"And the Child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2:40). Jesus was the Pattern for children and youth as well as older people. His early years are a possibility for every child. They may learn to follow God in their sphere, just as He did. Yet, there is much adults can learn from this period of the Saviour's life as well.
Take, for example, when He attended the Passover with His mother and Joseph at the age of twelve. After the feast was over, Mary and Joseph started for home, thinking that Jesus was with their company. A day passed, and they looked for Him among their relatives, but they could not find Him. They returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. (vv.44-45). After three days, they found Jesus in the temple, "sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions" (v. 46).
I want to focus on that phrase— "sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions." Jesus, being divine and filled with the Holy Spirit, obviously knew more about the Old Testament than these men did. Indeed, the following verse states that, "all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers" (v. 47). Yet, the Bible says He heard them. Even though they were in error, He was respectful and listened to what they had to say. In answering He was still courteous. He could have responded very irately, and told them that they didn't know what they were talking about; but He didn't. Instead, He asked questions that stimulated them to think, and that were intended to guide their minds in the right direction. Far from making them hate Him, this method of conversation made them wonder in amazement at the knowledge of this youth.
I sometimes wonder what results we would see if every one of us followed Jesus' example when we dealt with others. May the Holy Spirit make us as gentle and courteous as the Master, so we may have the privilege of leading many souls to the kingdom.
Blessings,
Jean
No comments:
Post a Comment