Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-02-03
Lesson @
The Boyhood of Jesus.
LUKE Q: 4O-b2.

Central Truth Jesus Christ was truly
human.
Twelve years have past since the
scene recorded in the last lesson. Jesus
is q boy in Nazareth in the home of Jo
seph and Mary. We are indebted to
st. Luke for this glance at this sweet
and lovely boyhood. He is the only
one of the evangelists who mentions
anything of the childhood and youth of
Christ, and he gives us only the scene
in the temple among the learned doc
tors. He lived in the quiet country
among the hills of Nazareth, commupi
eating much with nature, and in train.
ing for the great work OF his briet but
eventful public life.
Ii was the time of the great feast of
the Passover This was one of the
three leading festivals of the Jews, the
Others being the festival of Pentecost
and the feast of Tabernacles. The
Passover was instituted, as we know,
see Exodus r. to commemorate the
departure of the Hebrews from Egypt,
and the sparing of the first. born on the
night when there was such bitter wall
ing n the houses of the Egyptians. 1t
was festival of special importance,
ance of adult males only was obligatory
on the people, it was not uncommon
for females also to attend.
We might expect from Mary's we'll
known deyout character that she would
accompany her husband to Jerusalem
to attend the festival, and we learn
". Az that this was their regular Gus
tom.
On this occasion they took their child
Jesus with them. After engaging in
the duties and festivities of the Passion
week they set out to return to their
home at Nazareth, about thirty.six
miles north. They travelled in caravans
embracing a large number of people,
and made up mostly OF pilgrims from
the same neighborhood, and generally
acquainted with each other. The
younger portion of the company would
naturally group together as they went
al0ng, leaving their seniors to do the
same. So it might easily happen that
children of the age of Jesus might be
with their young companions, and be
separated from his parents for time
without exciting any special uneasiness.
1t seems, however, that Jesus did not
leave the city with the caravan, but
had become deeply interested and en-.
crossed with the temple services, and
with communion with the distinguish.
ed Hebrew teachers with whom he was
brought into contact. His parents,
meanwhile, proceeded on their journey
homeward, but missing their child after
the first day, tarred to seek for him,
and returned to Jerusalem, where, To
their astonishment, they found him
still in the temple, sitting as scholar
among those who attended the open
free schools, of which there were many
in Jerusalem, where the rabbls used to
lecture to their pupils and answer their
questions.
Here Joseph and Mary found their
child deeply interested in what was go.
ing on, and exciting the astonlshment
of all at the precoclty both of his ques-
tions and his information. To their
address, demonstrating with him aifec-
tionately for his absence, which had
obliged them to search for him with
some anxiety, Jesus gave them that re-
markable reply, the first recorded words
OF our Lord, and which seem to imply
that now, first, the great fact of his
special relationship to God the Father,
and of great work which that Father
had committed to him was beginning
TO dawn upon his mind.
&" How is it that ye sought me1 Wist
We not that must be about my Fathers
business 2" Little did his parents com.
prehend the immense significance OF
this reply. They indeed must have
known that theirs was no ordinary
child. But the full meaning of his
words they could not understand. Only
the mighty future could reveal that.
But he went home With them again as a
loving aud dutiiul child, and was a
good and obedIent son in the family,
but what had occurred gave his mother
especially much food for solemn
thought, and grand expectations. But
she said nothing. like discreet woman
she gave no encouragement 10 idle
gossip among the neighbors, but kept
all these sayings in her heart.
Meantime, the simple but significant
record with which the lesson closes is,
Jesus increased in wisdom and stat
ure, and in favor with God and man."
This Ia true of his human nature, which
was subject TO the law Of development
and progress. As youth he grew in
stature and in wisdom, and by the sin
gular beauty OF his character and the
purity of his life, in favor with God and
man. So his youth was passed with
little that was eventful or striking as
men would say, yet under the fresh and
beautiful scenes of nature, and in quiet
but profound communion with God.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
/. 1t is a beautiful sight TO see chill.
dren with their parents in the House OF
God.
Such sight was more common forty
years ago in our land than IL is now.
Parents were more faithful 20 their du.
~ in bringing their children to church
then than now. The attendance of
children was more regular and con
stant. But the yoke oil parental disci.
pine Is now a very "easy" yoke. and
the burdens which it imposes are very