Dari Bait Allah ke Yordan

The Gospel of Luke presents a striking narrative transition between the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple in Luke 2:41–52 and his appearance at the beginning of public ministry at about thirty years of age in Luke 3:21–23. This study examines the literary and theological function of that narrative gap through narrative criticism and textual hermeneutics. Luke 2:41–52, Luke 2:52, and Luke 3:21–23 serve as the primary units of analysis, while the Infancy Gospel of Thomas is used comparatively to observe how extra-canonical tradition expanded portions of Jesus’ life left undeveloped by the canonical text. The socio-historical context of first-century Judaism is used cautiously without turning historical probability into biographical certainty. The study finds that Luke 2:52 functions as a narrative bridge between Jesus’ identity in the Temple and his appearance as an adult at the Jordan. The chronological gap is therefore not a Christological void, because the narrative continues to emphasize genuine human growth, Jesus’ filial relationship with the Father, and movement toward public ministry. The Gospel’s silence should thus be read as narrative selectivity rather than as a deficiency to be filled by speculation.