Jesus Visits the Temple

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’^[a] parents would go to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. ⁴² When Jesus^[b] was twelve years old, they went up to the festival as usual. ⁴³ When the days of the festival^[c] were over, they left for home. The young man Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴ They thought that he was in their group of travelers. After traveling for a day, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching desperately for him. ⁴⁶ Three days later, they found him in the Temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and posing questions to them. ⁴⁷ All who heard him were amazed at his intelligence and his answers. ⁴⁸ When Jesus’ parents^[d] saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!”

⁴⁹ He asked them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house?”^{[e] 50} But they did not understand what he told them. ⁵¹ Then he went back with them, returning to Nazareth and remaining in submission to them. His mother continued to treasure all these things in her heart. ⁵² Meanwhile, Jesus kept on growing wiser and more mature, and in favor with God and his fellow man.