Jesus' First Passover – Age 13 

When Jesus reached the appropriate age as a young man, he was just under thirteen years old, he graduated from the synagogue schools in Nazareth on the first day of the week, March 20, 7 CE. Since this was such an important day in the life of any good Jewish family, the day when the first-born son was pronounced "a son of the commandment," Joseph and Mary decided to take Jesus for his first visit to attend the Passover celebration in Jerusalem. There Jesus would undergo the rituals and make an offering to commemorate his formal acknowledgement as a son of the law.

The Passover feast of this year fell on Saturday, April 9, 7 CE, and a considerable group (for that day) of over 100 journeyed with the family to Jerusalem. They set out on the trip on Monday morning, April 4th. They journeyed south toward Samaria, but when they reached Jezreel, they turned east, going around Mount Gilboa into the Jordan valley in order to avoid passing through Samaria. The family would have enjoyed going down by Jacob's well and Bethel, but they decided to stay with their neighbors and travel with the group. Jesus was thrilled to hear the historic stories as they passed the ancient sites. He heard about the most beautiful maiden of all Israel who once lived at the village of Shunem, and he also learned about the wonderful works Elisha performed there. As they passed Jezreel, he was told about Ahab and Jezebel and the exploits of Jehu. Passing around Mount Gilboa, they talked about Saul, and King David who were associated with that historic spot. From that vantage point, they could look out and from a distance see the marble structures of the Greek city of Scythopolis.

Following the road down into the tropical Jordan valley, Jesus saw for the first time the Jordan River as it flowed down toward the Dead Sea. It was warm and as they journeyed on they removed their outer clothes and they enjoyed the fields of grain and seeing the beautiful flowers along the path; with the snow-capped Mount Hermon in the distance. They stayed overnight by a bubbling spring, camping out under the stars. During the remaining days, Jesus continued to hear the stories of the heroes of their race, such as Gideon and of course, as they passed Mount Sartaba, Jesus was told about Herod and the Alexandrian fortress that occupied the summit. On the third day, they passed villages with superior architecture and beautiful palm gardens. They camped at Jericho that evening, and they walked to the ancient site of Jericho, where Joshua, whom Jesus was named after, had performed the famous battle according to Jewish tradition. Through translation, the world came to know him as Jesus, but in his own language, he was referred to as Joshua ben Joseph.

When Jesus' family decided to rest on the eastern slopes of Mount Olivet, they stopped in the little village called Bethany. The villagers poured out of their houses to meet the visitors passing through and to offer them hospitality. It was at this rest stop that Jesus met three children about his age named Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus' family was invited in for refreshments and the two families became lifelong friends. Jesus stayed with this family on many occasions throughout his life and ultimately raised Lazarus from the dead. Aside from his own family, Jesus loved these friends the most.

When Jesus was accidentally left behind by his parents, it was his first opportunity to enjoy a few days of independent living. He had the exhilaration of going and coming without restraint and restrictions. The brief period of undirected living during Passover week was the first complete freedom from responsibility he had ever enjoyed, and he chose to enjoy the company of his new friends – the family in Bethany to stay with each evening, rather than the arranged home where he had stayed with Joseph and Mary in Jerusalem during Passover.

By the fourth day of the journey, Jesus' family encountered a continuous procession of pilgrims as they began to climb the hills leading up to Jerusalem. As they got near to the top, Jesus gained his first, long-awaited, view of the Mount of Olives. His heart beat fast with the joyous anticipation of soon beholding the city and house of his heavenly Father. Jesus was profoundly impressed by the temple and all of the other activities. He asked his father about why the heavenly Father required the slaughter of so many innocent and helpless animals. Joseph knew from the expression on Jesus' face that any attempt to explain would be an unsatisfactory answer for his deep-thinking and keen-reasoning son.

On the day before the Passover Sabbath, flood tides of spiritual illumination swept through the mortal mind of Jesus and filled his human heart to overflowing with affectionate pity for the spiritually blind and morally ignorant multitudes assembled for the celebration of the ancient Passover commemoration. This was one of the most extraordinary days that the Son of God spent in the flesh; and during the night, a celestial messenger appeared and told him: "The hour has come. It is time that you began to be about your Father's business."

When the family stood on the brink of Mount Olivet, Jesus saw for the first time (in his memory) the Holy City, the pretentious palaces, and the inspiring temple of his Father. At no time in his life did Jesus ever experience such a purely human thrill as that which so completely enthralled him as he stood there, drinking in his first view of Jerusalem. Many years later, he stood on the same spot and wept over the city which was about to reject another prophet, the last and greatest of her heavenly teachers. Jesus meditated deeply about all of the throngs of Jews who had assembled in that spot from the farthest reaches of the known world.

From the time they left Nazareth until they reached the summit of the Mount of Olives, Jesus experienced one long stress of expectant anticipation. All through his joyful childhood, he had reverently heard of Jerusalem and its temple; now he was soon to behold them in reality. From the Mount of Olives and from the outside, on closer inspection, the beauty of the temple had been all and more than Jesus had expected; he visited the "holy of holies" more than once, just standing and gazing in wonder at what must be behind the veil of separation.

Once he entered the sacred portals of the temple, the great disillusionment began. He was a little disappointed by the general demeanor of the temple throngs. He passed through the consecration rituals but was also let down by the routine and lackluster nature of them. He missed the personal interest that he had received in Nazareth. When he visited the various courts, galleries, and corridors of the temple precincts, the vastness of these buildings greatly impressed his mind. He was intrigued by the contemplation of the spiritual significance of the temple ceremonies and associated worship. Though many of the temple rituals very touchingly impressed his sense of the beautiful and the symbolic, he was always disappointed by the explanation of the real meanings of these ceremonies which his parents explained.

Jesus' teachers back in Nazareth had begun to make plans for him, and during the visit to Jerusalem, Joseph found time to take Jesus around to visit the academy where it had been arranged for him to resume his education two years later when he reached the age of fifteen. Joseph was puzzled when he observed how little interest Jesus showed in any of these plans for his formal extended education. However, he was especially stimulated by the experience of attending the temple discussions by himself, and it long stood out in his memory as the great event of his later childhood and early youth.

Women seldom went to the Passover feast at Jerusalem; they were not required to be present. Jesus refused to go without his mother, and when Mary decided to go, many other Nazareth women decided to make the journey. It was the largest group of women who had ever gone up to Jerusalem from Nazareth. Jesus was not prepared to learn that his mother would not be allowed to accompany him to the consecration ceremonies, and he was shocked and thoroughly indignant that she was made to suffer from such unjust discrimination. While he strongly resented this, aside from a few remarks of protest to his father, he said nothing at the time. But he thought deeply about this injustice as his questions to the scribes and teachers were disclosed a week later; and as he grew he developed into a staunch champion of women, which early impressed his followers, even though it opposed the tradition of those days.

Everywhere Jesus went throughout the temple courts, he was shocked and sickened by the spirit of irreverence which he observed. He deemed the conduct of the temple crowds to be inconsistent with their presence in "his Father's house." He received the shock of his life when his father escorted him into the court of the gentiles with its noisy jargon, loud talking and cursing, mingled indiscriminately with the bleating of sheep and the babble of noises which betrayed the presence of the money-changers and the vendors of sacrificial animals and other commercial commodities.

Most of all his sense of propriety was outraged by the sight of the frivolous courtesans parading about within this precinct of the temple; painted women just as he had seen when on a visit to Sepphoris with his father. The profanation of the temple fully aroused all of his youthful indignation, and he did not hesitate to express himself freely about it to Joseph. Jesus admired the sentiment and service of the temple, but he was shocked by the spiritual ugliness which he beheld on the faces of so many of the unthinking worshipers.

When they passed down to the priest's court beneath the rock ledge in front of the temple where the altar stood, they observed the killing of animals and the washing away of the blood from the hands of the officiating slaughter priests at the bronze fountain. The bloodstained pavement, the gory hands of the priests, and the sounds of the dying animals were more than this nature-loving boy could stand. The terrible sight sickened him so much that he grabbed his father's arm and begged to be taken away. As they walked back through the court of the gentiles, even the coarse laughter and profane jesting that he heard there was a relief from the sights he had just seen. Joseph led Jesus through some of the more beautiful areas to lighten the mood and inspire the boy.

Five Nazareth families were guests of the family in Bethany and Jesus had persuaded his parents to attend the Passover feast there. It was the slaughter of all of the lambs that had been sold for this feast in every household that had so affected Jesus on his temple visit. Jesus being a new son of the covenant was asked to recite something appropriate about the origin of the Passover, but he added many remarks of his own, based upon his experiences at the temple, which did not go unnoticed by his parents.

Jesus slept very little that night. His rest was greatly disturbed by revolting dreams of slaughter and suffering. His mind was distraught and his heart torn by the inconsistencies and absurdities of the theology of the whole Jewish ceremonial system. His parents likewise slept little and were greatly disconcerted by the events of the day. They were concerned by Jesus' strange and determined attitude, an attitude that would eventually evolve into bloodless Passover feasts that he would share in the very same home years later with his friends.

As the Nazareth travelers journeyed back from Jerusalem, a mix-up occurred, and Joseph and Mary assumed that Jesus was with the other group. Mary believed he traveled with the men, as he had done before, while Joseph thought he was with the women, leading Mary's donkey. It wasn't until they reached Jericho and prepared to rest for the night that they realized Jesus was missing.

Anxious and worried, they inquired with the last members of the group to reach Jericho, only to find that no one had seen their son. They spent a sleepless night, tossing and turning, wondering where he might be. Their thoughts wandered to the strange occurrences during Passover week when Jesus impressed the teachers with his wisdom.

Finally, they decided to return to Jerusalem to look for him and search the temple courts.

During the Passover week, Jesus kept his place and listened attentively to the discussions. No experience in all of Jesus' eventful earth career was more engaging in the teaching and question conferences that were in progress at the temple. He refrained from asking the many questions in his mind until after the celebration had ended and he was allowed to sit within the area where the adults were seated.

Being left behind by his parents when they departed for Nazareth was a fortunate error, for it allowed Jesus to take part in these question and answer sessions freely until his parents discovered him days later. Those who listened to this Nazareth boy marveled at his sagacious questions. They included:

What really exists in the holy of holies, behind the veil?Why should mothers in Israel be segregated from the male temple worshipers?If God is a father who loves his children, why all this slaughter of animals to gain divine favor – has the teaching of Moses been misunderstood?Since the temple is dedicated to the worship of the Father in heaven, is it consistent to permit the presence of those who engage in secular barter and trade?Is the expected Messiah to become a temporal prince to sit on the throne of David, or is he to function as the light of life in the establishment of a spiritual kingdom?

During Jesus’ fourth day in the temple, having gained the full attention of all of the scholars present with his deep questions, Jesus was just about to be the privileged speaker when, upon finding Jesus seated among the temple teachers, Mary rushed up and scoldingly said, "My child, why have you treated us like this? It is now more than three days that your father and I have searched for you sorrowing. Whatever possessed you to desert us?"

All eyes were on Jesus, awaiting his response. After a moment's thought, Jesus said: "Why is it that you have so long sought me? Would you not expect to find me in my Father’s house since the time has come when I should be about my Father’s business?" Everyone was astonished at the lad’s manner of speaking. Then Jesus quietly said: "Come, my parents, none has done aught but that which he thought best. Our Father in heaven has ordained these things; let us depart for home."

Jesus was strangely unmindful of his parents while they were absent. He was so occupied with all of his new experiences that it didn't occur to him that his parents would have missed him. The three days' journey home was very quiet and when they reached Nazareth, Jesus made a brief statement to his parents, assuring them of his affection and implying that they need not fear he would again give any occasion for their suffering anxiety because of his conduct. He ended his statement by saying: "While I must do the will of my Father in heaven, I will be obedient to my father on earth. I will await my hour."

Though Jesus, in his mind, would many times refuse to consent to the well-intentioned but misguided efforts of his parents to dictate the course of his thinking or to establish the plan of his work on earth, still, in every manner consistent with his dedication to the doing of his Father's will, he did most gracefully conform to the desires of his earthly father and to the usages of his family in the flesh. Even when he could not consent, he would do everything possible to conform. He was an artist in the matter of adjusting his dedication to duty to his obligations of family loyalty and social service.

Throughout this and the two following years, Jesus faced inner turmoil as he tried to reconcile his personal beliefs and social values with those of his parents. He felt torn between two strong principles: following his deepest convictions of truth and righteousness, and obeying the dutiful command to honor his father and mother. Nevertheless, he never avoided the responsibility of finding a balance between his convictions and family duties. As time passed, he skillfully integrated his personal beliefs with his family obligations, embracing group solidarity founded on loyalty, fairness, tolerance, and love.

Mary, wanting Jesus to embrace a patriotic and nationalistic mindset, sought help from her brother, who was Jesus' beloved uncle. Her goal was to prepare Jesus to lead the movement that aimed to restore David's throne and break free from foreign political oppression. Even at a young age, Jesus started pondering how he could bring the light of truth to the world amidst these challenges. He knew Mary's expectations were not his destiny.

Joseph had a much more realistic understanding of Jesus’ life mission, of becoming a future spiritual leader, but he died shortly after this trip through a work accident, and did not live to see his dreams for his son fulfilled. The plan for Jesus' higher education in the school of the rabbis was abandoned to allow him to stay home to assume the duties of the eldest son, which required many years for him to fulfill the sacred obligation to help with raising his father's family.