Evening star., 1916-08-19
@pmortb. league @isfussion.

picture His life at Nazareth with some
accuracy.
From Marks Gospel we learn that
Jesus had four brothers and at least
two sisters. and tradition agrees that
Joseph. the father, died when Jesus
J was young, probably about nineteen.
I Their home was on a farm of few
acres in the outskirts of Nazareth,
and Jesus learned and practised his
fathers trade of carpentry. He was
| not. however. a builder of houses, like
our modern carpenter. for the houses
! there were built of stone and plaster:
of making lattice work for windows
and making and repairing yokes. plows
and camel pack-saddle frames, and
wooden implements.
So we see that Jesus must have been
a. good worker. a successful business
from very early manhood. a dutiful son
and reliable elder brother Perhaps it
may be that Jesus was not ready to be
known as the Son of God until he was
these long years for his perfect ma
turing. and because, also, 1t took these
years to fulfill his duty perfectly as the
son OF Joseph; not until the younger
brothers and sisters were old enough
to take care Of themselves was he free
to become the Savior of the world
Some OF the customs now known to
have existed among the Jews at that
time may help to give US a better un-
derstanding of the home life of Jesus.
His father, Joseph, was said to be a
Just man." which meant that he kept
the law. was devoted to the traditions
of his people and participated fer
vently In the hope of the Messiah. AS
a small child Jesus was taught the
prayers OF the morning and evening
sacrifice and the eighteen benedictions
used at meal times. The meal was the
occasion In the family when instruction
and worship were plentifully mixed.
We serve our meals with an elabora-
ton of dishes and a variety of food: :
they had few dishes and not much va
rtety, but the food was eaten
only after elaborate washing Of hands
and feet, and elaborate blessings AL
most all the expressions in the Lords
Prayer are found in the eighteen bless
ings used at the meal.
We know that Jesus met the re-
sponstbilities of his business life and
OF his home life, although we have not
enough Information to give more than
the outline to the picture Of his youth
viewed in these aspects: as to the
other aspects, however, we are with
out any information, and must rely
entirely on imagination. Yet it can
the other sides of Jesus early life. He
must have had a beautiful play life.
for He was by nature. cheerful. and
radiated happiness to all those about
hin. nave you ever CnOuBnt OF Him
as the life of group of young people,
at some little social gathering? Did you
ever try to imagine the music of His
infectious laugh?
AS He had play life. without which
no child can rightly develop to matur-
ity. so He must also have had His
periods of meditation. the times when
He held communion with God and felt
the call to His great service growing
and ripening in His own soul. Then,
too. we can guess something about the
affections of His youth by remember
ing His love for John. "the beloved dis
ctple." and His tender solicitude for
His mother. even when He was dying
upon the cross The element of wor-
ship was SO important a part of His
life during His ministry. that it must
have been a very important element of
His earlier life. also.
Those who have read Ben Hur" can
not but. be grateful to Gen. Wallace for
the glimpse he gives us of Jesus as a
lad running to give a drink of water
to the young prisoner being dragged
off by the Roman soldiers to serve as q
galley slave. One cannot but feel that
the incident must be typical of the
youth OF Jesus.
The conditions and environments in
which Jesus early life were spent were
not essentially different from those Of