The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-10-05
Subject, "The Child Is Father to

subject, 1.-The Ch1ld Is rather to
the Man"
Text, "Wist We not that I must be
about my Fathers business?" Luke,
ii, 40.
Men have always taken the keenest in
terest in the childhood and youth of those
who in after years have become great.
We inquire with interest into the parent
age. the environments and the education
of the child that grows from helpless
bahyhood to wisdom. power and great
ness. And we are specially interested in
any circumstances that seem to have had
d marked bearing upon the development
of the qualities of grea tness.
From this standpoint. the childhood
and youth of Jesus has a deep and peren
NAL interest, but in his case we have to
content ourselves with two or three brief
glimpscs. A short story of his mothers
embarrassment in giving birth to her
child in a cattle cave, the more than
Tecompense In the angels song and the
shepherds visit, account of the flight
into a foreign country to escape the fool
ish anger of jealous king, the return,
and then all is silence till the child has
reached the age of twelve. Even here
newspaper column would contain the
brief account of a Journey to Jerusalem,
and one short sentence from his lips
gives US our insight into the boy Jesus
spiritual development and His sense of
divine relationship and oblga ton. And
yet we shall begin our study of His great
life and teaching by dwelling for an hour
upon that brief and pregnant sentence.
But before taking UP the words. let us
look for a moment at the circumstances
OF the visit. Jesus had reached the time
OF life at which. by Jewish reckoning. He
passed from boyhood to manhood. with
the close Of His twelfth year He was no
longer regarded a child, but became
a son OF the Law" Considered natural
~. it was a critical period in His life.
Children in eastern countries developed
more rapidly than with us. and at this
age the mysterious powers of manhood
and womanhood were reached, and the
world ALWAYS assumes Il new aspect and
has a profounder meaning when once the
mystery of reproduction becomes posi-
BILE The age that Jesus had reached hfoo
come to have A sa cred aspect. 1t was III
the twelfth year that Moses was SAID 10
have left Pharaoh's house for his course
of training IN the Egyptian university
AT that age the lad Samuel had heafo
the voice that called him TO his prophetlc
office; at that age solomon had displaSeo
his great gift of wisdom; and at that age
Josiah had seen the vision OF mis- iile
work as Gods reformer
Since the return from Egypt as tue
little child, Jesus had never MACS az
extended journey from the humole nome
hard bv the carpenter shop at Na2afetn'
His naronts were accustomed TO visit 'ne
1>aaet ~ the Passover. The law really
required every male IsraeIte TO appear al
the temple a. each of three great feas's'
},,t hv reason of the long distance that
sorne of tbs, worshipers had to go, the
law was relaxed in its stringency ana
only one attendance was required. Near
" All the worshipers selected the fed9t
OF ire Passover, the most masnihceht %
Israers festivals. as the occasion Oh tii0i
p,1.1i5ai visit. OF course little chlure"
were not carried as great distance a9
thai from Nazareth to Jerusalem bu''
at the age of p, the parents OIL Jesus
decided to take Him with them c may
imagine the futter OF excitement IN 1he
lads breast when He learned that no
xrae to he allowed to see with Ills own
aves the historic and sacred spots aions
the way to Jerusalem. some OF Whlch Aio
could see ds1nly from the plateau he@'
His home and then, greatest OF an 10
behold the sacred city itself and Its great
temple the pride of a nation heaIt aii"
the center of a nations worship
The distance from Nazareth TO Je'a-
salem Is about eighty miles. and peoes-
TRANS only required three days to make
the journey. but there was scarce'y
mile Of the road that was not eloquent
yT.aaf
road led past Shunem, where lived the
pfous widow whom Elisha had COM
fortsd. past Jezreel, whose name brought
before the mind the picture OF Naboth
vineyard and the dogs tapping the blood
OF the dead owner and the king; past
CIlboa. upon whose heights brave Saul
and faithful Jonathan were slain by the
Phihstine archers, past Gerizim and
Jacobs Well past Ebal and Shiloh and
Bethel and Gibeath, which called back
70 memory stories of battles, stones or
promise and dreams of ladders that led
from earth TO sky.
The Passover came IN the spring. about
the ist OF April, when. in Palestine, the
fieid. and woods wore their softest greens
and the mountains cut the edges of the
bluest skies, so that nature which He
had already come to love and with whose
ways He was familiar, spoke in sweetest
tones to the boy Jesus. IS the caravan
with which He Travelled. wound through
valleys and over mountains toward the
Holy city.
Who can imagine the thrill Of sacred
emotion felt by pjous Jewish lad who
beheld Jerusalem for the first time? Who
can tell the emotion OF Jesus when.
rounding the shoulder Of the Mount of
Olives, He came into fun sight of the
city OF David. thc great king, and caught
The first view Of the temple that crowned
its central hin and sent back the bright