Luke 2:47

Astonished. These religious leaders were at a loss to account for the fact that a child who, as they well knew, had not learned in the schools of the rabbis (see on John 7:15) should have the profound understanding of the prophecies that Jesus obviously had. God had been His teacher, through the precepts of Mary, through Jesus’ own study of the scrolls of the prophets, and now through the direct impression of truth upon His heart as He meditated in the courts of the Temple. In contrast, the teaching of the rabbis tended to obscure rather than clarify truth—to encourage ignorance rather than impart knowledge.

His understanding. That is, of the Scriptures, particularly of the prophecies that pointed to the coming of the Messiah, the mission of Israel to the nations, and the establishment of the Messianic kingdom. His understanding of the Word of God was not darkened by the devious and misleading explanations that were the stock in trade of the rabbis and elders. Jesus was familiar not only with the letter but also with the spirit of the Scriptures. He was heedless of rabbinical interpretation. No errors confused His thinking.

Answers. These venerable teachers plied Jesus with questions in an effort to fathom the depth of His grasp of the Scriptures, and were intrigued by His clear and logical answers, which were all based on the Scriptures. If as an “unlearned” lad Jesus possessed so profound an understanding of the law and the prophets, thought the masters of Israel, what would He become when thoroughly trained at their hands? Like a master singer realizing the possibilities latent in an untrained but naturally beautiful voice, they no doubt envisioned in Jesus the greatest teacher Israel had ever known.