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Luke 2:49
ESV And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
NIV Why were you searching for me?' he asked. 'Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?'
NASB And He said to them, 'Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?'
CSB "Why were you searching for me? " he asked them. "Didn't you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father's house? "
NLT But why did you need to search?' he asked. 'Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?'
KJV And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?

What does Luke 2:49 mean?

The Bible offers few details about Jesus' early life, other than some of the events captured here in the gospel of Luke (Luke 1:1–4). One subject left unaddressed is how Mary's neighbors reacted to her unusual pregnancy (Luke 1:34–35; Matthew 1:18–21). Even as an adult, rumors seem to have swirled about Jesus' conception (John 8:19, 41). Since Jesus experienced the growth and learning normal to a child (Luke 2:40, 52), some speculate that Mary did not immediately tell Him about His birth. The comment He makes here, however, at least hints that Jesus knows who His Father truly is.

Mary referred to Joseph as Jesus' "father" (Luke 2:48), which is entirely appropriate given their adoptive relationship. She is frustrated to have found Jesus calmly dialoguing in the temple, after being discovered missing a full day after the family left Jerusalem (Luke 2:41–46). Jesus' reference to His Father is much more significant. The temple is the "house" of God (1 Kings 8:17, 20). That Jesus identifies God as His "Father" implies an awareness of His divine nature (John 1:34; 2:16; 1 John 4:15). These are the earliest spoken words recorded from Jesus, and they reflect the most important aspect of His identity.

Jesus is not asking why Mary and Joseph were looking for Him, in general. Rather, He is suggesting that the temple is the only place they should have expected Him to be. In that context, they didn't need to "search" for Him, they should have gone directly to where He naturally would have been.
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