Today, let’s talk about how Jesus was a kid! We might know a lot about when Jesus was born (Christmas) and what he did as a grown-up, but there’s only one story in the Bible about Jesus as a kid. It’s about a time when he was in a city called Jerusalem with his parents…and he got lost.
NOTE TO PARENTS: Because the Bible only gives us this one story, you can encourage your kid to use their imagination to think about other things Jesus might have done when he was young. It’s OK to let your kid wonder, ask questions, and even come up with silly ideas. Encouraging their curiosity is one great way to help your kid explore the Bible.
Watch this video, then talk about it!
Some questions to get your kid imagining Jesus as a young person:
- Have you ever gotten lost? What did that feel like?
- How do you think Jesus’s parents, Mary and Joseph, felt when they were looking for Jesus? How did Jesus seem to feel?
You can read the story of when Jesus got lost. It’s in the Bible, in Luke 2:41-52. As you read it together, see if you can find the answer to these questions:
- Why did Jesus and his parents come to the city?
- Why were the teachers at the Temple “amazed” at Jesus?
- It says Jesus went back with his parents and “obeyed them,” and also that he “became wiser and stronger.” What are ways YOU obey your parents? How are YOU becoming wiser and stronger, like Jesus?
The Boy Jesus at the Temple
Luke 2:41-52, NIRV
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. 42 When Jesus was 12 years old, they went up to the feast as usual. 43 After the feast was over, his parents left to go back home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But they were not aware of it. 44 They thought he was somewhere in their group. So they traveled on for a day. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 They did not find him. So they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting with the teachers. He was listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at how much he understood. They also were amazed at his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were amazed. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried about you. We have been looking for you everywhere.”
49 “Why were you looking for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he meant by that.
51 Then he went back to Nazareth with them, and he obeyed them. But his mother kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. 52 Jesus became wiser and stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to God and to people.
Parents, want more encouragement and tips?
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