Why were you searching for Me?

"Why were you searching for Me?" He asked them. "Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?" -Luke 2:49
Mary, understandably hurt that Jesus had chosen to hang back in Jerusalem and leave them to worry about His safety, asked Him a question: "Son why have you treated us like this?" Christ's response suggests He was as mystified that they expect to find Him anywhere else as they were mystified to find Him there.
In my opinion, Christ's response was quite interesting. I've searched every Greek translation I can find, and none of my resources have an original word that directly translates to "house" or "business" in verse 49. From what I can gather, a more precise translation of Christ's response might be: "Didn't you know that I had to be about my Father?"
That question implies the desire of my heart more than any other I can imagine. I just want to be about God. Not about ministry. Not about my own agenda. Not about writing books and Bible studies. Not about me at all. When all is said and done, I would give my life for people to be able to say, "She was just about God." That would be the ultimate legacy.
I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. -Philippians 3:8

All those who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. - Luke 2:47
Left behind at the temple, seated with the Jewish teachers, we don't know if God allowed the twelve-year-old Christ to exercise His full omniscience or to unleash just enough wisdom to astound His listeners. But we do know that not only did He listen and ask them questions, He answered them!
There are several examples in Scripture of Jesus posing a question that only He could answer. He certainly uses that method with me.
Sometimes He;ll cause me to dig through Scripture for question He seemed to initiate. Other times the question may come as a personalized whisper in my heart: "why are you acting that way?" Often my honest answer is, "I don't know, Lord. Can You tell me why?" If I really search His heart, He'll sooner or later give me insight into my reactions. He answers me, so that I don't have to live off my own answers.
If the boy Christ could answer difficult questions, surely we can trust the immortal One seated at the right hand of God to make intercession for us an give us new understanding.
They were astonished at His teaching because His message had authority. - Luke 4:32

When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. -- Luke 2:22
Each of the steps Mary and Joseph took after Christ's birth was typical of devout Jewish parents. What made it atypical is that their infant would ultimately fulfill the prophetic representation of each of these rituals.
When Jewish parent presented their firstborn son to the Lord, they were symbolizing the act of giving him up by saying, "He is Yours and we give him back to You." Then they should immediately redeem him or, in effect, buy him back with their offerings.
How interesting, though, that the New Testament tells us Christ came to fulfill for us the very rite Mary and Joseph observed as they presented the Christ child to the Lord.
The Word made flesh first entered the temple wrapped in a baby blanket. His earthly parents lifted Him to His Father and, in essence, purchased Him from Heaven -- for awhile -- for a lost world.
One day that baby would buy them from earth for the glory of heaven. Wow.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. - Ephesians 1:7