Luke 2:50 Study Bible: They did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.

◄ Luke 2:50 ►

But they did not understand the statement He was making to them.

But they did not understand
This phrase highlights the human limitation in comprehending divine mysteries. The Greek word for "understand" is "syniēmi," which means to bring together or to comprehend. In the context of Luke 2:50, it underscores the disciples' struggle to grasp the full meaning of Jesus' mission and identity. Historically, this reflects the common theme in the Gospels where Jesus' followers often fail to fully understand His teachings and purpose until after His resurrection. This serves as a reminder of the need for spiritual discernment and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to truly understand God's plans.

what He was saying to them
The phrase "what He was saying" refers to Jesus' profound declaration about His divine mission and relationship with the Father. The Greek word "legō" is used here, which means to speak or to say. This indicates not just the act of speaking, but the conveyance of important truths. In the scriptural context, Jesus had just revealed His divine sonship and His need to be in His Father's house, a concept that was revolutionary and difficult for His earthly parents to grasp. This highlights the depth and complexity of Jesus' teachings, which often transcended human understanding and required faith and revelation to be fully appreciated.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jesus
At this point in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is a young boy, approximately twelve years old, who has just been found in the temple by His parents after being missing for three days. He is engaging with the teachers, demonstrating His wisdom and understanding.

2. Mary and Joseph
The earthly parents of Jesus, who are perplexed by Jesus' response when they find Him in the temple. They do not fully grasp the significance of His words and actions.

3. The Temple in Jerusalem
The central place of Jewish worship and learning, where Jesus is found discussing with the teachers. It symbolizes the presence of God and the heart of Jewish religious life.

4. The Teachers
Jewish religious leaders and scholars who are amazed by Jesus' understanding and answers. They represent the established religious authority of the time.

5. The Journey to Jerusalem
This event occurs during the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, highlighting the family's adherence to Jewish customs and traditions.

Teaching Points

Understanding God's Ways
God's plans and purposes often transcend human understanding. Like Mary and Joseph, we may not always grasp what God is doing in our lives, but we are called to trust Him.

The Importance of Spiritual Growth
Jesus' time in the temple highlights the value of seeking wisdom and understanding. We should prioritize spiritual growth and learning, engaging with Scripture and godly teaching.

Parental Guidance and Faith
Mary and Joseph's experience reminds parents of the importance of guiding their children in faith, even when they do not fully understand God's plans for them.

The Role of the Church Community
The temple setting underscores the importance of being part of a faith community where believers can learn, grow, and support one another in understanding God's Word.

Embracing Mystery in Faith
Faith involves embracing the mystery of God's work in our lives. We are called to trust in His wisdom and timing, even when we do not have all the answers.

Bible Study Questions

1. How can we apply the lesson of trusting God's plans, even when we do not understand them, in our daily lives?

2. In what ways can we prioritize spiritual growth and learning, similar to Jesus' example in the temple?

3. How can parents encourage and nurture their children's faith, especially when they face challenges in understanding God's plans?

4. What role does the church community play in helping us grow in wisdom and understanding of God's Word?

5. How can we embrace the mystery of faith and trust in God's higher ways, as described in Isaiah 55:8-9, in our personal walk with Christ?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Luke 2:46-47
These verses describe Jesus' interaction with the teachers in the temple, showcasing His wisdom and understanding, which astonishes all who hear Him.

John 1:14
This verse speaks of the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, emphasizing the divine nature of Jesus, which His parents are beginning to witness.

Proverbs 3:5-6
These verses encourage trust in the Lord and not leaning on one's own understanding, which parallels Mary and Joseph's struggle to comprehend Jesus' actions.

Isaiah 55:8-9
These verses remind us that God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, reflecting the mystery of Jesus' mission that His parents do not yet understand.

Sermons

First Sunday After Epiphany	J. A. Seiss, D. D.	Luke 2:39-52
Glimpses of the Divine Childhood	E. Johnson, M. A.	Luke 2:39-52
Nazareth	J. Stalker, L. A.	Luke 2:39-52
The Early Years of Christ	T. D. Woolsey, D. D.	Luke 2:39-52
The Life of Jesus	J. C. Jones.	Luke 2:39-52
The Personality of Jesus	Principal Fairbairn, D. D.	Luke 2:39-52
The Training of Jesus Christ	G. D. Boardman.	Luke 2:39-52
The Visit of Jesus to Jerusalem When a Boy	R.M. Edgar	Luke 2:41-52
A Great Love and a Great Lesson	Dean Goulburn.	Luke 2:50-51
Christ an Example in Filial Duties	W. H. Lewis, D. D.	Luke 2:50-51
Christ's Life of Submission	Dean Goulburn.	Luke 2:50-51
Development of Christ Through the Influences of Home	Stopford A. Brooke, M. A.	Luke 2:50-51
Duty to Parents		Luke 2:50-51
Every Duty has its Proper Place and Time	H. C. Trumbull.	Luke 2:50-51
God's Lessons Slowly Learned	John Brown, M. A. .	Luke 2:50-51
Gratitude to Parents	H. W. Beecher, from his last public letter.	Luke 2:50-51
His Mother Kept All These Sayings in Her Heart	H. Bushnell, D. D.	Luke 2:50-51
Home Duties	H. R. Haweis, M. A.	Luke 2:50-51
Mr. Cecil's Obedience		Luke 2:50-51
Obedience to Parents	Wansidal.	Luke 2:50-51
Obedience to Parents		Luke 2:50-51
Subjection of Children		Luke 2:50-51
The Christian Family	H. W. Beecher.	Luke 2:50-51
The Eighteen Silent Years	John Brown, M. A.	Luke 2:50-51
The Filial Dutifulness of Jesus	Dean Goulburn.	Luke 2:50-51
The Holy Family	Weinzierl.	Luke 2:50-51
The Home At Nazareth	Canon Vernon Hutton, M. A.	Luke 2:50-51
The Memory of the Heart	G. Matheson, D. D.	Luke 2:50-51
The Obedience of Childhood	Sunday School Times	Luke 2:50-51
The True Order of Obedience	Bishop Chris. Wordsworth.	Luke 2:50-51

People

Anna, Aser, Asher, Augustus, Cyrenius, David, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Phanuel, Simeon

Places

Bethlehem, Galilee, Jerusalem, Judea, Nazareth, Rome, Syria

Topics

Didn't, Saying, Seemed, Significance, Spake, Spoke, Statement, Strange, Understand, Understood

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Luke 2:50

     2054   Christ, mind of
     5135   blindness, spiritual
     6181   ignorance
     8355   understanding

Luke 2:38-52

2520 Christ, childhood

Luke 2:41-50

5658 boys

Luke 2:41-51

5379 law, Christ's attitude
7241 Jerusalem, significance

Luke 2:42-52

5746 youth

Luke 2:49-51

5669 children, examples

Library

December 25. "I Bring You Glad Tidings" (Luke ii. 10).
"I bring you glad tidings" (Luke ii. 10). A Christmas spirit should be a spirit of humanity. Beside that beautiful object lesson on the Manger, the Cradle, and the lowly little child, what Christian heart can ever wish to be proud? It is a spirit of joy. It is right that these should be glad tidings, for, "Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all people." It is a spirit of love. It should be the joy that comes from giving joy to others. The central fact of Christmas is …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Was, Is, is to Come
'... The babe lying in a manger...'--LUKE ii. 16. '... While He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven...'--LUKE xxiv. 51. 'This same Jesus... shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go...'--ACTS I. 11. These three fragments, which I have ventured to isolate and bring together, are all found in one author's writings. Luke's biography of Jesus stretches from the cradle in Bethlehem to the Ascension from Olivet. He narrates the Ascension twice, because it has two …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Boy in the Temple
'And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me! wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?' --LUKE ii. 49. A number of spurious gospels have come down to us, which are full of stories, most of them absurd and some of them worse, about the infancy of Jesus Christ. Their puerilities bring out more distinctly the simplicity, the nobleness, the worthiness of this one solitary incident of His early days, which has been preserved for us. How has it been preserved? If you will look over …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Simeon's Swan-Song
'Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: 30. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.'--LUKE ii. 29,30. That scene, when the old man took the Infant in his withered arms, is one of the most picturesque and striking in the Gospel narrative. Simeon's whole life appears, in its later years, to have been under the immediate direction of the Spirit of God. It is very remarkable to notice how, in the course of three consecutive verses, the operation of that divine Spirit …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Shepherds and Angels
'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. 10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Angel's Message and Song
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the LORD came upon them, and the glory of the LORD shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the LORD . And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

December the Nineteenth the Sun of Righteousness
"A light to lighten the Gentiles." --LUKE ii. 25-40. That was the wonder of wonders. Hitherto the light had been supposed to be for Israel alone; and now a heavenly splendour was to fall upon the Gentiles. Hitherto the light had been thought of as a lamp, illuming a single place; now it was to be a sun, shedding its glory upon a world. The "people that sat in darkness" are now to see "a great light." New regions are to be occupied; there is to be daybreak everywhere! "The Sun of Righteousness …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

December the Twenty-Fifth Christmas Cheer
"Good will toward men!" --LUKE ii. 8-20. The heavens are not filled with hostility. The sky does not express a frown. When I look up I do not contemplate a face of brass, but the face of infinite good will. Yet when I was a child, many a picture has made me think of God as suspicious, inhumanly watchful, always looking round the corner to catch me at the fall. That "eye," placed in the sky of many a picture, and placed there to represent God, filled my heart with a chilling fear. That God was …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Religious Joy.
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."--Luke ii. 10, 11. There are two principal lessons which we are taught on the great Festival which we this day celebrate, lowliness and joy. This surely is a day, of all others, in which is set before us the heavenly excellence and the acceptableness in God's sight of that state which …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Wilderness: Temptation. Matthew 4:1-11. Mark 1:12, 13. Luke 4:1-13.
The University of Arabia: Jesus' naturalness--the Spirit's presence--intensity, Luke 2:45-51.--a true perspective--- the temptation's path--sin's path--John's grouping, 1 John 2:16.--the Spirit's plan--why--the devil's weakness--the Spirit's leading--a wilderness for every God-used man, Moses, Elijah, Paul. Earth's Ugliest, Deepest Scar: Jesus the only one led up to be tempted--the wilderness--its history, Genesis 13:10-13. 18:16-19:38.--Jesus really tempted--no wrong here in inner response--every …
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

Joy Born at Bethlehem
In our text we have before us the sermon of the first evangelist under the gospel dispensation. The preacher was an angel, and it was meet it should be so, for the grandest and last of all evangels will be proclaimed by an angel when he shall sound the trumpet of the resurrection, and the children of the regeneration shall rise into the fullness of their joy. The key-note of this angelic gospel is joy--"I bring unto you good tidings of great joy." Nature fears in the presence of God--the shepherds …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

"Nunc Dimittis"
We shall note, this morning, first, that every believer may be assured of departing in peace; but that, secondly, some believers feel a special readiness to depart now: "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace;" and, thirdly, that there are words of encouragement to produce in us the like readiness: "according to thy word." There are words of Holy Writ which afford richest consolation in prospect of departure. I. First, then, let us start with the great general principle, which is full of comfort; …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Christ About his Father's Business
But now I shall invite your attention, first, to the spirit of the Saviour, as breathed in these words, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" and then, secondly, I shall exhort the children of God, with all the earnestness which I can command, with all the intensity of power which I can summon to the point, to labour after the same spirit, that they too may unfeignedly say, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? " I. First, then note THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST. It was …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

The First Christmas Carol
Let us turn aside, having just thought of angels for a moment, to think rather of this song, than of the angels themselves. Their song was brief, but as Kitto excellently remarks, it was "well worthy of angels expressing the greatest and most blessed truths, in words so few, that they become to an acute apprehension, almost oppressive by the pregnant fulness of their meaning"--"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men." We shall, hoping to be assisted by the Holy Spirit, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Christ's Boyhood
LUKE ii. 52. And Jesus increased in wisdom, and in stature, and in favour both with God and man. I do not pretend to understand these words. I preach on them because the Church has appointed them for this day. And most fitly. At Christmas we think of our Lord's birth. What more reasonable, than that we should go on to think of our Lord's boyhood? To think of this aright, even if we do not altogether understand it, ought to help us to understand rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ; …
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

The Christ Child (Christmas Day. )
LUKE ii. 7. And she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapt him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger. Mother and child.--Think of it, my friends, on Christmas day. What more beautiful sight is there in the world? What more beautiful sight, and what more wonderful sight? What more beautiful? That man must be very far from the kingdom of God--he is not worthy to be called a man at all--whose heart has not been touched by the sight of his first child in its mother's bosom. The greatest …
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Music (Christmas Day. )
LUKE ii. 13, 14. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. You have been just singing Christmas hymns; and my text speaks of the first Christmas hymn. Now what the words of that hymn meant; what Peace on earth and good-will towards man meant, I have often told you. To-day I want you, for once, to think of this--that it was a hymn; that these angels were singing, even as …
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Of Having Confidence in God when Evil Words are Cast at Us
"My Son, stand fast and believe in Me. For what are words but words? They fly through the air, but they bruise no stone. If thou are guilty, think how thou wouldst gladly amend thyself; if thou knowest nothing against thyself, consider that thou wilt gladly bear this for God's sake. It is little enough that thou sometimes hast to bear hard words, for thou art not yet able to bear hard blows. And wherefore do such trivial matters go to thine heart, except that thou art yet carnal, and regardest …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Birth of Jesus.
(at Bethlehem of Judæa, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke II. 1-7. ^c 1 Now it came to pass in those days [the days of the birth of John the Baptist], there went out a decree [a law] from Cæsar Augustus [Octavius, or Augustus, Cæsar was the nephew of and successor to Julius Cæsar. He took the name Augustus in compliment to his own greatness; and our month August is named for him; its old name being Sextilis], that all the world should be enrolled. [This enrollment or census was the first step …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Circumcision, Temple Service, and Naming of Jesus.
(the Temple at Jerusalem, b.c. 4) ^C Luke II. 21-39. ^c 21 And when eight days [Gen. xvii. 12] were fulfilled for circumcising him [The rite was doubtless performed by Joseph. By this rite Jesus was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 16, 17); that is, he became a member of the covenant nation, and became a debtor to the law--Gal. v. 3] , his name was called JESUS [see Luke i. 59], which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke i. 31.] 22 And when the days of their …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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