The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1942-01-08


Nobody knows what boy is worth.
And the world must wait TO see
For every man in an honored place
Is a boy that used to be-
Jesus was "only a boy as He
grew through infancy and childhood,
but in that baby and that boy rest
ed all the hopes of mankind. While
He was not just like any other boy,
yet His growth and development
were normal, and we may learn
much that will enable us to help the
boy in our home, in our block, or in
our church.
The mother of Jesus, in fulfill
ment of the law of her people, on
the eighth day identified Him with
the nation duke 2:2D, and then
at the end of 40 days brought Him,
with her humble sacrifice, to pre-
sent Him to the Lord. There a
beautiful and prophetic scene took
place as the Holy Spirit revealed
to godly old Simeon His
l. Complete Salvation-in Baby
wv. 25-35).
The Holy Spirit (nOt yet come as
the indWelling presence in believers
hearts, had come upon Simeon, a
man right with God and with deep
longing in his heart for the coming
of the Messiah" consolation of
Israel" He was assured of living
until that day, and now as he waited
in the temple the babe who fulfilled
that promise was laid in his arms.
He blessed God as he broke forth
in praise and prophetic utterance.
Note the full conception of the work
of the Observation-Disclosures from
bondage and fear of death, light to
the Gentiles and glory to Israel, a
stone of stumbling but also of rising
again. A revealer of the hearts of
men-yes, and One whose sacrifi-
cial death would pierce the heart
of His mother.
One is glad that Simeon and Anna
". 36) and "them that looked for
redemption in Jerusalem" saw in
Mary's infant son the Son of God
incarnate, for round about was I'M
belief John lid, hatred (Matt.
2:16), and Indifference (Matt. "a,
s..
Is it not so today? Christmas has
just been celebrated. How many
saw the babe in the manger as Je-
sus the Saviour?
The scene changes-the little fam
lily is back in Nazareth in the hum
BILE homeland there we see
III. Perfect Development in a Boy
wv. 80, 40).
The period from infancy to &C
countability az years. is summed
up in the full-orbed growth of the
boy Jesus described in verse 40.
The one business of every child
from birth to II, or somewhere
around there, until the period of ado
lescence, is to grow without any
sense of responsibility except obedi-
ence to authority; and obedience in
the case of a child is always in or
der to give the child perfect free
dom from everything else, without
any sense of sponsibility. That is
the story of Jesus: He grew" C.
Campbell Morgan).
Growth is, first of all, physical.
Jesus stands by the side Of every
boy and girl as the body grows from
babyhooo to maturity, for He too
knew that experience. We may talk
to Him as an understanding friend
about the physical needs and prob
lens of our children. Let us re-
member that here, as elsewhere in
Scripture, the physical body is rec
ognized as important.
Mentally, He experienced growth.
The strange, apocryphal tales about
the child Jesus, representing Him as
a man of mature wisdom in child S
body, do not compare even remote
ly with the beautiful naturalness of
keen-minded boy asking questions,
observing, always learning. Boys
and girls, you may talk with conf
dence to Him about your lessons,
your growing interest in this eXcit-
ing world of ours, of your need for
guidance in learning. Be sure that
He will understand.
The GROWING touch upon the
growing personality of the child is
the spiritual We read of Jesus that
"the grace of God was upon him. "
"Grace, says Dr.. Morgan, lis first,
that which delights and charms.
Grace, secondly, is desire TO impart
to others the things that make them
happy. Grace, finally, is the &C
tivity that does this at all costs" a
gracious child is an altogether de-
lightful being; and when that gra-
ciousness is the result of the grace
of God upon him, it is surprisingly
lovely, for it makes him Christine,
even in the days Of childhood.
Great and grave has been the
neglect of the spiritual life of chill.
dren for whom much has been done
physically ard mentally. Christian
parents must not make that mistake
and they need not, for the Lord
Jesus here too stands ready to coUn-
sci. guide. encourage, and strength
en- them in every good purpose and
deed.
Louis G.. Burr, Baltimore. wa