550 lines
34 KiB
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550 lines
34 KiB
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Urantia Book Paper 125 Jesus At Jerusalem
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SPIRITWEB ORG, PROMOTING SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE INTERNET.
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Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
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of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
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Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
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Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
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Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
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Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
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The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
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Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
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The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
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In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
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Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
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Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
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Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
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Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
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Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
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Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
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Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
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Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
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Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
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To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem ...
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Paper 125 Jesus At Jerusalem
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Introduction
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NO INCIDENT in all Jesus' eventful earth career was more engaging, more humanly
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thrilling, than this, his first remembered visit to Jerusalem. He was
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especially stimulated by the experience of attending the temple discussions by
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himself, and it long stood out in his memory as the great event of his later
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childhood and early youth. This was his first opportunity to enjoy a few days
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of independent living, the exhilaration of going and coming without restraint
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and restrictions. This brief period of undirected living, during the week
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following the Passover, was the first complete freedom from responsibility he
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had ever enjoyed. And it was many years subsequent to this before he again had
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a like period of freedom from all sense of responsibility, even for a short
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time.
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Women seldom went to the Passover feast at Jerusalem; they were not required to
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be present. Jesus, however, virtually refused to go unless his mother would
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accompany them. And when his mother decided to go, many other Nazareth women
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were led to make the journey, so that the Passover company contained the
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largest number of women, in proportion to men, ever to go up to the Passover
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from Nazareth. Ever and anon, on the way to Jerusalem, they chanted the one
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hundred and thirtieth Psalm.
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From the time they left Nazareth until they reached the summit of the Mount of
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Olives, Jesus experienced one long stress of expectant anticipation. All
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through a joyful childhood he had reverently heard of Jerusalem and its temple;
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now he was soon to behold them in reality. From the Mount of Olives and from
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the outside, on closer inspection, the temple had been all and more than Jesus
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had expected; but when he once entered its sacred portals, the great
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disillusionment began.
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In company with his parents Jesus passed through the temple precincts on his
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way to join that group of new sons of the law who were about to be consecrated
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as citizens of Israel. He was a little disappointed by the general demeanor of
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the temple throngs, but the first great shock of the day came when his mother
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took leave of them on her way to the women's gallery. It had never occurred to
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Jesus that his mother was not to accompany him to the consecration ceremonies,
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and he was thoroughly indignant that she was made to suffer from such unjust
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discrimination. While he strongly resented this, aside from a few remarks of
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protest to his father, he said nothing. But he thought, and thought deeply, as
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his questions to the scribes and teachers a week later disclosed.
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He passed through the consecration rituals but was disappointed by their
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perfunctory and routine natures. He missed that personal interest which
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characterized the ceremonies of the synagogue at Nazareth. He then returned to
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greet his mother and prepared to accompany his father on his first trip about
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the
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top of page - 1378
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temple and its various courts, galleries, and corridors. The temple precincts
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could accommodate over two hundred thousand worshipers at one time, and while
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the vastness of these buildings--in comparison with any he had ever
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seen--greatly impressed his mind, he was more intrigued by the contemplation of
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the spiritual significance of the temple ceremonies and their associated
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worship.
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Though many of the temple rituals very touchingly impressed his sense of the
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beautiful and the symbolic, he was always disappointed by the explanation of
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the real meanings of these ceremonies which his parents would offer in answer
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to his many searching inquiries. Jesus simply would not accept explanations of
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worship and religious devotion which involved belief in the wrath of God or the
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anger of the Almighty. In further discussion of these questions, after the
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conclusion of the temple visit, when his father became mildly insistent that he
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acknowledge acceptance of the orthodox Jewish beliefs, Jesus turned suddenly
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upon his parents and, looking appealingly into the eyes of his father, said:
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"My father, it cannot be true--the Father in heaven cannot so regard his erring
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children on earth. The heavenly Father cannot love his children less than you
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love me. And I well know, no matter what unwise thing I might do, you would
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never pour out wrath upon me nor vent anger against me. If you, my earthly
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father, possess such human reflections of the Divine, how much more must the
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heavenly Father be filled with goodness and overflowing with mercy. I refuse to
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believe that my Father in heaven loves me less than my father on earth."
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When Joseph and Mary heard these words of their first-born son, they held their
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peace. And never again did they seek to change his mind about the love of God
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and the mercifulness of the Father in heaven.
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1. JESUS VIEWS THE TEMPLE
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Everywhere Jesus went throughout the temple courts, he was shocked and sickened
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by the spirit of irreverence which he observed. He deemed the conduct of the
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temple throngs to be inconsistent with their presence in "his Father's house."
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But he received the shock of his young life when his father escorted him into
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the court of the gentiles with its noisy jargon, loud talking and cursing,
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mingled indiscriminately with the bleating of sheep and the babble of noises
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which betrayed the presence of the money-changers and the vendors of
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sacrificial animals and sundry other commercial commodities.
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But most of all was his sense of propriety outraged by the sight of the
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frivolous courtesans parading about within this precinct of the temple, just
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such painted women as he had so recently seen when on a visit to Sepphoris.
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This profanation of the temple fully aroused all his youthful indignation, and
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he did not hesitate to express himself freely to Joseph.
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Jesus admired the sentiment and service of the temple, but he was shocked by
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the spiritual ugliness which he beheld on the faces of so many of the
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unthinking worshipers.
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They now passed down to the priests' court beneath the rock ledge in front of
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the temple, where the altar stood, to observe the killing of the droves of
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animals and the washing away of the blood from the hands of the officiating
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slaughter priests at the bronze fountain. The bloodstained pavement, the gory
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hands of the priests, and the sounds of the dying animals were more than this
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nature-loving lad could stand. The terrible sight sickened this boy of
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Nazareth; he clutched his father's arm and begged to be taken away. They walked
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back
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top of page - 1379
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through the court of the gentiles, and even the coarse laughter and profane
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jesting which he there heard were a relief from the sights he had just beheld.
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Joseph saw how his son had sickened at the sight of the temple rites and wisely
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led him around to view the "gate beautiful," the artistic gate made of
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Corinthian bronze. But Jesus had had enough for his first visit at the temple.
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They returned to the upper court for Mary and walked about in the open air and
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away from the crowds for an hour, viewing the Asmonean palace, the stately home
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of Herod, and the tower of the Roman guards. During this stroll Joseph
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explained to Jesus that only the inhabitants of Jerusalem were permitted to
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witness the daily sacrifices in the temple, and that the dwellers in Galilee
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came up only three times a year to participate in the temple worship: at the
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Passover, at the feast of Pentecost (seven weeks after Passover), and at the
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feast of tabernacles in October. These feasts were established by Moses. They
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then discussed the two later established feasts of the dedication and of Purim.
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Afterward they went to their lodgings and made ready for the celebration of the
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Passover.
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2. JESUS AND THE PASSOVER
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Five Nazareth families were guests of, or associates with, the family of Simon
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of Bethany in the celebration of the Passover, Simon having purchased the
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paschal lamb for the company. It was the slaughter of these lambs in such
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enormous numbers that had so affected Jesus on his temple visit. It had been
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the plan to eat the Passover with Mary's relatives, but Jesus persuaded his
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parents to accept the invitation to go to Bethany.
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That night they assembled for the Passover rites, eating the roasted flesh with
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unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Jesus, being a new son of the covenant, was
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asked to recount the origin of the Passover, and this he well did, but he
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somewhat disconcerted his parents by the inclusion of numerous remarks mildly
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reflecting the impressions made on his youthful but thoughtful mind by the
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things which he had so recently seen and heard. This was the beginning of the
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seven-day ceremonies of the feast of the Passover.
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Even at this early date, though he said nothing about such matters to his
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parents, Jesus had begun to turn over in his mind the propriety of celebrating
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the Passover without the slaughtered lamb. He felt assured in his own mind that
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the Father in heaven was not pleased with this spectacle of sacrificial
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offerings, and as the years passed, he became increasingly determined someday
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to establish the celebration of a bloodless Passover.
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Jesus slept very little that night. His rest was greatly disturbed by revolting
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dreams of slaughter and suffering. His mind was distraught and his heart torn
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by the inconsistencies and absurdities of the theology of the whole Jewish
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ceremonial system. His parents likewise slept little. They were greatly
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disconcerted by the events of the day just ended. They were completely upset in
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their own hearts by the lad's, to them, strange and determined attitude. Mary
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became nervously agitated during the fore part of the night, but Joseph
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remained calm, though he was equally puzzled. Both of them feared to talk
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frankly with the lad about these problems, though Jesus would gladly have
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talked with his parents if they had dared to encourage him.
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The next day's services at the temple were more acceptable to Jesus and did
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much to relieve the unpleasant memories of the previous day. The following
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top of page - 1380
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morning young Lazarus took Jesus in hand, and they began a systematic
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exploration of Jerusalem and its environs. Before the day was over, Jesus
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discovered the various places about the temple where teaching and question
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conferences were in progress; and aside from a few visits to the holy of holies
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to gaze in wonder as to what really was behind the veil of separation, he spent
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most of his time about the temple at these teaching conferences.
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Throughout the Passover week, Jesus kept his place among the new sons of the
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commandment, and this meant that he must seat himself outside the rail which
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segregated all persons who were not full citizens of Israel. Being thus made
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conscious of his youth, he refrained from asking the many questions which
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surged back and forth in his mind; at least he refrained until the Passover
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celebration had ended and these restrictions on the newly consecrated youths
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were lifted.
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On Wednesday of the Passover week, Jesus was permitted to go home with Lazarus
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to spend the night at Bethany. This evening, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary heard
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Jesus discuss things temporal and eternal, human and divine, and from that
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night on they all three loved him as if he had been their own brother.
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By the end of the week, Jesus saw less of Lazarus since he was not eligible for
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admission to even the outer circle of the temple discussions, though he
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attended some of the public talks delivered in the outer courts. Lazarus was
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the same age as Jesus, but in Jerusalem youths were seldom admitted to the
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consecration of sons of the law until they were a full thirteen years of age.
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Again and again, during the Passover week, his parents would find Jesus sitting
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off by himself with his youthful head in his hands, profoundly thinking. They
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had never seen him behave like this, and not knowing how much he was confused
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in mind and troubled in spirit by the experience through which he was passing,
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they were sorely perplexed; they did not know what to do. They welcomed the
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passing of the days of the Passover week and longed to have their strangely
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acting son safely back in Nazareth.
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Day by day Jesus was thinking through his problems. By the end of the week he
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had made many adjustments; but when the time came to return to Nazareth, his
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youthful mind was still swarming with perplexities and beset by a host of
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unanswered questions and unsolved problems.
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Before Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem, in company with Jesus' Nazareth teacher
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they made definite arrangements for Jesus to return when he reached the age of
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fifteen to begin his long course of study in one of the best-known academies of
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the rabbis. Jesus accompanied his parents and teacher on their visits to the
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school, but they were all distressed to observe how indifferent he seemed to
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all they said and did. Mary was deeply pained at his reactions to the Jerusalem
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visit, and Joseph was profoundly perplexed at the lad's strange remarks and
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unusual conduct.
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After all, Passover week had been a great event in Jesus' life. He had enjoyed
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the opportunity of meeting scores of boys about his own age, fellow candidates
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for the consecration, and he utilized such contacts as a means of learning how
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people lived in Mesopotamia, Turkestan, and Parthia, as well as in the
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Far-Western provinces of Rome. He was already fairly conversant with the way in
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which the youth of Egypt and other regions near Palestine grew up. There were
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thousands of young people in Jerusalem at this time, and the Nazareth lad
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personally met, and more or less extensively interviewed, more than one hundred
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and fifty. He was particularly interested in those who hailed from the Far-
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top of page - 1381
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Eastern and the remote Western countries. As a result of these contacts the lad
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began to entertain a desire to travel about the world for the purpose of
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learning how the various groups of his fellow men toiled for their livelihood.
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3. DEPARTURE OF JOSEPH AND MARY
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It had been arranged that the Nazareth party should gather in the region of the
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temple at midforenoon on the first day of the week after the Passover festival
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had ended. This they did and started out on the return journey to Nazareth.
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Jesus had gone into the temple to listen to the discussions while his parents
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awaited the assembly of their fellow travelers. Presently the company prepared
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to depart, the men going in one group and the women in another as was their
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custom in journeying to and from the Jerusalem festivals. Jesus had gone up to
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Jerusalem in company with his mother and the women. Being now a young man of
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the consecration, he was supposed to journey back to Nazareth in company with
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his father and the men. But as the Nazareth party moved on toward Bethany,
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Jesus was completely absorbed in the discussion of angels, in the temple, being
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wholly unmindful of the passing of the time for the departure of his parents.
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And he did not realize that he had been left behind until the noontime
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adjournment of the temple conferences.
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The Nazareth travelers did not miss Jesus because Mary surmised he journeyed
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with the men, while Joseph thought he traveled with the women since he had gone
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up to Jerusalem with the women, leading Mary's donkey. They did not discover
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his absence until they reached Jericho and prepared to tarry for the night.
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After making inquiry of the last of the party to reach Jericho and learning
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that none of them had seen their son, they spent a sleepless night, turning
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over in their minds what might have happened to him, recounting many of his
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unusual reactions to the events of Passover week, and mildly chiding each other
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for not seeing to it that he was in the group before they left Jerusalem.
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4. FIRST AND SECOND DAYS IN THE TEMPLE
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In the meantime, Jesus had remained in the temple throughout the afternoon,
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listening to the discussions and enjoying the more quiet and decorous
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atmosphere, the great crowds of Passover week having about disappeared. At the
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conclusion of the afternoon discussions, in none of which Jesus participated,
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he betook himself to Bethany, arriving just as Simon's family made ready to
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partake of their evening meal. The three youngsters were overjoyed to greet
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Jesus, and he remained in Simon's house for the night. He visited very little
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during the evening, spending much of the time alone in the garden meditating.
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Early next day Jesus was up and on his way to the temple. On the brow of Olivet
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he paused and wept over the sight his eyes beheld--a spiritually impoverished
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people, tradition bound and living under the surveillance of the Roman legions.
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Early forenoon found him in the temple with his mind made up to take part in
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the discussions. Meanwhile, Joseph and Mary also had arisen with the early dawn
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with the intention of retracing their steps to Jerusalem. First, they hastened
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to the house of their relatives, where they had lodged as a family during the
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Passover week, but inquiry elicited the fact that no one had seen Jesus. After
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searching all day and finding no trace of him, they returned to their relatives
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for the night.
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top of page - 1382
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At the second conference Jesus had made bold to ask questions, and in a very
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amazing way he participated in the temple discussions but always in a manner
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consistent with his youth. Sometimes his pointed questions were somewhat
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embarrassing to the learned teachers of the Jewish law, but he evinced such a
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spirit of candid fairness, coupled with an evident hunger for knowledge, that
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the majority of the temple teachers were disposed to treat him with every
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consideration. But when he presumed to question the justice of putting to death
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a drunken gentile who had wandered outside the court of the gentiles and
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unwittingly entered the forbidden and reputedly sacred precincts of the temple,
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one of the more intolerant teachers grew impatient with the lad's implied
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criticisms and, glowering down upon him, asked how old he was. Jesus replied,
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"thirteen years lacking a trifle more than four months." "Then," rejoined the
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now irate teacher, "why are you here, since you are not of age as a son of the
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law?" And when Jesus explained that he had received consecration during the
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Passover, and that he was a finished student of the Nazareth schools, the
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teachers with one accord derisively replied, "We might have known; he is from
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Nazareth." But the leader insisted that Jesus was not to be blamed if the
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rulers of the synagogue at Nazareth had graduated him, technically, when he was
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twelve instead of thirteen; and notwithstanding that several of his detractors
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got up and left, it was ruled that the lad might continue undisturbed as a
|
|||
|
pupil of the temple discussions.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
When this, his second day in the temple, was finished, again he went to Bethany
|
|||
|
for the night. And again he went out in the garden to meditate and pray. It was
|
|||
|
apparent that his mind was concerned with the contemplation of weighty
|
|||
|
problems.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5. THE THIRD DAY IN THE TEMPLE
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Jesus' third day with the scribes and teachers in the temple witnessed the
|
|||
|
gathering of many spectators who, having heard of this youth from Galilee, came
|
|||
|
to enjoy the experience of seeing a lad confuse the wise men of the law. Simon
|
|||
|
also came down from Bethany to see what the boy was up to. Throughout this day
|
|||
|
Joseph and Mary continued their anxious search for Jesus, even going several
|
|||
|
times into the temple but never thinking to scrutinize the several discussion
|
|||
|
groups, although they once came almost within hearing distance of his
|
|||
|
fascinating voice.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Before the day had ended, the entire attention of the chief discussion group of
|
|||
|
the temple had become focused upon the questions being asked by Jesus. Among
|
|||
|
his many questions were:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
1. What really exists in the holy of holies, behind the veil?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2. Why should mothers in Israel be segregated from the male temple worshipers?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3. If God is a father who loves his children, why all this slaughter of animals
|
|||
|
to gain divine favor--has the teaching of Moses been misunderstood?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
4. Since the temple is dedicated to the worship of the Father in heaven, is it
|
|||
|
consistent to permit the presence of those who engage in secular barter and
|
|||
|
trade?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5. Is the expected Messiah to become a temporal prince to sit on the throne of
|
|||
|
David, or is he to function as the light of life in the establishment of a
|
|||
|
spiritual kingdom?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
top of page - 1383
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
And all the day through, those who listened marveled at these questions, and
|
|||
|
none was more astonished than Simon. For more than four hours this Nazareth
|
|||
|
youth plied these Jewish teachers with thought-provoking and heart-searching
|
|||
|
questions. He made few comments on the remarks of his elders. He conveyed his
|
|||
|
teaching by the questions he would ask. By the deft and subtle phrasing of a
|
|||
|
question he would at one and the same time challenge their teaching and suggest
|
|||
|
his own. In the manner of his asking a question there was an appealing
|
|||
|
combination of sagacity and humor which endeared him even to those who more or
|
|||
|
less resented his youthfulness. He was always eminently fair and considerate in
|
|||
|
the asking of these penetrating questions. On this eventful afternoon in the
|
|||
|
temple he exhibited that same reluctance to take unfair advantage of an
|
|||
|
opponent which characterized his entire subsequent public ministry. As a youth,
|
|||
|
and later on as a man, he seemed to be utterly free from all egoistic desire to
|
|||
|
win an argument merely to experience logical triumph over his fellows, being
|
|||
|
interested supremely in just one thing: to proclaim everlasting truth and thus
|
|||
|
effect a fuller revelation of the eternal God.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
When the day was over, Simon and Jesus wended their way back to Bethany. For
|
|||
|
most of the distance both the man and the boy were silent. Again Jesus paused
|
|||
|
on the brow of Olivet, but as he viewed the city and its temple, he did not
|
|||
|
weep; he only bowed his head in silent devotion.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
After the evening meal at Bethany he again declined to join the merry circle
|
|||
|
but instead went to the garden, where he lingered long into the night, vainly
|
|||
|
endeavoring to think out some definite plan of approach to the problem of his
|
|||
|
lifework and to decide how best he might labor to reveal to his spiritually
|
|||
|
blinded countrymen a more beautiful concept of the heavenly Father and so set
|
|||
|
them free from their terrible bondage to law, ritual, ceremonial, and musty
|
|||
|
tradition. But the clear light did not come to the truth-seeking lad.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
6. THE FOURTH DAY IN THE TEMPLE
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Jesus was strangely unmindful of his earthly parents; even at breakfast, when
|
|||
|
Lazarus's mother remarked that his parents must be about home by that time,
|
|||
|
Jesus did not seem to comprehend that they would be somewhat worried about his
|
|||
|
having lingered behind.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Again he journeyed to the temple, but he did not pause to meditate at the brow
|
|||
|
of Olivet. In the course of the morning's discussions much time was devoted to
|
|||
|
the law and the prophets, and the teachers were astonished that Jesus was so
|
|||
|
familiar with the Scriptures, in Hebrew as well as Greek. But they were amazed
|
|||
|
not so much by his knowledge of truth as by his youth.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
At the afternoon conference they had hardly begun to answer his question
|
|||
|
relating to the purpose of prayer when the leader invited the lad to come
|
|||
|
forward and, sitting beside him, bade him state his own views regarding prayer
|
|||
|
and worship.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The evening before, Jesus' parents had heard about this strange youth who so
|
|||
|
deftly sparred with the expounders of the law, but it had not occurred to them
|
|||
|
that this lad was their son. They had about decided to journey out to the home
|
|||
|
of Zacharias as they thought Jesus might have gone thither to see Elizabeth and
|
|||
|
John. Thinking Zacharias might perhaps be at the temple, they stopped there on
|
|||
|
their way to the City of Judah. As they strolled through the courts of the
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
top of page - 1384
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
temple, imagine their surprise and amazement when they recognized the voice of
|
|||
|
the missing lad and beheld him seated among the temple teachers.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Joseph was speechless, but Mary gave vent to her long-pent-up fear and anxiety
|
|||
|
when, rushing up to the lad, now standing to greet his astonished parents, she
|
|||
|
said: "My child, why have you treated us like this? It is now more than three
|
|||
|
days that your father and I have searched for you sorrowing. Whatever possessed
|
|||
|
you to desert us?" It was a tense moment. All eyes were turned on Jesus to hear
|
|||
|
what he would say. His father looked reprovingly at him but said nothing.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It should be remembered that Jesus was supposed to be a young man. He had
|
|||
|
finished the regular schooling of a child, had been recognized as a son of the
|
|||
|
law, and had received consecration as a citizen of Israel. And yet his mother
|
|||
|
more than mildly upbraided him before all the people assembled, right in the
|
|||
|
midst of the most serious and sublime effort of his young life, thus bringing
|
|||
|
to an inglorious termination one of the greatest opportunities ever to be
|
|||
|
granted him to function as a teacher of truth, a preacher of righteousness, a
|
|||
|
revealer of the loving character of his Father in heaven.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
But the lad was equal to the occasion. When you take into fair consideration
|
|||
|
all the factors which combined to make up this situation, you will be better
|
|||
|
prepared to fathom the wisdom of the boy's reply to his mother's unintended
|
|||
|
rebuke. After a moment's thought, Jesus answered his mother, saying: "Why is it
|
|||
|
that you have so long sought me? Would you not expect to find me in my Father's
|
|||
|
house since the time has come when I should be about my Father's business?"
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Everyone was astonished at the lad's manner of speaking. Silently they all
|
|||
|
withdrew and left him standing alone with his parents. Presently the young man
|
|||
|
relieved the embarrassment of all three when he quietly said: "Come, my
|
|||
|
parents, none has done aught but that which he thought best. Our Father in
|
|||
|
heaven has ordained these things; let us depart for home."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In silence they started out, arriving at Jericho for the night. Only once did
|
|||
|
they pause, and that on the brow of Olivet, when the lad raised his staff aloft
|
|||
|
and, quivering from head to foot under the surging of intense emotion, said: "O
|
|||
|
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, and the people thereof, what slaves you are--subservient
|
|||
|
to the Roman yoke and victims of your own traditions--but I will return to
|
|||
|
cleanse yonder temple and deliver my people from this bondage!"
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
On the three days' journey to Nazareth Jesus said little; neither did his
|
|||
|
parents say much in his presence. They were truly at a loss to understand the
|
|||
|
conduct of their first-born son, but they did treasure in their hearts his
|
|||
|
sayings, even though they could not fully comprehend their meanings.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Upon reaching home, Jesus made a brief statement to his parents, assuring them
|
|||
|
of his affection and implying that they need not fear he would again give any
|
|||
|
occasion for their suffering anxiety because of his conduct. He concluded this
|
|||
|
momentous statement by saying: "While I must do the will of my Father in
|
|||
|
heaven, I will also be obedient to my father on earth. I will await my hour."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Though Jesus, in his mind, would many times refuse to consent to the
|
|||
|
well-intentioned but misguided efforts of his parents to dictate the course of
|
|||
|
his thinking or to establish the plan of his work on earth, still, in every
|
|||
|
manner consistent with his dedication to the doing of his Paradise Father's
|
|||
|
will, he did most gracefully conform to the desires of his earthly father and
|
|||
|
to the usages of his family
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
top of page - 1385
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
in the flesh. Even when he could not consent, he would do everything possible
|
|||
|
to conform. He was an artist in the matter of adjusting his dedication to duty
|
|||
|
to his obligations of family loyalty and social service.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Joseph was puzzled, but Mary, as she reflected on these experiences, gained
|
|||
|
comfort, eventually viewing his utterance on Olivet as prophetic of the
|
|||
|
Messianic mission of her son as Israel's deliverer. She set to work with
|
|||
|
renewed energy to mold his thoughts into patriotic and nationalistic channels
|
|||
|
and enlisted the efforts of her brother, Jesus' favorite uncle; and in every
|
|||
|
other way did the mother of Jesus address herself to the task of preparing her
|
|||
|
first-born son to assume the leadership of those who would restore the throne
|
|||
|
of David and forever cast off the gentile yoke of political bondage.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
top of page - 1386
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
Subjects Archive The Urantia Book Urantia Book PART IV: The Life and Teachings
|
|||
|
of Jesus : The Bestowal Of Michael On Urantia The Times Of Michael's Bestowal
|
|||
|
Birth And Infancy Of Jesus The Early Childhood Of Jesus The Later Childhood Of
|
|||
|
Jesus Jesus At Jerusalem The Two Crucial Years The Adolescent Years Jesus'
|
|||
|
Early Manhood The Later Adult Life Of Jesus On The Way To Rome The World's
|
|||
|
Religions The Sojourn At Rome The Return From Rome The Transition Years John
|
|||
|
The Baptist Baptism And The Forty Days Tarrying Time In Galilee Training The
|
|||
|
Kingdom's Messengers The Twelve Apostles The Ordination Of The Twelve Beginning
|
|||
|
The Public Work The Passover At Jerusalem Going Through Samaria At Gilboa And
|
|||
|
In The Decapolis Four Eventful Days At Capernaum First Preaching Tour Of
|
|||
|
Galilee The Interlude Visit To Jerusalem Training Evangelists At Bethsaida The
|
|||
|
Second Preaching Tour The Third Preaching Tour Tarrying And Teaching By The
|
|||
|
Seaside Events Leading Up To The Capernaum Crisis The Crisis At Capernaum Last
|
|||
|
Days At Capernaum Fleeing Through Northern Galilee The Sojourn At Tyre And
|
|||
|
Sidon At Caesarea-philippi The Mount Of Transfiguration The Decapolis Tour
|
|||
|
Rodan Of Alexandria Further Discussions With Rodan At The Feast Of Tabernacles
|
|||
|
Ordination Of The Seventy At Magadan At The Feast Of Dedication The Perean
|
|||
|
Mission Begins Last Visit To Northern Perea The Visit To Philadelphia The
|
|||
|
Resurrection Of Lazarus Last Teaching At Pella The Kingdom Of Heaven On The Way
|
|||
|
To Jerusalem Going Into Jerusalem Monday In Jerusalem Tuesday Morning In The
|
|||
|
Temple The Last Temple Discourse Tuesday Evening On Mount Olivet Wednesday, The
|
|||
|
Rest Day Last Day At The Camp The Last Supper The Farewell Discourse Final
|
|||
|
Admonitions And Warnings In Gethsemane The Betrayal And Arrest Of Jesus Before
|
|||
|
The Sanhedrin Court The Trial Before Pilate Just Before The Crucifixion The
|
|||
|
Crucifixion The Time Of The Tomb The Resurrection Morontia Appearances Of Jesus
|
|||
|
Appearances To The Apostles And Other Leaders Appearances In Galilee Final
|
|||
|
Appearances And Ascension Bestowal Of The Spirit Of Truth After Pentecost The
|
|||
|
Faith Of Jesus
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD> // <20> <20> <20> <20> <20>
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD> The Later <20> The Two <20> Urantia Book <20> Search <20> SiteMap! <20>
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD> Child... <20> Crucial... <20> PA... <20> <20> <20>
|
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
|
|||
|
//
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ
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<EFBFBD> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> SPIRITWEB ORG (info@spiritweb.org), <20> <20>
|
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<EFBFBD> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> http://www.spiritweb.org <20> <20>
|
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<EFBFBD> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> Webmaster <webmaster@spiritweb.org> <20> <20>
|
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<EFBFBD> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20>
|
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<EFBFBD> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> ONLINE SINCE 1993. MAINTAINED IN SWITZERLAND. <20> <20>
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<EFBFBD> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> DISTRIBUTED TO CALIFORNIA, SPAIN, ITALY, SOUTH AFRICA, <20> <20>
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