the city was sacred, the temple was even more so, encompassing areas of profound holiness. The temple mount itself was a significant site, and nothing made for consumption was permitted to ascend it. Next in sanctity was the space between the court for Gentiles and the inner courts, where only Israelites could enter, provided they had not come into contact with a corpse. Following this was the court of the women, where even those who had purified themselves could not enter. Even more hallowed was the court of the Israelites, where no one could enter who required atonement for personal sin. The court of the priests held an even greater sanctity, allowing only priests or Levites to tread upon it, except in specific exceptional circumstances. The space between the altar and the temple was the pinnacle of holiness, where even a priest with any physical ailment, or in unsuitable attire, or who had consumed wine, may not enter. The temple itself remained separate, requiring every priest to cleanse his hands and feet before entering. Inside the temple lay the absolute center of holiness known as the ‘Holy of Holies,’ accessible only to the high priest, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement.

Such a city, adorned with its grand sanctuary, elicited immense reverence among the Jewish people, whose affection for their national shrine intensified following their harrowing Babylonian exile. This sentiment is poignantly expressed in a psalm recounting the captives’ sorrow as they wept by the rivers of Babylon, reminiscing about Zion (Ps. 136:1). The profound veneration for the sacred city is also illustrated in the Targum tradition, which states that the remains of righteous Jews dying in foreign lands would be gathered by an underground route to the Mount of Olives to partake in resurrection. No matter where Jews found themselves—scattered across the known world—they would direct their gaze toward the temple, drawing solace from the sight of their national sanctuary, as if it contained their heavenly and earthly homeland. From all corners of the world, a shared longing arose, resonating with the heartfelt expression of the psalmist: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 41:2-5). For Jews across all nations, visiting the temple was the pinnacle and pride of their religious devotion. They sustained this sacred sentiment in their synagogues and places of worship scattered throughout, with offerings and gifts flowing into it, akin to a golden river—partly to meet legal obligations, but mainly as an expression of their piety. Every Jew above twenty years paid an annual didrachma, a legal tax for the firstborn, which was allocated for the temple's upkeep and sacrifices. Furthermore, other continual sacrifices enriched the temple treasury, as rabbis called for tithes from Jews everywhere, many of whom voluntarily complied. According to Philo, nearly every city had a box for sacred donations, where offerings were collected and later sent to Jerusalem by noble individuals tasked with ensuring the sanctity of these contributions. Even Jews from Egypt, who had their own temple at Leontopolis, sent their yearly taxes to support the temple in Jerusalem. Contributions flowed steadily from the Jewish communities in Rome, the western territories, Asia Minor, and Syria, but even more significantly from Babylonia and areas beyond the Euphrates, escorted by volunteers committed to safeguarding the sacred funds against banditry. Thus, the heartbeat of the Jewish people resonated in Jerusalem’s temple.

The primary obligation of all Jews was to ensure that this holy place remained consecrated. While foreign powers could rule over Palestine and even Jerusalem, the Jews would accept this condition with resignation as long as the temple remained unharmed. However, if any arrogance or avarice threatened the sanctity of the temple, an uproar of indignation would sweep through the Jewish community, prompting a rallying cry to defend their sanctuary. The multitude that flocked to Jerusalem during Passover created an extraordinary atmosphere. “Many thousands,” stated Philo, “from numerous towns and villages make a pilgrimage to the temple at each festival; some travel by land, others by sea, from all directions.” Even the lesser-attended Feast of Pentecost saw great crowds of Jews and proselytes congregating from across the Roman Empire, which encompassed the known world (Acts 2:9-11). The historian Josephus recorded that approximately 2.7 million souls assembled for a single Passover celebration, alongside the city's inhabitants. The arrival of vast caravans intensified the excitement in Jerusalem and its surroundings, as Jews from various nations gathered under the temple’s auspices. Individuals from places like Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, and the eastern territories traveled with long trains of camels and mules; congregations came from Asia Minor, Cappadocia, Pontus, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, each with unique dialects and dress. Affluent Jews journeyed from Egypt, Libya, and Cyrenaica, even pilgrims journeying from imperial Rome and remote desert towns congregated in a colossal display of Jewish unity. In this gathering, the rich history and present identity of God’s chosen people converged, a cacophony of languages rising in an awe-inspiring testament to the glory of the one true God worldwide.

The caravans aimed to reach Jerusalem by the day before Passover, ideally on the 14th of Nisan, when the festivities commenced. Since the city often could not accommodate all visitors, worshipers typically settled in makeshift shelters crafted from willow branches woven tightly for shelter. As the holiday approached, city preparations began weeks in advance. Bridges and roads were repaired, while graves near Jerusalem were marked with visible stones or encased in fences to ensure that pilgrims would not defile themselves by contact. On the Saturday before the 14th of Nisan, known as the Great Sabbath, special services unfolded in the synagogues and temple, with rabbis teaching the people the law and significance of the festival. On the 10th day, the Passover lambs were selected from vast flocks arriving in the city. The 14th day, commencing at sunset on the 13th, not only marked the festival but also began the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 13:7), hence dubbed ‘the day of preparation’ (John 19:14). As prescribed by the law, no leavened bread was to remain in the household. Each household leader would begin the evening with a prayer: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us through Your commandments and instructed us to remove leaven,” followed by a thorough inspection of the home to eliminate any remaining crumbs. The household underwent meticulous cleansing, prohibiting entry into a Gentile's unclean household without defilement. For the upcoming week, the consumption of leavened products was forbidden, ensuring purity for the Passover observance. The preparation of unleavened bread began with the family head fetching water the evening of the 13th, announcing, “This is the water for the unleavened bread.” Careful milling of flour ensued, and after baking the loaves, one was set aside, with a prayer, to offer to the priest in the temple.

The late afternoon of the 14th of Nisan brought the greatest anticipation, with everyone hurrying to complete preparations in anticipation of the trumpet's announcement from the temple signaling the festival's commencement. When the trumpet sounded, everyone gathered their lambs and proceeded to the temple, where colorful decorations adorned the courtyards in celebration. The priests first inspected the multitude of sacrificial lambs for any imperfections. Subsequently, the heads of families or authorized individuals, and sometimes Levites serving in the temple, prepared the lambs for roasting. The magnitude of the task was significant, as it involved the slaughtering of over 250,000 lambs in a single day. The designated slaughter period spanned the hours known as ‘between the two evenings’—from sunset on the 14th until the stars appeared, although the lambs could also be slaughtered in the final three hours of that day. After fulfilling all rituals, the preparation for the Passover meal commenced. The lambs were roasted in thousands of specially designated ovens, and the entirety of each lamb was expected to be consumed, ensuring that nothing remained by morning. While the law dictated that lambs must be eaten in the temple courtyards, practicalities led the rabbis to permit their consumption within the city limits. Families could gather as many as ten to twenty members at the meal. Women were welcome to remain with their relatives, though they were not obligated to partake in the Passover meal. Children of a certain age, as well as circumcised slaves and foreigners, could also join in the festivities.

Each year, as stipulated by the Law (Exodus 23:14, and also referenced in Exodus 34:23, Deuteronomy 16:16), all male members of the Jewish community were mandated to gather in Jerusalem three times for the festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The only individuals exempt from this obligation were children and those who were ill. The journey for Passover was especially rigorously observed; every Jewish man was required to celebrate this holy occasion in Jerusalem, aside from children and the sick.

The Evangelist Luke recounts a significant episode from the life of Jesus Christ while He was in Nazareth—His visit to the Temple in Jerusalem. This moment highlights how the Divine Child, maturing in spirit, recognized the profound dignity and universal importance of His mission. During this visit, He spoke His first recorded words in the Gospel, indicating that despite His earthly ties to His supposed father and His Blessed Mother, His true relationship was with His heavenly Father, who sent Him into the world for a divine purpose (John 4:34). Jesus prioritized fulfilling His Father's will (John 5:30) over obedience to His earthly parents, even in His youth, while also demonstrating the significance of familial duty in practice.