The Mystery of Jesus' Lost Years - Where Was He? | Bible Stories

[Music] the years between Jesus's birth and the beginning of his ministry around the age of 30 are shrouded in mystery they are often referred to as his Lost Years or silent years because there is little written about them in the Bible this has led to much speculation throughout history history about where Jesus was and what he was doing during this time though the Bible does not give many details analysis of the scriptural evidence combined with what we know of the history and culture of first century Judea can give us some Clues only the Gospel of

Luke gives us any information at all stating that at the age of 12 Jesus traveled with his parents to Jerusalem for the Passover feast after the feast Mary and Joseph headed home but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing when they returned to find him Jesus was in the temple courts conversing with the religious teachers the last we hear of Jesus as a child is at the age of 12 when he spent time discussing theology in the temple courts in Jerusalem Luke 24152 this indicates that even as a child Jesus had an extraordinary

understanding of spiritual matters and was on a clear path of preparing himself to fulfill his Divine mission on Earth after this event Jesus returned with his family to to Nazareth and was obedient to them Luke 25152 this is the last we hear of Jesus's childhood until he emerges at the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist as a grown man ready to begin his ministry Matthew 3:13 17 so where was Jesus between the ages of 12 and 30 there are many Legends and apocryphal writings that attempt to fill in the gaps but most

scholars believe they hold little historical veracity the Bible itself is silent however we can draw some reasonable conclusions based on the historical context number one between the ages of 12 and 30 the speculation is that Jesus remained in Galilee with his family until he was old enough to learn his Earthly father Joseph's trade as a carpenter and work alongside him Matthew 13:55 Mark 63 this seems likely since Nazareth is repeatedly referred to as Jesus's Hometown throughout the gospels Matthew 2:23 Luke 4:16 the gospels reference Jesus as The Carpenter's son and the carpenter Matthew 13:55 Mark

63 suggesting this occupation was a defining feature of his early adult years in Nazareth it is plausible he followed in Joseph's trade as a carpenter or Builder during these years he worked as a carpenter in sephus a large nearby City Just 4 miles from Nazareth that was undergoing significant expansion under Roman rule during Jesus's youth traveled to and from sephus would have exposed Jesus to new cultures and ideas working as a Craftsman in the city could have given him skills and insights useful for his later Ministry number two most Jewish Boys in first century Palestine

would have received education in the local synagogue starting around age five Jesus probably received a typical Jewish Education that involved memorizing Torah learning Hebrew studying the prophets and writings and debating scripture this likely formed the strong biblical knowledge and teaching abilities he displayed during his ministry and all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth Luke 4:22 as an observant Jewish young man he would have studied the Torah and Prophets attended synagogue observed religious festivals and worked to support his family we get a hint of this quiet

yet spiritually focused upbringing when Jesus returned to teach in the synagogue in Nazareth as an adult and his neighbors were amazed at his wisdom wondering is this not The Carpenter's son Matthew 13:54 56 he studied with various Jewish teachers it seems likely Jesus would have studied the Torah and Prophets under rabbis perhaps even traveling to learn from well-known teachers Luke says Jesus deeply impressed the teachers in the temple as a boy Luke 24647 though the Bible does not say directly Jesus probably continued to study scripture and debate its meaning with teachers given the evident depth

of his biblical [Music] knowledge number three he traveled some evidence suggests Jesus ventured Beyond Nazareth during these years one passage hints he visited Jerusalem regularly every year Jesus's parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover when he Jesus was 12 years old they went up to the festival according to the custom Luke 24142 this implies an ongoing custom traveling the 70 miles between Galilee and Jerusalem was part of observant Jewish life some theorists have speculated that Jesus traveled to the east on a quest during these Lost Years to study with sages and Mystics

but there is no biblical or historical evidence of this Jesus's statement for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me John 6:38 indicates that he received his wisdom directly from God not from Human teachers he was also very Mobile in his ministry travels around Judea so it is conceivable he journeyed to other places the historian Josephus mentions a Jesus Son of ananas who traveled around preaching in the temples of Judea for seven years prior to the Jewish Revolt of AD 6670 while this is

clearly a different Jesus it shows how a highest Jew of the time could have made preaching Journeys number four he spent time in the wilderness some Scholars suggest Jesus traveled Into the Wilderness on extended spiritual retreats to prepare for his ministry like John the Baptist Luke 1 180 Jesus later fasted 40 days in the wilderness before starting his ministry Matthew 412 several Old Testament prophets like Moses and Elijah spent significant time in the wilderness before their prophetic work the Wilderness provided isolation for meditation prayer and communion with God away from ordinary distractions John's gospel several

times refers to Jesus going to the Wilderness mountains and other isolated regions to pray alone for extended periods before key moments in his ministry John 6:15 John 11:54 it is likely Jesus spent significant time in spiritual Retreat communion with God and preparation during his Lost Years Jesus also likely spent considerable time studying the Hebrew scriptures and soaking in God's word during these years given the ease with which he quoted scripture throughout his ministry when tempted by Satan in the wilderness shortly before beginning his public Ministry Jesus responded three times by quoting Moses and Deuteronomy Matthew

4110 his frequent quoting and referencing of scripture indicate that he had thoroughly committed much of it to memory [Music] number five as Jesus Grew Older he may have faced increasing tension with other members of his family who did not believe he was the Messiah during this time the gospels mention that even during Jesus's Ministry his brothers mocked him and did not believe his claims John 7:35 this skepticism likely took root earlier on as Jesus's sense of Divine Purpose and Mission became evident it's also likely that Jesus worked many miracles during his lost years that were

never recorded John 21:25 the gospels only provide a small sampling of his works and deeds over a short period of time when Jesus began performing miracles in Galilee the crowds immediately flocked to him because they had heard of the mighty Works done by Him Luke 4:23 indicating he was already known for doing Miracles before his public Ministry number six by the time he was around 30 years old Jewish men were expected to be married and have children yet the gospels never mentioned Jesus marrying or having a family his unmarried status was unusual for a traditional

Jewish man and may suggest that Jesus was waiting for the right time to launch his public Ministry Instead The Lost years were likely spent in obscurity humbly preparing for his coming Mission though intriguing the details of where Jesus was during those 18 years matter less than who he proved to be when he emerged publicly as the Messiah but most significantly the Lost years were a time of spiritual preparation and communion with the father as Jesus waited for the proper time to begin his ministry Jesus was aware of his identity and mission on Earth from a

very early age but submitted to the father's timing John 8:28 29 he spent these quiet years praying studying the word trusting in God's provision and plan working to support his family and growing in wisdom and stature Luke 2:52 the obscurity of Jesus's life prior to his public Ministry is consistent with the nature of his humble Mission Philippians 2 7 states that Jesus made himself Nothing by taking the very nature of a servant Jesus fully embraced the simple ordinary life of a Jewish laborer obedient to his Earthly parents as he awaited God's timing but once he

received the call called to begin his ministry around the age of 30 Jesus was fully prepared and wasted no time preaching the gospel of the Kingdom teaching with authority choosing his disciples and beginning the work of Salvation he was sent to accomplish though there is Mystery surrounding Jesus's early years between ages 12 and 30 we can conclude based on scriptural evidence that they were primarily spent living a devout Jewish life in Galilee studying God's word praying working to support his family and waiting on God's timing Jesus embraced Earthly obscurity and mundanity to prepare for the

Pinnacle of his ministry glorifying the father through his atoning death and Resurrection as he later told Pontius Pilate for this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to Bear witness to the truth John 1837 the quiet Foundation of prayer scripture and obedience established during Jes Jesus's Lost Years prepared him for the ultimate purpose of his life while we can make some educated guesses the full story remains unknown God saw fit to keep much of Jesus's life and development prior to his ministry private as John 2125 declares concerning Christ's

life there are also many other things that Jesus did which if they were written one by one I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written the Lost Years remain a mystery of God's Sovereign plan and timing for when Jesus would emerge to fulfill his purpose in the end it is the three years of Jesus's active Ministry that God chose to record in detail for our salvation