The gospels provide a great deal of information about Jesus' adult life and ministry. But what was Jesus' childhood like?

Birth Narratives

Scripture provides very little information about Jesus' childhood, but most believers know the birth narratives:

• Luke 2:1-38, which describes Jesus' birth, circumcision, and presentation at the Temple;
• Matthew 2:1-12, which relates the coming of the magi (sometime between His birth and age 2); and
• Matthew 2:13-23, which tells of Herod's slaughter of the innocents and Joseph's flight to Egypt with Mary and Jesus, as well as their subsequent return to Nazareth.

Although the dates are not certain, Jesus' birth was probably around the year 6 BC. This is based on Herod's death in approximately 4 BC and Herod's decree to kill all the boys aged two and under (Matthew 2:16).

Since Herod could not have issued that decree after his death, it must have come no later than 4 BC, meaning that Jesus would have been born about two years earlier.

After Herod's death, his son Archelaus succeeded him. He reigned until approximately 6 AD. Matthew tells us that "when [Joseph] heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee and came and settled in a city called Nazareth" (Matthew 2:22-23a).

That means that Joseph's return from Egypt to Nazareth took place sometime before 6 AD when Archelaus was removed from power.

Jesus at the Temple at Age 12

Finally, Luke 2 relates the only story of Jesus' childhood other than the birth narratives.

Luke 2:39-40 tells us that Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth, where Jesus "continued to grow and to become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him."

Luke then proceeds to tell the familiar story of Jesus at the Temple during the Passover celebration when He was 12 years old. The family traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover every year, as the Law required. When Jesus was 12, they went to Jerusalem as was their custom. However, when the time came to leave, Jesus stayed behind – without His parents realizing it. After traveling for an entire day, they realized that He was not with them.

"And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. Then, after three days, they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered, and His mother said to Him, 'Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!' And He said to them, 'Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?'" (Luke 2:45-49).

Based on the Scriptural witness, it is clear that Jesus regularly attended Jewish worship festivals in Jerusalem with His family. His parents followed all of the regulations and traditions of the Jewish religious system.

Cultural Information and Old Testament Background

The New Testament does not provide much else about Jesus' childhood. However, it is clear that He was raised according to Jewish practices and traditions. The Old Testament contains several directions concerning raising children.

For example:

• "Only be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons" (Deuteronomy 4:9).
• "You shall also teach them [Moses' words of instruction to Israel] to your sons, speaking of them when you sit in your house when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 11:19).
• "For He [God] established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded to our fathers that they were to teach them to their children" (Psalm 78:5).

Given their diligence in observing Jewish traditions and teaching, Joseph and Mary clearly would have taught Jesus about Scripture and God's history with His people, Israel, as Jesus grew up. That would have included home instruction, synagogue attendance, and the prescribed trips to Jerusalem for pilgrimage festivals like Passover.

Gnostic and Apocryphal Accounts

Many people have heard about "other gospels" which are not included in Scripture. Some of those documents contain stories about Jesus' childhood. The most familiar of these is the "Infancy Gospel of Thomas," which contains stories about Jesus' childhood. For example, it claims that when Jesus was 5, he formed some clay birds and then brought them to life. On another occasion, when someone ran into him in the street, Jesus cursed him, and he died.

So why isn't this "gospel" included in Scripture? There are technical reasons, such as the fact that the earliest manuscripts are from about 500 years after Jesus' life.

There are also theological reasons. For example, does a story about Jesus cursing someone to die correlate to what the canonical gospels tell us about Jesus? No!

More broadly, the picture of Jesus in this "unofficial gospel" is clearly written to support gnostic principles, which are inconsistent with Scripture.

What Was Jesus' Childhood Like?

We know very little about Jesus' childhood from Scripture. Other than the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke, the only account of Jesus' childhood is in Luke 2, when Jesus and his family went to the Temple when He was about 12. This account tells us that His family attended the pilgrimage festivals, as the Law required. Jesus had an understanding of Scripture that was nourished by His family (the rabbis marveled at His understanding). He clearly had some understanding of who He was by this point ("My Father's business").

However, it is also evident that He was raised according to Jewish traditions and customs. Jesus would have attended the worship festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. In addition, He would have regularly attended synagogue services, where Scripture was read and expounded. (In fact, Luke 4:16 tells us that this was still His practice as an adult.)

After His trip to the Temple in Luke 2, Scripture tells us nothing of Jesus' life until His baptism and the beginning of His public ministry around age 30.

Clearly, His upbringing had taught Him to seek God, listen to Him, and respond obediently to God's call. In the gospels, Jesus often tells people not to tell others about His miracles. He did not come to attract attention to Himself but to focus attention on God.

The one story of Jesus' childhood, in Luke 2, focuses attention on God. "Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?"

While it's interesting to think about what Jesus' childhood was like, it's even more important to emulate Jesus as an adult!