27 Dec. Jesus escapes as a boy to his 'Father's house'
"After the [Passover] feast days were over, they [the Holy Family] started home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it."
"Thinking that Jesus was with them in the group [of families from Galilee], they travelled for a whole day. Then they began to look for him among their family and friends."
"When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him there. After three days they found Jesus sitting in the Temple with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and answers."
"When Jesus's parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, 'Son, why did you do this to us? Your father and I were very worried about you and have been looking for you.'"
"Jesus said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?' But they did not understand the meaning of what he said."
"Jesus went with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them. But his mother kept in her mind all that had happened. Jesus became wiser and grew physically. People liked him, and he pleased God."
(Luke 2:43-52)
When it was time to leave Jerusalem after the Passover festival, Mary and Joseph travelled a whole day before realising that Jesus wasn’t with their relatives and friends from Nazareth.
The women and children (who travelled more slowly) set off before the men, and when the men caught up with them later in the day, Jesus’s absence was noticed. Jesus had travelled with Mary and the other children on previous occasions, but as he was fast approaching manhood, Mary had probably assumed that he was now travelling with Joseph and the other men.
Eventually, two days later, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the courtyards of the Temple in Jerusalem, and were astonished when he said to them “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49)
Jewish parents would have been amazed to hear that a lively teenager was so keen to spend time discussing his heavenly Father’s words with the Jewish religious teachers in the Temple. But they didn't fully understand the significance of his words.
The spot where Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus was missing on the journey home is believed to be the town of Al-Bireh near Ramallah, a full day’s journey north of Jerusalem. The site is marked today by the Church of the Holy Family, a church built by the Crusaders in the 12th century.
The photo (by Avram Graicer) shows an aerial view of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
You can read more about Jesus's childhood @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/the-bible-journey/3-jesuss-childhood-journeys-b/jesus-grows-up/