Luke 2:49 Commentary and Bible Study

He did not feel guilty about what had happened because he was not guilty. Did Christ obey the 5^th commandment in doing what he had done? Yes, because he was obeying his Father in heaven. Joseph was his legal father but not his true Father, and his true Father took precedence. His Father in heaven had commanded him to do exactly what he was doing: to go to the temple and to interact with the doctors of the law. ‘How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?’ The word ‘business’ is not in the Greek, but some word needs to be supplied. Modern versions supply the word ‘house’. It is true that a son will learn his father’s business and live in his house. The answer is entirely logical. He says it gently and respectfully, but it is a reproof, and certainly it was a lesson which they would think much about afterwards. They ought not to have been anxious about him. They ought to have known where he was. There was no need for them to go searching for him throughout Jerusalem. There could only be one place that he would go, and that was to the temple, the dwelling place of God at that time, and the place where those who studied Scripture were to be found. It was a hard lesson for them to learn, but he was not incapable of teaching his own mother and his legal father where they had gone wrong.Here was an extremely important lesson for Joseph and Mary. They had begun to forget all that had been said about him before and after his birth, as well as what had been said to Mary by Gabriel. All that they had learnt and the nature of his conception which they were both well aware of, should have told them that he would not be like an ordinary child. Gabriel had said, ‘He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest’ (Luke 1:32). They ought to have been expecting that he would want to draw near to his heavenly Father, and what better opportunity to do so than when they were in Jerusalem for the feast. Every child learnt his father’s business and dwell in his father’s house, and the Son of God was no exception. His Father’s business was the salvation of souls, the instruction of mankind through the word, and the Son too must be immersed in the word, and learn to handle it as a workman that does not need to be ashamed. Joseph and Mary should have gone straight to the temple, for there was nowhere else that he would stay behind in the city. In fact they should have expected him to go there before they even began their return journey.This answer shows that he knew exactly who he was, even at the age of twelve. He was conscious that he was God and man and that he had been sent into the world by the Father. He knew that he needed to spend time with his Father and to learn from him. He certainly understood that he was sent to lay down his life for sinners. He learnt this from the Scriptures which proved to others as well as to him that he was the Son of David. He learned it by direct communication from the Father and Spirit, and he knew it through his own divine nature.Hendriksen draws attention to the word ‘must’. He must be about his Father’s business; he must be in his Father’s house. All of his life was mapped out for him, and he had to follow the path assigned to him, and he did it voluntarily and with understanding.