Circa A.D. 8 – Jesus in the Temple

The Child Jesus Lingers at the Temple

The finding of the Savior in the Temple – William Hunt

Every year Mary and Joseph and a large group of their family and friends went to the temple in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of the Passover {which is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals routinely observed by the Hebrews. Those festivals were: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (the Festival of Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (the Festival of the Tabernacles, Tents or Booths)}. It was roughly ten days travel (100 miles) from Nazareth to Jerusalem; a journey Joseph and Mary made three times a year. When Jesus was 12 years old (around A.D. 8) he “lingered” in the temple discussing the faith with the elders of the temple (Luke 2:41-52).