The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-01-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON Ill, FIRST QUARTER, INTERNA-
T!oNAL SERIES, JAN. 81.

Text of the Lesson, Luke ii, 4o-52
Memory Verse, 61-GoIden Text
Luke ii, 52-Commentary Prepared
by Rev D. VI. Stearns.
copyright, 1906. by American Press Association
Between the story Of the wise mer
of the last lesson and this one the re
corded events are the flight into Egypt
the soiourn there, the return to the
land Of Israel, the settling down al
Nazareth and the three dreams in con
nection herewith, whereby Joseph was
guided perfectly. These and the mas
sacre Of the infants are recorded IN
Matt. !, 1928, and attention is called
to the fact that in these events at least
three Old Testament predictions were
fulfilled, for all Scripture must be full
filed. God always watches over His
word to perform it Ger. i, 12). The first
verse Of our lesson covers all that is
recorded Of Jesus from His infancy to
the age Of twelve, but the four sayings
are full Of suggestlveness. The child
erc- and this chi16 was "9od mani
fest in theassesh" He might have
come in full grown body, such as He
gave to Adam, but then He would not
have been perfectly one with US, 'in
all points tempted like as We are"
(Heb. iv, 15), and all boys and young
men might have said: He can't SYM
Dathize with me, for He never was a
boy. He was always strengthened by
the Spirit, and He was the wisdom Of
Gcd, full =of grace and truth" {Eph.
Iii, 1C; + Cor, !, q; Johni, Il, 10:
There is a whole lesson IN .'the5feast
Of the Passover" with its spr!nkled
blood, the Lamb to be eaten, the bitter
herbs, the unleavened bread, the great
deliyerance Of Israel in the past and
the greater deliverance which draweth
nigh lex. XII; Jer. xiii 7, s; Amos
ix, II, 15), all pointing to and depend
ing upon Him who in our lesson Is
the boy Of twelve. Who can tell the
interest Jesus manifested in the details
of the great feast, understanding it as
no one else could? Is it any wonder
that He tarried in Jerusalem in the
temple with these teachers Of the law,
listening to them and asking them
questions (vcrse 46), and can we be
surprised that they We're aston1shed
at His intelligence and at the answers
he gave? This was rare opportunity
for Him, and He knew it; for them
e!so, but they knew it not, for there
was one in their midst whom they
knew not.
We cannot but be surprised that Jo-
seph and Mary would start homeTard
without their boy. 1t shows the folly
Of supposing when we ought to be
sure, and in al things that are reveal:
ed to US in this WORD Il ts:ptsI, ;pEiE'.
llege to know the .eertasnfss@;aiay r I4aesr
surely believing Nuke s,:sS ~ AL YET: ls
Is a most common: thing fors believers
to reply when asked eoueerMng efegnal
life and the forgiveness, or taeIEytns,
'I hope So. Such do not :esnoM the
joy and peace o9 beIeFasRom xv,
49, In thescass Of Joseph Mary
one hours;a asgieefE hsought Shems three
days anxiety and -sreudadd ssl1s =affSSthe
Owed one IN Song - S eYeasso still,
FOR If we allowsangt thing toscaqse :ns.to
cease to be oceupie wtth Christ "a book,
q place, person, an occupation-feiioE-:;
ship broken is not easily restored. and
there are many who: cryor Who should.
cry, Restore unto meathe 5eg Of Thy
salvation" (Ps. II, 12).
Did they pray as they searched for
Him those three days? I know not.
They did not have Phil. IL, 6, Z, but
hey might have known Prov. iii, 8, 6;
Job xxxvi, (; xiii, .. Do the three
lays suggest those other three days
rhen even to John and the other dis
,.ples He was lost Messiah? For it
s written, 'They knew not the Scrip
:ure that He must rise again from the
lead" John Xxx, 81. When they finally
'ound Him in the temple and in amaze
nent asked Him why He had treated
hem so and told Him Of their sorrow-
'ul search for Him His reply in verse
10 gives US His first recorded utter
lnce as the Son Of Mary, for what He
asked the rabnis is not recorded. II
he Revised Version IS correct, then
lie seems to have asked them why
hey did not come at once to the tenn
,le to look for Him, knowing that He
you'd be in HIS Fathers house. If
be ordinary reading IS correct, "Wist
e not that I must be about My Fa-
hers business or in the things Of Ny
'ather?" what a glimpse we have Of
lis knowledge Of who He was and
Why He had come and Of the time
1hen He would rise superior to all
Iuman relationships! How striking it
5 that IN this His first recorded utter
nee and IN His last as He died on
be cross BE said, Father" Count
he number of times He used the name
q His discourse and prayer on that
ast night and you will be still more
Interested and, it may be-; find new sigs
ifcance IN the words, ''Sour Heaven
? Father knoweth," "My Father and
our Father" (Matt. Vi. 80: John
&, 10.
about My Fathers business" would
e an excellent motto for every child
f God at all times: The majority
re like Mary and Joseph and under
tand not, but If, like Mary, we kept
lis sayings In our hearts and ponder
d them {verses 10, 81 in due time we
you'd understand, and the wafer
would be boiling water Qsa. lxiv, q.
Subject unto them," or, as Weymouth
translates it, always obedient to
hem," covers the next eighteen years
f Nazareth. and what q word It is. for.