Luke 2:46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Four things stand out in this verse. When Joseph and Mary finally locate Jesus, where is he? Jesus is found in the temple courts. The temple courts were famous throughout Judea as a place of learning. We know the earliest Christians met daily in the temple courts (Acts 2:46).
What was Jesus doing? Jesus was sitting among the teachers; in other words he had surrounded himself with Godly and knowledgeable people.
This verse says that Jesus was doing two things while sitting among the teachers in the temple courts: he was listening and asking questions.
What a great example for God’s children. At 12 years old Jesus did what generations of Israelites before him had failed to do, he listened. More importantly he asked questions. This is how one grows and learns. You put yourself in situations where you can learn from others more experienced than yourself, you listen, and you ask questions. As an adult, Jesus was fond of asking rhetorical questions and he also posed questions to find out information. A wise man once told me that selling is asking not telling and listening instead of talking. This is what we see from a 12-year old Jesus. Luke makes it clear that Jesus’ mental and physical development occurred in the same natural way as would any other child. While his life was entirely free from sin he was also fully human. This means Jesus grew and learned over the course of His life. That He would listen and ask questions, for the purpose of learning, is entirely consistent with His divinity and sinless nature.