Lesson
#3
The Old Testament: For he
shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground
(Isa 53:2). For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his
name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, the Prince of peace (Isa 9:6).
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch
shall grow out of his roots. And the
spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
Lord (Isa 11:1-2).
The Gospel - A: And when they had performed all things
according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city
Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year
at the feast of the Passover. And when
he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the
feast. And when they had fulfilled the
days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph
and his mother knew not of it. But
they, supposing him to have been in the company went a day’s journey; and they
sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem,
seeking him. And it came to pass, that
after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at
his understanding and answers. And when
they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why have you
thus dealt with us? Behold, your father and I have sought you sorrowing. And he said unto them, how is it that you
sought me? Would you not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying, which he
spoke unto them. And he went down with
them, and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them; but his mother kept all
these sayings in her heart. And Jesus
increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:39-52)
The Gospel – B: But when Herod
was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt. Saying, Arise, and take the
young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead
which sought the young child’s life.
And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the
land of Israel. But when he heard that
Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to
go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside
into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called
a Nazarene. (Matthew 2:19-23)
The Gospel – C: In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that
was made. In him was life; and the life
was the light of men. And the light
shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name
was John. The same came for a witness,
to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear
witness of that Light. That was the
true Light, which lights everyone that comes into the world. (John 1:1-9)
The Gospel – D: And the third day there was a marriage in
Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called and his disciples, to the
marriage. And when they wanted wine,
the mother of Jesus said unto him, they have no wine. Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with you? My hour
is not yet come. His mother said unto
the servants, whatsoever he says unto you, do it. And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the
manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins
apiece. Jesus said unto them, fill the
water pots with water. And they filled
them up to the brim. And he said unto
them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made
wine, and knew not what it was (but the servants which drew the water knew) the
governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And said unto him, Every man at
the beginning does set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that
which is worse: but you have kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana
of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on
him. (John 2:1-11)
The Lost Gospels: And when he was twelve years old, they
brought him to Jerusalem to the feast; and when the feast was over, they
returned. But the Lord Jesus continued
behind in the temple among the doctors and elders, and learned men of Israel;
to who he proposed several questions of learning, and also gave them
answers: For he said to them, Whose son
is the Messiah? They answered, the son
of David: Why then, said he, does he in
the spirit call him Lord? When he said, The Lord said to my Lord, you sit at my
right hand, till I have made your enemies your footstool. Then a certain principal Rabbi asked him,
Have you read books? Jesus answered, he
had read both books, and the things, which were contained in books. And he explained to them the books of the
law, and precepts, and statutes: and the mysteries which are contained in the
books of the prophets; things which the mind of no creature could reach. Then said that Rabbi, I never yet have seen
or heard of such knowledge! What do you
thing that boy will be! When a certain
astronomer, who was present, asked the Lord Jesus, Whether he had studied
astronomy? The Lord Jesus replied, and
told him the number of the spheres and heavenly bodies, as also their
triangular, square, and sextile aspect; their progressive and retrograde
motion; their size and several prognostications; and other things which the
reason of man had never discovered.
There was also among them a philosopher well skilled in physic and
natural philosophy, who asked the Lord Jesus, whether he had studied
physic? He replied, and explained to
him physics and metaphysics. Also those
things, which were above and below the power of nature; the powers also of the
body, its humours, and their effects.
Also the number of its members, and bones, veins, arteries, and nerves;
The several constitutions of body, hot and dry, cold and moist, and the
tendencies of them; How the soul operated upon the body; What its various
sensations and faculties were; The faculty of speaking, anger, desire; And
lastly the manner of its composition and dissolution; and other things, which
the understanding of no creature had ever reached. Then that philosopher arose, and worshipped the Lord Jesus, and
said, O Lord Jesus, from henceforth I will be thy disciple and servant. While they were discoursing on these and
such like things, the Lady St. Mary came in, having been three days walking
about with Joseph, seeking for him. And
when she saw him sitting among the doctors, and in his turn proposing questions
to them, and giving answers, she said to him, my son, why have you done this by
us? Behold I and your father have been
at much pains in seeking you. He
replied, why did you seek me? Did you
not know I ought to be employed in my father’s house? But they understood not the words, which he said to them. Then the doctors asked Mary, whether this
was her son? And when she said, He was,
they said, O happy Mary, who has born such a son. Then he returned with them to Nazareth, and obeyed them in all
things. And his mother kept all these
things in her mind; and the Lord Jesus grew in stature and wisdom, and favor
with God and man. (I Infancy 21:1-29)
The Talmud: At five years the age is reached for the
study of Scripture; at ten for the study of Mishnah; at thirteen for the
fulfillment of the Commandments [at this age he becomes Bar Mitzvah ‘a son of
the commandment’ and is received into membership of the community]; at fifteen
for the study of Talmud; at eighteen for marriage; at twenty for seeking a
livelihood; a thirty for entering into one’s full strength. Everyman’s Talmud, Cohen, p. 73.
Description of the Temple Window
· Top Icon: The Temple Menorah [Hebrew for candelabra ] - lights
· Main Window: Boy Jesus wearing red robe with halo. The temple buildings are in the background with Joseph and Mary in the distant doorway. Strange state of listeners: position of hands, some concern, one holding a scroll, another holding a volume, one of the hearers sitting in Moses’ seat.
· Bottom Icon: God’s word, the light unto the world.
It has always been a strange thing to me that the most famous person of history would have so little known about his childhood. The scriptures quoted above contain all that we really know about him. Despite such monumental works such as The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim, which weighs in at 695 pages in Volume I and 824 pages in Volume II, the original biography of Jesus [New Testament] only includes a tiny reference to Jesus’ Bar Mitzvah.
Perhaps due to the dearth of more information, many biographies of Jesus’ youth have been written over the centuries. Although some of these actually date back to very early dates, careful studies of the texts in question make it clear that they were written to promote certain beliefs of their time. I have included several of these texts to illustrate how extreme they can be. They should not be considered authoritative. However, they may help to give a historic picture and expectation of the youthful Jesus.
As with everything about Jesus’ life, there is the inevitable Jewish connection. It is a humorous irony that the most famous Jew that ever lived was Jesus. In the top and bottom icons can be found two very distinct Jewish images that relate directly to the main window. The top icon is the temple menorah as opposed to the Hanukah menorah. The Hanukah menorah, although representing the temple menorah, has nine lights to represent how many days the temple menorah burned without fresh oil during the rededication of the Jewish temple during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes. This temple menorah had only seven lamps and was to burn continuously and represented God’s presence in the temple. In the Greek Parthenon, there is the image of this menorah being carted back to Rome after the sacking of the temple in 70ad.
The bottom icon is a single light emanating from the Bible. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psa 119:105). I heard someone once say that the lamp for our feet helps our daily steps whereas the light unto my path illuminates my future.
The
Jews, as the “chosen people,” have always had a call to be a light unto the
nations. Although they have been
persecuted greatly for this calling, they have nonetheless endured. In fact, it was through them that the true
light was born. [Jesus] was the
true light, which lights every person that comes into the world. In him was life; and the life was the light
of men. And the light shines in
darkness; and the darkness comprehends it not (John 1:9, 4-5).
After the study of Torah came the study of Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, etc.) and the Prophets (Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc.). After this came the oral law, which was an evolving application of the written law. By the time a serious Jewish child went before the community as a son of the commandments, the average student had become quite a scholar of theology by our standards. The above average student would have been a scholar of scholars, i.e. Jesus. Consider the following example.
Today when we see some of the strange statements of Jesus, some take them to ridiculous conclusions. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Mat 11:12). The Aryan Nations version of Christianity literally believes this and promotes violence as a sort of evangelical sacrament. Even evangelicals use this verse to justify a strong Christian position in matters of church authority, politics or social issues. The violent take it by force refers to those breaking out, expanding and growing as many more come into Christianity (Hal Lindsey).
However, students of Christianity and Judaism notice that Jesus was referencing an oral law commentary on the book of Micah. I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them (2:12-13). The oral law believed this breaker to be Elijah – the one who would precede the Messiah (Mal 4:5-6). Jesus even says that John the Baptist represents Elijah (Mat 11:14; Luk 1:17).
With this said, imagine a shepherd who has built up a containment wall of stones to gather his sheep for some purpose. In a crowded tight area, the sheep eventually get rowdy – especially when they realize the shepherd is about to break the wall down for them to exit. This breaking of the wall is where the word violence comes from.
If you followed that, you realized how many various references Jesus crammed into one sentence or so. He was not just a simple peasant carpenter, he was a scholar of scholars. It shouldn’t be of any wonder how Jesus could continually and easily hold his own against the best of the religious hierarchy of the day.
The sages listening to Jesus express a lot of various symbology. The two in the background are holding a scroll and a volume of some sort. This represents the law and the prophets by which Jesus’ answers were being judged.
The sage seated in a chair represents the scripture where Jesus said, the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat (Mat 23:2). There was no literal chair aside from the allusion to the mantle of authority of Moses. From a Jewish point of view, this statement is equivalent to saying the scribes and Pharisees are correct as opposed to the various other Jewish denominations of the time. Many believe that Jesus was himself a Pharisee based on his own theology and custom. No other Jewish denomination of the day fits Jesus as well as the Pharisee school. Even so, this seated Pharisee seems to be waving his hands against whatever Jesus is saying. It should also be noted that Jesus continued the quote above as follows: the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they tell you to observe, do it; but do not copy their works for they say and do not (Mat 23:2-3). Most religious people do not like hearing that they might be hypocritical in their religious duty.
On the other hand, the man directly in front of Jesus seems to be paying great attention. This is likely a reference to Pharisees who actively went against the trend and followed Jesus such as Nicodemus (John 3:2) and rich Jews such as Joseph of Arimathaea (Mat 27:57).
As
shown above, a lot of deductions can be made about his religious
education. Other authors and
storytellers have imagined and realized other parts of Jesus’ early life based
on other scriptures. For example,
Marjorie Holmes’ Three From Galilee, tells a story of Jesus’ childhood
where he saw lepers scraping their sores with rocks, shepherds separating their
sheep from goats, people abandoned by the road side and Samaritans helping
while Jews passed by, etc. She also has
him having a crush on a local girl quoting the scripture but [Jesus] was in
all pointes tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15).
In the book The Jesus of History, T.
R. Glover goes to great detail to rebuild obvious parts of Jesus’
childhood. He notices Jesus’ references
to women grinding at the mill, women cooking bread in ovens, spectacular
methods of fishing, old wine bottles patched, various cloths, coins, candles,
bushels, beds, moths, rust, animals, flowers, harvesting, foxes, etc. By compiling all of these references, Glover
suggests that Jesus was a very well rounded man for the day based on the events
and assumed experiences of his childhood.
Other documents about Jesus’
early life are tragic. As quoted above,
the author of the Infancy Gospel attempts to make Jesus not only a scholar of
theology, but also one of astronomy and of physiology. Hidden in these text are obvious errors and
references to the sciences of the middle ages.
The authors of the day figured their hearers would never know the
difference. This would be like me
telling my son that Jesus loved to surf the Internet. At first, he might believe me, but would later notice the error
of the story as he became more educated.
This point is very important
since there are many other references to Jesus’ early life that are not kind at
all. Another time Jesus went forth into the street, and a boy running by,
rushed upon his shoulder; at which Jesus being angry, said to him, thou shall
go no farther. And he instantly fell
down dead (II Infancy 2:7-9). There are many other references to Jesus
killing other children, making clay birds and breathing life into them,
stretching lumber miscut by Joseph, etc.
While a few believe these stories, most discount them by noticing that
Jesus, as claimed by the scripture lesson above, started his miracles with
the water to wine trick.
Some
references create a word picture of him that has no doubt influenced many
artists of the past. Consider: There
lives at this time in Judea a man of singular virtue, whose name is Jesus
Christ, whom the barbarians esteem as a prophet, but his followers love and
adore him as the offspring of the immortal God. He calls back the dead from the grave and heals all sorts of
diseases with a word or touch. He is a
tall man, well shaped, and of an amiable and reverend aspect; his hair of a
color that can hardly be matched, falling in graceful curls, waving about and
very agreeably couching upon his shoulders, parted on the crown of the head,
running like a stream to the front after the fashion of the Nazarites; his
forehead high, large and imposing; his cheeks without spot or wrinkle,
beautiful with a lovely red; his nose and mouth formed with exquisite symmetry;
his beard of the color of new wine suitable to his hair, reaching below his
chin and parted in the middle like a fork; his eyes bright blue, clear and
serene, look innocent, dignified, manly, and mature. In proportion of body most perfect and captivating; his arms and
hands delectable to behold. He rebukes
with majesty, counsels with mildness; his whole address, whether in word or
deed, being eloquent and grave. No man
has seen him laugh, yet his manners are exceedingly pleasant, but he has wept
frequently in the presence of men. He
is temperate, modest, and wise. A man
for his extraordinary beauty and divine perfections, surpassing the children of
men in every sense. (Anonymous allegedly dating to the first century).
In memory of Charles A. and Marion Hurff Buck. Jr by John and Martha McCrary, Robert and Rebecca McCrary Walker, Dan and Mary Beth McCrary
