Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-10
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For July 10, 1924-The Boyhood of Jesus-Luke 241-52
BY DIR. MARION McH. HULL

about TO be finished, almost His last
word WIS 4 triumphant cry, ut is
finished!" What was finished? Why,
the affairs of His Father about which
He had been so assiduouSly working
under bond ever since He took His
place as the Servant of Jehovah. For
that is what He said the word trans
lated must comes from q root
meaning "to bind" He was bound
to be in the affairs of His Father.
He was under bond as the Servant
OF Jehovah.
Here is the remarkable thing about
it alI-that boy Of twelve should
have such a keen sense of obligation!
But some insight into that phase of
the question is to be had from His at
titude when found. He was sitting
at the feet of the teachers, hearing
them and asking questions. The or
der of the words in the Greek is i'm
portant and significant. Note that
He was listening. Hoffman's Boy
Christ is a beautiful picture but it
is entirely misleading. 1t represents
the Boy Jesus teaching the elders Of
the Jews who are eagerly straining
to catch His words. The situation
was just the opposite. He was sit
ting at their feet with wide open
ears and occasionally would ask a
question for further light on what
they were saying. 1t is true that
they were amazed at the depth of His
understanding as revealed by the
questions He asked and by the re-
SponSeS He made to their further
queries; but He was in no sense their
teacher then.
The thing that interests us here is
that a boy of II should have been
such q student of the law and the
prophets that He could ask questions
that would amaze teachers who had
been students of it all of their lives.
He evidently had a spiritual capacity
and appreciation which made them
marvel.
''Thy Father-My Father"
1t never does to take too much for
granted. These people lost Jesus
because they supposed" He was in
the company Now there is no par
ticular blame to be put on them for
this fact, for there were always va
rious groups who met at appointed
places outside the city and continued
their journey to the same town or To-
Cality. But the blame on them is
to have supposed" that Jesus was in
the company if they wanted to be
sure He was there and to have let so
long q time elapse before their loss
was discovered. 1t was a three-day
search before He was found. The
wonder is that knowing the Boy and
His preferences they should have
gone anywhere else to find Him than
in the temple. He wouldn't have
been a real boy if He hadn't asked
questions; and there can be no rea-
sonable doubt but that He had many
times asked Mary and Joseph ques-
tons which they could not answer,
except to say, maybe-wait until we
get to Jerusalem, and we will find
out there from some of the tc.&a%ers
The first place they ought to have
looked therefore was among the
teachers.
Mary chided Him for His conduct
we always like to blame someone
else for the wrong we have done
saying: Thy father and I have
sought thee sorowing." But notice
how quickly the reply emphasized
My Father" and His affairs"
Joseph was not His father, and now
that He had become of age and had
begun His duties as the servant of
Jehovah, He distinctly disclaimed
anything that would seem to lend
color to a supposition that Joseph
was His father And vet He was so
appreciative of everything, that He
went back to Nazareth and placed
Himself under them for direction and
training. How marvelously Jesus
the Son Of God became the Son of
man. 1t was His Fathers affairs
that He was under bond to perform,
and for the present this involved sub.
lection and obedience to those who
stood IN this human relationship to
Him. For eighteen more years He,
the Lord of glory and Creator of the
universe placed Himself under the
direction of His mother and foster
rather tat least until Joseph's death,
whenever that occurred.)
The FourfoId Life
All we know of those other silent
years Is summed up by the HOLY
Spirit in these words: and Jesus in.
creased in wisdom and in stature.
and in favor with God and man
body, spirit and relationship to His
telloWman. How few develop sym
metricaIy today. 1t is either an
overwhelmed mind, or body. or So
clal instinct; rarely a disproportion-
ate spiritual development; but most
often disproportionate lack of spir-
1tual development.
Jesus mind increased by training;
Ut became more and more keen .and
unuer discipline so it could be prop
elly and easily used. His body in
creased. The word is interestingly
originally meant companion He
grew just as His companions bodies
grew HIS spiritual perception in.
creased. This is hardest for US to
understand because we cannot sepa-
tate lbs humanity from His deity:
out because lie was a real boy and
growing, He had to develop spirit
ually 100. And always coincident-
~ he grew in favor with those with
"nom lie associated day by day.
NOW this didn't just happen: it
came to Jesus just as it may come
10 any growing boy or girl TODAY or
20 any man or woman full grown,
1t may be, so far as the body is con.
u' II came by hard work by
cIose application, by taking what Ha
had and using it and thus adding to
ms store. For the word increased
IS prokopten" which means literal.
~ He cut through or carved
through. Jesus cut His wav
throush-and those who have tried
10 cut, to ensrave, their wav
through, know that that is no easy
task. NV easy
Boys and girls-those under ten
ana up through a hundred-tbere
are undiscovered fields in mind and
spirit that await your determined
persistent efforts to cut through ana
possess them. And by the same
token and process, God and man
want for YOU with open arms. Max
TINS WAY of incran sine ,-n,,....