The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-01-11
THE SUNDAY scHoor.


GOLDEN TExT.-And Jesus increase,
In wisdom and stature. and In favor will
God and man.-Luke 2:52
THE LESSON TEXT.
| II. Now His parents went to Jerusalem
every year at the feast OF the passover.
| u And when He was twelve years old
they wentup to Jerusalem after the Gus
Is. And when they had fulfilled the days
~ they returned. the child Jesus tarriet
behind In Jerusalem; and Joseph and Hill
mother knew not Of It.
a. But they, supposing Him to have beer
in the company. went q days journey
and they sought Him among their kinsfoll
Is. And when they found Him not, the,
turned back again to Jerusalem. seeking
ENm.
IS. And II 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.
II. And all that heard Him were aston,
ished at His understanding and answers.
IS. And when they saw Him, they were
amazed; and His mother said unto Him
Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with u.s.
Behold. Thy father and have sought thee
sorrowing.
y
must be about My Fathers business?
NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS.
The Circumcision. This lesson
shows us Jesus as Jewish boy. Thus
we begin with circumcision, which
was administered on the eighth day
after birth, according to the law
given in Gen. l7:9-14. Often the
friends of family gathered at the
circumcision of q child, and a feast
was held Uuke 1853, 59). OF course,
no such feast was possible when G
child was born away from home.
The Presentation.-The presenta
ton in the temple was, in Jesus case.
twofold ceremony. 1t had to dc
with the publication of His mother
iLev. 12) and with His own redemp
ton us His mothers frstborn (Ex
1872, 12, 10; Mum. 1915, 16). Redemp.
ton required only the payment of the
money to a priest, but the child was
generally taken to the temple when
the parents were near enough to go.
Publication could be made at any
time after the days of separation, but
required the presence Of the mother
ut the temple. The rabbinic traditions
heightened the period Of separation
prescribed in the law to Al days after
the birth of boy and 81 after the
birth OF u girl. Simeon and Anna,
whose prophetic words gave Mary
food for thought, represented a con.
siderable number Of people who spent
their life in the temple courts, attend.
ing all the sacrifices and passing their
time in prayer.
The Magi.-The magi were repre-.
sentatives of class somewhat wide.
ly spread through the east and were
successors to the learning Of the
priests Of Chaldea. Their interest in
the king Of the Jews probably came
from Jewish rather than heather
sources. Very many theories about
the star which guided them have been
published, the most probable being
that of Kepler, who observed con.
junction Of Jupiter and Saturn in con.
nection with which a brilliant TEN.
porary star, which may have been al
comet, appeared. This conjunction oc-
CURED also about two years before
the birth Of Jesus.
The Return.-The return to Nazar.
eth was decided upon for the reason
that Jesus parents could not feel SO.
cure in village only SIX miles from
Jerusalem, where children of Jesus
age would be few. Nazareth was an
obscure and out-of-the-way place, in
the hills which lie on the south side |
Of the plain of Esdraelon. 1t was
from this village that Jesus went, as
all boys went, at the age Of 10 years
to his first passover. His remaining |
behind to listen to and share in the
discussions Of the rabbis shows His
interest in the theory as well as the
practice Of religion; and His surprise
that His parents should have wasted
any time looking for Him anywhere
else indicates His growing conscious
ness OF the divine nature within Him.
Infancy to Manhood. - Generally
this period may be described as that
of Jesus true and full human develop
metaphysical, intellectual and spir-
tual-of outward submission to man
md inward submission to God, with
he attendant results of wisdom"
favor" and grace" Necessary,
therefore, as this period was, II the
Christ was to be true man, II cannot
De said that it was lost, even 80 far as
His work as Saviour was concerned.-l
Special Studies.-When Jewish
BOY was three years old he was given
he tasselled garment directed by the
aw Mum. 15:3s-41; Deut. 22:12). At
i've he usually began to learn portions !,
II the law under his mothers direc-
lon, These were passages written on
'crolls, such as the shema or creed of
)eut. 6:4, the Hallel psalms FPS. ia,
is, 1861 When the boy was 13
'ears old he wore, for the first time,
he phylacteries, which the Jew al
Ways put on at the recital of the daily
'rayer. In the well-known and most
Incient "Maxims Of the Fathers"
Pirke Avoth) we read that at the age
n fou a hax- xr.. A. -