Many of us are familiar with the fact that Jesus was born to a virgin mother in humble circumstances in the town of Bethlehem, where he was placed in a manger because there was no guest room for him (Luke 2:7). We also might know many of the details of his earthly ministry, such as how he was baptized in the River Jordan, taught and healed throughout Galilee and Judea, and was crucified on the cross at Golgotha, also known as Calvary (Matthew 27:33).
But what about those years in between? Where did Jesus grow up, and what was Jesus’s childhood like?
Most of the information we have about Jesus’s childhood is found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Let’s take a look at the Bible to learn.
Jesus was the firstborn son of Mary and her betrothed, Joseph, though the child was not conceived through their union. Scripture tells us Mary, a virgin, was impregnated through the Holy Spirit. As the angel told Mary in Luke 1:35, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (NIV).
When Joseph learned his fiancée was pregnant outside their union, he resolved to divorce her, but God’s angel convinced him that he should not do so. The angel informed Joseph, “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20), and that the child would save the people from their sins. So Joseph obeyed the angel and took Mary home with him as his wife.
This is the family Jesus was born into: that of a God-fearing, God-obeying husband and wife especially selected by the Lord God. Scripture tells us that only after Jesus was born did Joseph and Mary consummate their marriage (Matthew 1:25).
The Bible tells us Jesus came from a long line of good and godly people with ancestors all the way back to Abraham, including King David (Matthew 1:1-16). Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, but around the time of their birth, the ruler— Caesar Augustus—called for a census to be taken, so Jesus’s parents traveled to Bethlehem for the census since Joseph hailed from the house and line of David (Matthew 2:4). They gave birth while there in Bethlehem.
During their time in Bethlehem, they dedicated their son in the temple, as religious Jews traditionally did (Luke 2:22). Two temple prophets—Simeon and Anna—were there at the time and issued praises over Jesus (Luke 2:25-38).
The Gospel of Matthew tells us wise men came from the east to visit the infant after the birth, bringing expensive gifts and worshipping the child (Matthew 2:1-11).
After the birth, they might have directly returned home to Nazareth. However, an angel warned Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt instead because King Herod was planning to kill the child (v. 13). So the family spent time in Egypt as immigrants. After Herod died, the family moved back to Nazareth (v. 23).
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We know very little about Jesus as a boy—we don’t know what he looked like, what games he played, or what made him laugh. However, we do know what Scripture tells us: He “became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him” (Luke 2:40).
The child of a devout family, we also know Jesus was raised with strong religious instruction. The Bible tells us his family was so devout that “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover” (Luke 2:41).
Certainly, given such parents, Jesus would have been well-versed in God’s word, and we soon learn he was filled with passion about the Lord, as well. Scripture tells us that when the boy was about 12, the family was returning home from the festival. His parents assumed Jesus was with them, just traveling with other family members. But when they searched for him, they discovered he was not with their group. They returned to Jerusalem to search for him, finally locating him after three days in the temple, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (v. 46).
The BIble tells us all were amazed at his understanding and answers. When his worried parents asked why he’d treated them in such a way, presumably upset at him, he seemed genuinely baffled at their question.
“‘Why were you searching for me?’ he asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’” - Luke 2:49
Still, he returned home with his parents and was obedient to them. Intelligent, he was well-liked and well-respected. As the Bible tells us, he continued to grow “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
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This is mostly all the Bible tells us about Jesus’s childhood in narrative form. The story picks around the time of Jesus’s baptism as a man. But there are other details about his childhood we can glean from reading Scripture. For instance, we can infer Jesus had other siblings. The Bible tells us Mary and Joseph consummated their marriage after Jesus’s birth, and much later, we’re told that Jesus’s mother and his brothers came to hear him speak before a large crowd. They stood outside, and the Bible says someone told Jesus his mother and brothers wanted to speak with him (Matthew 12:46-27). This is when Jesus famously replied, making his point about God’s family of believers, “‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (v. 48-50).
In Matthew 13:55, Jesus’s brothers are named, identified as James, Joseph, Simon and Judas.
It’s also noted here that Jesus is a “carpenter’s son,” and as sons often carried on the father’s line of work, it is likely Jesus and his brothers were skilled in carpentry. Perhaps he and his brothers also made a living at this work, though if Jesus had done so, he would have abandoned this to become a rabbi.
It’s thought Jesus also had sisters, as Matthew 13:56 has the crowd also asking, “Aren’t all his sisters with us?”
We know little about these sisters, but Jesus’s brothers presumably became disciples. Acts 1:14 notes that Jesus’s mother and brothers were among the women and other apostles “joined together constantly in prayer.”
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It also seems that Jesus and his mother were quite close. Scripture often tells us Mary treasured, pondered, and stored up certain truths in her heart—such as when the shepherds came to worship the baby Jesus after his birth (Luke 2:19) or when the prophet Simeon took Jesus in his arms at the temple and prophesied (v. 33), or after Jesus was found, astonishing temple leaders with his knowledge of scripture (v. 51).
The two had a natural and matter-of-fact way of speaking with each other, too, possibly indicating their close bond. As a man, Jesus had just begun calling his disciples when Scripture tells us he, his mother, and the disciples were at a wedding in Cana. The hosts ran out of wine at the wedding, and Mary informed Jesus.
As the encounter is described, “‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you’” (John 2:4-5).
Indeed, Jesus did as his mother wished and turned the water into wine—so good people marveled as to why the hosts had saved the best for last.
Jesus’s mother was present on many occasions throughout his earthly ministry, and she was also there at the cross as well as at his tomb before they discovered he had been resurrected.
On the cross, as he hung dying, Jesus also showed great care for his mother, entrusting her to the care of his beloved friend so that she would be provided for.
As Scripture tells us, “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:26-27).
From his birth to his death and far beyond, Mary was there, and her presence indicates what seems to have been a deep closeness between the two from childhood on.
We don’t know the other details of Jesus’s childhood. Was he a lighthearted kid or melancholy? Did he like to run and jump, or did he sit and study for hours on end? Perhaps one day, those questions will be answered when we come face to face with our Lord in heaven. Until then, let us rest in the limited knowledge we have, understanding our savior, even as a boy, was strong, wise, and filled with God’s grace (Luke 2:40). Amen, and thanks be to God.
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