Article January 3, 1914 Issue

The Great Teacher

STOKES ANTHONY BENNETT

When the prophet Isaiah wrote, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace;" and when the evangelist Luke wrote, "The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him," they drew for the world an impressive picture of him who later on was to be known as the great Teacher of mankind.

The Bible has little to say concerning the early life of Jesus; that is, from the time he was born until he was about thirty years of age, when he entered upon his public ministry. With this fact before us, what conclusions are we to draw regarding Jesus' early experiences? What are we to decide that he was doing during those three decades? Are we to dispose of the matter simply by believing that he was occupying himself in a more or less easy, aimless fashion in the carpenter shop or among the townsfolk of Nazareth? Are we to take it for granted, because we are told that he was to be called "Wonderful, Counselor," and that "the grace of God was upon him," because he was destined to become the Wayshower or Exemplar of the race, that he had only to sit down and wait on time? No; such an opinion would greatly underestimate and belittle the life-work of Jesus, and would be directly opposed to sound logic.

In carefully examining the entire career of Jesus, as outlined in the Scriptures, we find that his parents were daily striving to do right and be religious in the highest sense of the term; that is, to serve God fearlessly, understandingly, and to walk in the straight and narrow way. They were modest, unassuming, energetic people, and, like others who are sincere and well meaning, desired that their son should be brought up according to the lofty ideals which they themselves were laboring to render practical. Joseph and Mary must, therefore, have sought to train and educate Jesus in careful keeping with their faith, and this training and education naturally started at home, where, according to the rigid custom of the best Jewish families, Jesus was instructed religiously. Presumably, in due course, he was given the advantages of the synagogue school, in which the history connected with the Old Testament characters and happenings was no doubt learned, as was also the Old Testament law in its fulness. Thus it was that, in common with other Jewish boys, Jesus became well versed in the Jewish Scriptures. Unlike the average student, however, he began to think for himself, refusing to accept the merely theological, dogmatic opinions and notions of his instructors, who, while they doubtless were sincere, nevertheless signally failed to perceive and point out the spiritual or practical import of the Old Testament.

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