T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S (3 ). THE PROFOUND SCHOLARS, vs. 46, 47. “ All that heard Him were astonished.” They finally found Jesus where they might have expected to find Him, in the Temple—-the Father’s house-—sitting, hearing, asking, learning. The first recorded utterance of our Lord is found here, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” This was the law of His life. He was a business man looking after His Father’s business. (John 6:38-40) "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, hut the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing?» but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting? life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” This was the purpose for which He came into the world. The will of the • Father was the business to which Jesus addressed Himself, and these first words furnish the key to His life. •His last words on the cross were, “ It is finished” (John 19:30). Note the similarity to the words of the great apostle, Paul. At the beginning of his marvellous ministry it was, “ Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:16). At the close, just before his martyrdom, He says, “ I have finished my course” (2 Tim. 4 :7). Our Lord is now, at this present mo ment, in His Father’s house, attending to His Father’s interests as they con cern our complete redemption (Acts 7:35; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3 :1). The life of the true believer must correspond to that of the Master. The ‘ attitude of our hearts must be, “ Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” and then we must say, “ This one thing I do.” As into the life of our Lord there came the “ I must” (v. 49), “ I must work the works of Him that sent me” (John 9 :4), “ The Son of Man must be
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lifted up” (John 3:14) even so this “must” is inevitable in our lives if we are to follow Him. The world is saying, “What must we do to be saved?” and we must be ready to answer, “ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” The imperative obligation on every believer is, “ Do business until I come” (Luke 19:13), and that business is to set forth Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, crucified for the sins of men, raised for their justification, coming in glory to judge the living and the dead, warning those who reject Him of their impending doom. The doctors in the Temple were amazed as they listened to the questions and answers of the twelve-year-old boy. He knew the Scriptures (Psa. 119:99) “I have more understanding than all my teachers ; for thy testimonies are my meditation.” (Luke 24:27) “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (John 3:34) “ For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God; for God glveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” The world is still amazed at the wis dom of His words. (John 7:46.) (4) THE PATIENT SON, vs. 51, 52. “ He went down . . . and was subject unto them.” Obedient to His parents, He goes with them to Nazareth and “ was subject to them” . His supposed father was a car penter, and Jesus no doubt followed the custom of Jewish lads and learned the trade of a carpenter, working with His hands, learning those homely but great lessons so essential to be learned, through years o f toil and burden-bedr ing in the humdrum life of a mechanic. In those daily experiences there was the enlargement of His sympathies, the deepening of the channels of His bding. He learned to weep with those who wept and to rejoice with those who rejoiced.
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