Context

  • What did Mary and Joseph already know about Jesus? [ Luke 1:26-33, Luke 1:42-43]
  • Where did Mary and Joseph live, before and after Luke 2:41-52? [ Luke 2:39 ]

Characters

  • Why had Jesus gone to Jerusalem? [ Luke 2:41 ]
  • Why was Jesus left behind? [ Luke 2:44 ]
  • How long had Mary and Joseph travelled before they noticed that Jesus was missing? [ Luke 2:44 ]
  • Having travelled back to Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph might have had one or two days to search for Jesus. Why did they not find him straight away?
  • How are Mary and Joseph described by Luke in [ Luke 2:41-48 ]?
  • What is the surprise to the reader of the text when Jesus speaks? [ Luke 2:49 ]
    • Who does Mary suggest is Jesus’ father? Who does Jesus say his Father is?
    • What other signs are there in the passage that point to Jesus’ Father? [ Luke 2:46-47 ]
  • Did Jesus listen to Mary and Joseph? [ Luke 2:51 ]

Application

  • Mary and Joseph had a lot of evidence of who Jesus is, but they still did not understand his answer in the temple [ Luke 2:50 ]. Why do we need help to understand who Jesus is?
  • Why might we not find Jesus straight away?
  • If we are following Jesus, what should we delight in?