1 Mary, Joseph, and Jesus returned to their house in Nazareth, October, 4 B.C. Jesus was a little over three years old. Before leaving Alexandria, they were given a copy of the scriptures in Greek. Joseph took on work as a carpenter. They kept quiet about Jesus being special.
2 On April 2, 3 B.C., Mary had James. Joseph built a small workshop onto the house. He made yokes and stuff for the caravans that came through Nazareth. This was where Jesus later learned to be a carpenter. Jesus meets his friend, Jacob, the stone mason’s son.
3 People are born as potential eternal souls. When we’re 4 or 5 years old we make our first decision that shows we can choose to do God’s will. At that point a Thought Adjuster, God from God, enters our mind. For Jesus, these events happened on February 11, 2 B.C.
4 On July 11, Jesus’ first sister, Mariam, was born. Joseph taught Jesus how animals are conceived. That August, Jesus turned five years old. According to Jewish custom, responsibility for Jesus was then handed over from Mary to Joseph. Jesus was growing up as a normal kid.
5 John and Jesus got along well. John told Jesus stories about Jewish history and their religion. Jesus started his habit of asking his mom and dad questions hard for them to answer. Mary and Joseph did their best, but only had the Jewish laws and traditions to use as answers.
6 Jesus knew God’s in our minds. It was better to talk to God like a loving father, than to say a rote prayer. Mary and Joseph were concerned: this went against what the Jews believed. But they couldn’t stop Jesus from talking to God in his head after saying his normal prayers.
7 Jesus was a happy kid. Another brother, Joseph, was born on March 1, 1 A.D. Jesus started school. There were 3 years of basic education, and 3 years of advanced. The teacher was the chazan. He would read the scriptures and the students would repeat them until memorized.
8 With his free time, Jesus hung out with the caravans that stopped after crossing the desert. He got to meet people from around the world, and decided to travel and learn more about people. Joseph took him for walks in the country, and there Jesus learned to love nature.
9 By 8 years old, Jesus could weave, make cheese, and milk the cows. He knew Aramaic and Greek, and was starting to learn Hebrew. He was a good student. One week a month he would visit his uncle on the Sea of Galilee, or his other uncle with a farm outside of Nazareth.
10 The Jewish leaders thought Nazareth was too liberal. They wanted Jesus to study in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph said no, so they asked Jesus to decide. After a short talk with his father in heaven, he said no. His earth parents loved and cared for him more than any others ever could.
Okay everyone, those are the highlights of last week’s Son of Man, Chapter 2, “The Early Childhood of Jesus.” This week’s Chapter 3 is, “The Later Childhood of Jesus.” Enjoy, my friends, and have a super week.