Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 2:48

"And when they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing." — Luke 2:48 (ASV)

Why hast thou thus dealt with us? Why have you given us all this trouble and anxiety, in going so far and returning with so much concern?

Thy father. Joseph was not the real father of Jesus, but he was legally so; and as the secret of his birth was not commonly known, he was called his father. Mary, in accordance with that usage, also called him so.

Sorrowing. Anxious, for fear that in the crowd he might not be found, or for fear that some accident might have happened to him.