Much like today, Jesus' world was filled with colors, sounds, and textures. Perhaps more than any other, the Jewish culture of Jesus' life has been more tied to a combination of Earth, tradition, and the sheer joy of learning than any other since then.
One of these traditions—grounded in the six hundred and thirteen Mosaic Laws—was three yearly trips to Jerusalem. In the spring of each year, Jesus’ family traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem for Passover.
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. Luke 2:41–42
Jesus would go to more than thirty Passovers before his death. At each, they would rent some small room (or rooms) either in Jerusalem or just outside to stay for the Feast. Once he was old enough to help, he would go with his father to exchange the Roman money Joseph received for money they could use in the Temple, then buy a lamb from the sellers in the Temple court.
Then, because he was not yet a Son of the Law, he would wait while his father took the lamb to the Temple gate, where a priest would take the lamb and sacrifice it, returning the blood and the meat to Joseph. This process was etched in Jesus' memory. Painting blood on the doorposts with hyssop, singing hymns, reciting prayers, and eating in haste.
Sitting Among the Teachers
After the Feast, his parents leave for home. Generally, groups of Jews traveling to and from Nazareth would travel together for safety. Even in Roman times, robberies were common.
…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. Luke 2:44–45
Joseph and Mary probably discovered their son was missing when they gathered for the evening meal. Since they could not travel at night—particularly alone and with Jesus' brothers—they waited until the morning. This trip back would take up most of the following day, so the search began in earnest on the morning of the third day.
According to Jewish Law, a boy did not become a man until his thirteenth birthday.
A girl eleven years and one day old—her vows are examined.
A girl twelve years and one day old—her vows are confirmed.
And they examine throughout the twelfth year.
A boy eleven years and one day old—his vows are examined.
A boy thirteen years and one day old—his vows are confirmed.
And they examine through the thirteenth year.
Niddah 5:6
Perhaps Jesus was Bar Mitsvah'd in the spring of his twelfth year rather than his thirteenth—it would certainly be unusual, especially for the son of a poor family in an outlying region like Nazareth. Or perhaps Luke is pointing out his age for another reason.
After three days they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Luke 2:46
Perhaps Luke says Jesus was twelve rather than thirteen to point out Jesus was being examined at the very highest levels of the Jewish religious leadership, rather than just a local Rabbi. The Jewish leadership approved of Jesus and his knowledge. They would change their opinion once Jesus challenged them.
And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. Luke 2:47
We should make much of this event—just as Luke does. We should not, however, say: “Well, what do you expect? Jesus was there when the Scriptures were written, after all!” Yes, Jesus is God. But we should also be careful not to attribute every instance of Jesus being more intelligent or knowledgeable than those around him to miraculous powers.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52
Did Jesus Rebuke Mary?
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?" Luke 2:48–49
Some argue Jesus rebukes his mother here, but that reading does not fit:
And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. Luke 2:51
Jesus' reaction is amazement rather than a rebuke. Jesus understood his role as the Messiah was to cover the world's sins. Joseph and Mary would have understood the Messiah as a military figure rather than a scholarly one, a conqueror who would set Israel free from Roman rule.
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? Luke 2:49
House does not appear in the Greek—interpreters infer it from other passages. Because there is no word here, it is sometimes interpreted as "about my Father's business" or in some other way. The sense is that Jesus must be in the Father. The Father's house was in the Temple, so at least one way of being in the Father is to be in the Temple.
Jesus the Tektone
What was Jesus' life like after this trip to Jerusalem?
Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? Mark 6:2
Carpenter here is more properly craftsman. Perhaps Jesus was a carpenter, a stonemason, or—more likely—a general skilled craftsman who could work with wood, stone, and other materials to build things. The Romans were building ten Greek cities near Nazareth, the Decapolis. Many craftsmen would move to Nazareth and the surrounding towns to work on building these cities, which would take generations.
Jesus and the Haberim
We would probably describe Jesus and his family as uneducated. Perhaps this is because of the many times Jewish leaders accused him of being uneducated.
But here, we must differentiate between the formal education of Jesus' day and education. Jesus did not know the Tanakh (Old Testament Scriptures) just because he was God. Jesus would have heard the Tanakh recited every week in the Synagogue. Jesus would have memorized long passages of the Tanakh, just as every other Jewish boy did then.
Once Jesus was Bar Mitzvah'd, he would join a group of haberim:
This Hebrew word means "the friends" and was the name of a lay movement that sprang up in the villages of the Holy Land around the time of Jesus. In any village, serious-minded Jews would gather and devote themselves to studying the Torah and applying its laws to their day. Everybody "kept their jobs" but spent their spare time discussing the law. We can be confident that Jesus was a part of this group because in the Gospels he demonstrates skills in the rabbinic style of debate such as were nurtured in these fellowships.[1]
So, Jesus was well-educated in the Tanakh (Old Testament Scriptures) and Rabbinical discussion style.
And here, for the moment, we leave Jesus—working as a craftsman, becoming educated in the Tanakh, growing in wisdom, and gaining the respect of the people of Nazareth.
[1] Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008), 147.