December 1930
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learn submission, who are we that we should rebel against any lessons in sub mission that God sends -to us ? * * * G o l d e n T e x t I l l u s t r a t io n It was Johnny, the seven-year-old, who tired o f the merry-go-round. The pre vious summer it had fascinated him, and he could not ride on it too often. This season a single trip had satisfied him, and he declined another. “No, thank you, grandfather,” her said. “You see we ride and ride, but we stay under that old tent all the time. I guess when any one gets to be seven years old he’s too big to care about going and going that doesn’t get anywhere.” “Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature and in favor with : God and men.” —o— The Child Jesus Luke 2 :40-52 Memory Verse .—“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Lk. 2:52). Approach .-—Last week we learned about John the Baptist, the man who told the people that they must get ready to receive Lesson Story. —Do you remember how John had to prepare himself for the work which God had for him to do? Jesus had to get ready for His great work, too. When He was a little boy, He lived in His home and learned from His mothet just as all boys and girls do. Then, when He was big enough, He went into Joseph’s carpenter shop and watched how Joseph made things out of wood. He learned to be a carpenter too. But Jesus had many more things to learn beside how to obejr His mother and how to be a carpenter. He learned how to make the people sorry for the sins that they had doqe, and 'He told them that He was God’s Son, come to save them from their sins. At the time when Jesus was twelve years pld, His family and many, many families of Jews went up to Jerusalem to the great temple there to worship. Je^us knew that this would be a great opportuni ty for Him to find out more about the work which He had come to do. So He sat with the great teachers im the temple and learned from them. —0— January 18, 1931 The Ministry of John the Baptist Lesson: Luke 3. ( Lesson Text '■ Luke 3 :7-17.) Golden T ex t : “ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance” (Lk. 3:8). jjc j)c L e s s o n i n O u t l in e I. Warning to Fruitless Israel (7-9). 1. There is “wrath to come” (7). t e s a t a * A * S t O * a great gift. Today we learn in our les son that the great gift has arrived, for Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He was God’s great gift, His only Son,, gent to the world by God, His Father, to tell the people how to find their way to God through jlim.
mental, and spiritual development. In favor with God and men. “ Favor” is the same as “grace” in verse 40. God was always pleased with His Son. Moreover, men could not honestly say they had found any fault in Him. * * •* L e s s o n Q u e s t io n s Vs. 40, 41. What language shows that Jesus developed physically and mentally as did other boys of His time? Was there need o f His having a strong body? In what ways can we conceive that He re ceived mental training? Can we imagine that study of the Bible was omitted? In what ways may it have been seen that the grace of God was upon Him? V. 42. For what purpose did the fami ly go to Jerusalem? O f' what was the passover a memorial? What new rela tion to the ordinances of God did a Jew ish boy of twelve sustain? V. 43. How many days did the feast continue? Did Jesus show disregard of Joseph and Mary by staying behind? Did they show carelessness in going away without Him? V. 44. Had they a right to believe that He was in' the company of travelers? May we infer that they had learned to fully trust Him? V. 45. Were Joseph and Mary dis turbed when they did not find Jesus? Should parents always seek to know where their children are ? Should children be careful to avoid giving their parents anxiety?., rr(Tj,-. '. V..46. Was Jesus found at once? Where was He found? What was He doing? Can we imagine that He was officious and offensive in His .conversation with the teachers? What kind of questions do you think He asked them ? V. 47. What feeling did the hearers have concerning Him? May we believe that He showed a knowledge o f the spirit ual meaning o f the law which the learned men did not possess ? V.; 48. How did Joseph and Mary feel when they saw Him? What did His mother ask? Was it,,.wrong for her to feel as she did? V. 49. What surprise did Jesus show? Was His mother to blame for not under standing His interest in His Father’s house? Why did He not say “our Fath er’s house” ? Does He have a relation to God as the Son which no other man can possibly have ? V. 50. Was His language concerning His Father’s house understood? Why not? V. 51. If Jesus knew that He was the Son of God, why did He decide to go back to His own home and be subject to Joseph and Mary? Was it necessary for Him to learn obedience in this way ? What did Mary think of all that she had seen and heard? Did she come to understand Him better at a later time? V. 52. In what ways did Jesus “ad vance” ? Was there ever a time that He did not have “ favor with God” ? ♦ * * P r a c t ic a l P q in t s 1. Jesus advanced in knowledge through study of nature, through com munion with His Father, and through careful study of the Scriptures. The same Scriptures • that He had are our posses sion, with the addition of the New Testa ment.
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2. It is evident that Jesus in His youth stored away in His memory a great deal of Scripture. It was useful to Him in His conflict with Satan in the wilderness, in His many arguments with Pharisees and Sadducees, and in His teaching of His disciples. How important it is for the children of today to have their educa tion built upon the foundation of Scrip ture ! But how unfortunate it is that this fact is overlooked or denied even by many who call themselves Christians ! 3. The development of Jesus in the threefold way, physical, mental, and spir itual, is well worth the imitation of. every young man or woman. A strong'body is essential; a finely trained mind is useful; but there must also.be evidence of “the grace'of God” upon a life before it can bescounted truly successful. 4. The modern tendency to allow young people a great deal of liberty has frequent ly proved disastrous.: , They are not wise enough tp choose their own, companions, their amusements, their dress, their life work. If parents are too busy with self ish and. worldy pursuits to have concern for their children, they will awaken some day to a Sense of thè terrible wrong they have done to their own flesh and blood. 5. Those parents are happy indeed who know that their children love the house of God and the fellowship of the people o f God.' 6. A child in the Sunday-school who learns how to listen carefully to the teach er and .to ask thoughful questions, will, without;:doubt, advance in' the knowledge o f God. 7. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, stands in a totally different re lation to God from that enjoyed by those who are the sons of God through faith in Christ. 8. In a limited sense, it may be said of all men that they are the offspring of God because they are created in His im age. But, on the other hand, some are the children of the devil (cf. John 8:44). 9. If the Lord Jesus, after He came to recognize a special relation to His Father and His Father’s house, was willing to go back to a home in despised Nazareth and
Friendly and Helpful I read every issue o f T h e K in g ’ s B u s i n g s from cover to cover, and when I have finished I begin to wish for the next number. Your'paper is friendly and helpful. I f the school is like it, I hope I may some day have the privilege o f attending it. —From Westover, Maryland.
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