Ask the Pastor

January 22, 2026

Dear Pastor,

What was Jesus like as a child?

The Gospels jump from the birth of Jesus to his adult ministry, with the exception being Luke’s story of 12-year-old Jesus in the Temple. More on that below.

But first, there are extracanonical gospels, which are texts not found in the New Testament, that provide stories about Jesus as a child. “The Infancy Gospel of Thomas” describes Jesus from 5 to 12 years old. He is presented as a precocious child who studied the scriptures and had magic powers. For instance, he made 12 clay sparrows and then brought them to life. Interestingly, this story is also found in the Quran.

Far less adorable, there are stories of Jesus cursing and killing two children because they teased him! When the boy’s parents complained to Mary and Joseph, Jesus caused those parents to become blind! Jesus later reversed these curses, resurrecting the dead children and restoring the sight of their parents. He made a feast out of a single grain of wheat and stretched a wooden board so that it fit the bed Joseph had made. He also healed James, his later disciple, from a snake bite and brought a man back to life who had fallen off a roof!

While entertaining, the early church fathers, like Eusebius, recognized that these stories were written down long after Jesus lived (probably in the fourth or fifth century), and so they considered them to be legends. That’s why they are not included in our New Testament.

However, Luke 2:41–51 contains a story from The Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Jesus is 12 years old and stays behind his parents to study in the Temple. We can discern from that text that Jesus already had a remarkable understanding of the scriptures (the rabbis were impressed). His family was religiously observant, so it is likely that they regularly attended their local synagogue. Perhaps Jesus was mentored by local rabbis and other teachers. By the age of 12, he had also developed a strong sense of this divine mission: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” That response is a little cheeky, right? It suggests tension with his parents, which is later reflected in his adult ministry (see Matthew 12:48–50; Luke 8:19–21).

According to the New Testament, Jesus did not curse little boys, but he did cast out demons. He didn’t cause people to go blind, but he did restore sight, heal diseases, and bring people back to life. Did he practice these miracles as a child?

It’s fun to think about!

Read Andrew’s poem “Called” HERE