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SUBJECT: Jesus
QUESTION: Where was Jesus between the ages of 12 and
30?
ANSWER:
Thank you for your inquiry concerning Christ's life between
the ages of 12 and 30.
At the time Herod ordered all the young boys in Bethlehem to
be slain, Joseph took Mary and Jesus and fled into Egypt.
When the danger was past, they returned to their own country
and settled in a town in Galilee: "And he [Joseph
and his family] came and dwelt in a city called
NAZARETH: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene [one
who comes from Nazareth]" (Matt. 2:23).
From Nazareth they would all travel to Jerusalem each year
for the Passover. On one of those occasions, when He was 12,
Jesus stayed behind in the Temple. Afterward, "he went down
with them (His family),
and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them" (Luke
2:51).
So, Jesus evidently spent most of those years in Nazareth.
Otherwise, He would not have been known as a Nazarene.
After He was 30, Jesus preached in the synagogue in His home
town: "And he came to Nazareth, WHERE HE HAD BEEN BROUGHT
UP" (Luke 4:16). Notice the reaction of the townspeople:
"And all ... wondered at the gracious words which proceeded
out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?"
(verse 22). The people knew Him! This is confirmed when, on
a similar occasion, in astonishment they said, "Whence hath
this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this
the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his
brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his
sisters, are they not all with us?" (Matt. 13:54-56). The
people knew His whole family. This was Jesus' own country
(verse 54; Luke 4:24).
Obviously, Jesus spent most of those 18 years between ages
12 and 30 in Nazareth. That was where He was trained and
where He studied. Whether or not He traveled to any foreign
nation is not revealed.
Suggestions that Jesus traveled the world or studied with
the Essenes have no biblical foundation. While He may have
traveled, we know
He did not study theology with the Essenes, because they did
not agree with His teachings. There is evidence that Jesus
spent some or all of these years as a general contractor
with His father. Just across the valley, within sight of
Nazareth is the city of Sepphoris. It was a major Roman and
Byzantine city populated by Jews and remained loyal to
Rome. After the death of Herod, the kingdom was divided and
one of the sons made Sepphoris his capitol. It had a city
wall, many temples, two market places, a Council Chamber, an
Archive and a theater. This city was a showplace for the
building trades and it is easy to conclude that Jesus and
his father plied their trade in this city. Much of the find
work can still be seen to this day.
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