Luke 2:42

Twelve years old. According to Jewish reckoning Jesus would be considered 12 years of age upon reaching His 11th birthday (see on Gen. 5:32; Matthew 2:16), and would be “twelve years old” until his 12th birthday. It was upon completing the 12th year that a Jewish boy was confirmed as a “son of the law” (DA 75) and became personally obligated to observe the various religious ordinances. The 12th year marked the transition from childhood to youth. At the age of three, Jewish boys were given the tasseled garment prescribed by the law of Moses (see on Numbers 15:38-41; Deuteronomy 22:12), and at the age of five they were expected to memorize portions of the law. At the close of the 12th year they were supposed to wear tephillin, or phylacteries (see on Exodus 13:9), at the hours of prayer — as required by rabbinical tradition, though not by the law of Moses. Jesus never complied with this tradition (see DA 84; cf. Matthew 23:5). According to the Mishnah (Aboth 5. 21, Soncino ed. of the Talmud, p. 75), Hebrew boys became personally responsible for observing the commandments at the age of 13, that is, upon the completion of their 12th year. If the birth of Jesus occurred in the autumn of 5 B.C., as seems probable (see p. 241), His 12th year, according to Jewish reckoning, would be from the autumn of A.D. 7 to the autumn of A.D. 8, and His first Passover would be that of the following year, A.D. 9. See The Ministry of Our Lord.

They went up. See on v. 41. In the time of Christ, Jews traveling between Galilee and Judea avoided, if possible, the more direct route through Samaria, because of hostility between Jews and Samaritans (see DA 487). It is likely, therefore, that Jesus and His parents made this journey by way of the Jordan valley, which provided an alternate route. Being now “twelve years old,” Jesus attended the Passover for the first time. This was probably also His first visit to Jerusalem since the dedication, and therefore His first view of the Temple (see DA 78).

After the custom. Faithful compliance with all the requirements of the law was characteristic of Joseph and Mary (see on Matthew 1:19; Luke 2:21-24).