Luke 2:41

Luke 2:41, in plain English

Every year, Jesus' parents made the trip to Jerusalem for the Passover festival—a tradition of faithfulness.

Why it's here

Passover was the most important festival in the Jewish calendar, and attending it in Jerusalem was a sacred duty. Joseph and Mary were faithful in this practice.

Who's speaking

Luke describes the family's annual tradition that sets up the next remarkable story.

Where it sits in the story

Every spring, the family packed up and walked the long road to Jerusalem. It was a pilgrimage of faith, and one particular year would become a story told for millennia.

The scholarly reading

Joseph and Mary make an annual pilgrimage (kat' etos) to Jerusalem for Passover (heortē tou Pascha), demonstrating their Torah-observant piety as required by Deuteronomy 16:16.

Language and setting

Passover was one of three pilgrimage festivals requiring attendance in Jerusalem. The family's faithful observance sets the stage for the only recorded event from Jesus' youth.

Voice

Luke establishes the family's annual religious practice.

Significance

Year after year, the family makes the journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem for Passover. This faithful routine creates the backdrop for the only story Luke records from Jesus' boyhood.

39When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

40And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.

41Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.

42And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the Feast.

43When those days were over and they were returning home, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware He had stayed.

Read all of Luke 2 — The most powerful person in history arrives as the most vulnerable — a baby in a feeding trough. The announcement goes to shepherds.