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T H E R I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
September, 1940
and so was Joseph, at the Lord Jesus’ reply: “I must be about my Father’s business.” She had said, “your father,” meaning Joseph. But He said, “my Father,” meaning God Himself. From that time on, nothing is heard of Joseph, only of Jesus’ “mother and his breth ren.” Probably Joseph died soon after this occurrence. Jesus felt the obligation to be about His Father’s business; He “must- be about” it. Humanly speaking, His an swer to this “must” was the thing that made Him great, as it will also deter mine the greatness of any human being. It was His Father’s -business to which He was called, whether that “business” was the making of chairs or of sermons, of tables or of miracles. The immediate occupation counts for little; the reason for the occupation is everything. IV. T he O bi I dient B oy (51, 52) These verses contain all we know of Jesus for eighteen years. During those years, He was yielding submission, pa tiently and fully, to the authorities in His home. Perhaps His patience and obedience during those eighteen years showed greater trust than anything He afterward did. During those years He “increased in wisdom, and stature, and in favor with God and man.” In this, He is the outstanding example for every boy, as well as for every man. Points and Problems 1. “ And the child grew” (Lk. 2:40). Comparing verse 40 with 52, it be comes very clear that our Lord “grew” and “increased” not only physically but also in other respects, just as a normal child should grow. To some devout Christians, this idea has raised serious problems. For example, since Christ was the eternal God who is perfect in knowledge, how could such a person grow and increase in knowledge and wisdom? This very problem was faced very early in the history of the Chris tian church, and some leaders, fearful- lest the admission of true growth in our Lord might compromise the truth of His absolute deity, began to teach that His growth was only “ seeming” but not actual. Thus the so-called Doketic party arose which finally carried their theory so far as to deny that our Lord really died at Calvary. Being God, they ar gued, He could not die; therefore, the cross only seemed to be what we call death. Thus at last these men, rightly jealous for the true deity of Christ, actually reduced His entire incarnation and redemptive work to a mere divine play-acting with no basis in reality. What happened back there in church history should teach us that it is just as important to hold firmly to the genu ineness of our Lord’s humanity as to His true deity. If Jesus was not God, then we have no Saviour. It is also true that if He was not true man, He
You and I will never be used as Luke was in writing books in the Bible, but we can be used to deliver God’s message to others. Knowing this, we should be, like the fountain pen, ready at all times to deliver God’s mfessage. A pen which repeatedly has to be dipped is seldom, used, if a fountain pen is handy. God will be pleased to use those who are ready and willing to be used.
used in writing the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. We read in Luke 1:3,4 that Luke said, “It seemed good to me also . . . to write . . . that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been in structed.” We should be glad that Luke was ready to write, for he told us many wonderful things about the gospel of Christ and the early church.
OCTOBER 13, 1940 THE BOYHOOD OF JESUS L uke 2
was just one among the other boys of that town. And Nazareth was, as we know, a notoriously wicked place with temptations besetting every boy. Be cause of His holy nature, therefore, the temptations would be more distressing than to others, He felt them all, and therefofe can sympathize with every boy of every age. n . T he I nquiring B oy (41-47) A t twelve years of age, He was taken to Jerusalem by His parents. At that age, the Jewish boy became “a son of the law” and henceforth stood upon his own responsibility before the Lord. A hint is here given concerning the piety of the home life of Jesus, in that His parents went year by year to Jerusalem in fulfillment of the command that re quired attendance of all males (cf. Deut. 16:16). At such times as these, great crowds gathered at Jerusalem, and it was quite natural that groups from the same town should congregate and travel in a sort of caravan. Because of .this custom, there was no anxiety when His parents did not see the Lord Jesus during the first day of the return jomey, for they "supposed” He was with friends among the group. Alas! There are many today who merely “suppose” that. Jesus is with them. When His parents missed Him at last, they turned back, and found Him in the temple, learning from the appointed teachers of the law. m . T he M ysterious B oy (48-50) Mary evidently had no inkling of who He was, in reality, to whom she spoke in seeming rebuke. She was amazed, BLACKBOARD LESSON
Luke 2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wis dom) and the grace of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the cus tom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem* and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s jour ney; and they sought him’ among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And whety they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found' him in the temple, sitting in the midst of •the -doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were aston ished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed* and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with os? behold, thy father and 1 have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought met wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? 50 And they understood not the say ing which he spake unto them. . 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them* but his mother kept all these say ings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. GOLDEN TEXT: “And Jesus increased in tylsdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Lk. 2*52). DEVOTIONAL READING* Eph. 4*11-15# Outline and Exposition I. T he G rowing B oy (40 ) I N THIS lesson, we are reminded of our Lord’s perfect humanity. While He was ever conscious of His es sential deity, He was also conscious of His true humanity. This fact may be beyond our comprehension, but it is not beyond our acceptance by faith. Physically, He “waxed strong,” His body developing in strength and sturdi ness. There is no possible way of dis covering the features of His physical appearance, though it is said that as our Saviour He had “no beauty that we should desire" (Isa. 53:2). Mentally, He was becoming "filled with wisdom.” There was no mental inertia. Spirit ually, the “grace of God was upon him.” That is, His spirit was always in touch with His Father in heaven. In outward appearance, evidently He
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