As it turned out, it was better that Jesus stayed with his family in Nazareth. If he’d gone to Alexandria, he would’ve learned only the Jewish laws. But Jesus didn’t come to Earth for the Jews, he came for all of humanity. Our ideas of God have become confused. This was one reason Jesus chose Earth for his mission: In the process of becoming perfect with God he could also show God as being truth, beauty, and goodness. By staying in Nazareth, Jesus became more worldly in his views and became better prepared to give the world his message.
Jesus’ Ninth Year (A.D. 3)
Life was good: Jesus was doing well in school and enjoying his weeks off. He’d travel around with his dad or visit one of his uncles. Jesus was still asking a lot of hard questions, and butting up against the strict rules forced on his people.
Back then Jewish kids weren’t allowed to draw pictures or model things out of clay. Their religious leaders didn’t want anyone falling in love with something material, and worshiping it instead of God. But Jesus liked drawing and modeling clay. So his mom and dad had been lax with him at home, and allowed him to break the rules when no one else was around.
And of course, at school Jesus argued with the chazan about these kinds of rules. Then one day Jesus got caught; another kid saw him drawing on the floor and he went and told the chazan. It was obvious that Jesus had been drawing a picture of his teacher with a piece of charcoal.
This was a serious offense. Jesus had broken the rules, and this time something had to be done about it. The chazan and the others went to Jesus’s house. All of them blamed Mary and Joseph for not being strict enough with Jesus. According to them, it was their fault that he wasn’t following the rules. And they had told Mary and Joseph all of this before, but this time was too much.
While all of these people were in the house scolding Joseph, Jesus was sitting just outside the door listening to everything. Finally, he got mad. He couldn’t understand why they were blaming his dad for something that he had done. Jesus didn’t feel this was fair, so he stood up and went inside. When the lad entered the room, everyone went into mild shock: kids were supposed to be seen and not heard, as the saying goes. Children never argued with their parents, or with any other adult, for that matter.
But this time Jesus got away with it. He held his temper, and told everyone in the room why he thought this law was stupid. But he also agreed that it was the law, and that he’d broken it. So, Jesus promised everyone he’d obey his parents and stop drawing from then on. This satisfied the rabbis, and they left it at that. Jesus loved his hobbies, but he never broke his promise to Mary and Joseph.
Jesus’ second sister, Martha, was born September 13. The family needed more room, so they built an addition on to the house. This room was part workshop during the day, and a bedroom at night. Joseph built Jesus a small workbench, and for the first time the kid had his own tools. Throughout the rest of his life Jesus worked at that very same bench as he learned and mastered his craft.
A cold spell hit Palestine that year, and Jesus saw ice for the first time. The idea that water could be frozen solid or boiled into steam sent his young mind a-running. How can these things happen? Yet the young Jesus pondering how the world works was actually the very creator our universe.
Jesus had grown up into a stout strong boy. When the season arrived in May, he learned to harvest grain. His Thought Adjuster had been working on his mind the whole time, and Jesus was slowly realizing he had a special mission in life. On July 5, while taking a walk in the country with his dad, Jesus told Joseph about these thoughts. And then the next day, he told his mom, Mary, the same things. But Mary and Joseph kept quiet, and neither of them told Jesus what they knew about him, or who they thought he was.
Jesus got along well with most of the other kids, but it was also getting hard for him to talk to them. He also hung out with the adults more than the other kids did. His questions were still causing problems, and Jesus insisted on more than miracles for an answer. Still, he kept his promise to follow the rules, and he always spoke to others with respect. When work was slow in Joseph’s shop, he’d take Jesus on short trips to the other towns around Nazareth.
The Tenth Year (A.D. 4)
This year Jesus entered the advanced class at school. By now the whole town was in an uproar over his questions. Jesus wanted answers, and Mary and Joseph were concerned. But they knew who their son was, or at least they knew he had a special mission on Earth, so they wouldn’t tell him to stop. And the chazan at school, well, he found it all kind of funny.
As for Jesus’ buddies at school, they didn’t see anything odd about his questions. But they did wonder why Jesus was always unwilling to physically fight for his rights. He was one of the biggest and strongest kids in the class, but he’d never hit back if someone was messing with him. But Jesus didn’t have to worry too much about getting hurt. His best friend was Jacob the stone mason’s son. Jacob was a year older than Jesus, and he made it his job to protect him more than once.
Jesus continued to spend part of his free time fishing with his uncle on the Sea of Galilee. Over the years he became an expert fisherman, and later in life he almost chose fishing for his trade. He was doing his duties well as the oldest son in the family, and he was well liked by most of his neighbors. Jesus was a born leader and teacher, and those traits came out when he’d play with the other kids. And his father was starting to teach him how to manage money, the need to make an income, and the many different ways people do so.
The Eleventh Year (A.D. 5)
This was the last year Jesus really got to be just a kid. On Wednesday, June 24, Mary had Jude, her seventh child. This time there were problems giving birth, and Joseph had to stay home from work to care for his wife. Jesus did errands for his dad, helped take care of his mom, and made sure his younger brothers and sisters were okay. He got hit with the duties and all of the seriousness that comes with being an adult a year or two sooner than normal. Throughout all of this, the chazan continued to teach Jesus the scriptures one night a week.
In May, Joseph took Jesus with him on a business trip to a big city named Scythopolis. Way back in Palestinian history, Scythopolis had been a Jewish city named Beth-shean. But now it was the biggest Greek city in the land. The people living there were gentiles. The Jews considered them to be unclean, and heathens who worshipped false gods.
Joseph was a devote Jew. For him the people in Scythopolis really were heathens. He thought everything they did, and all of the gods they worshiped, were an insult to both the Jews and to God. As a Jew, Joseph was forbidden to have anything to with them, or their ways of life. But, then as now, money causes most people make exceptions to even the strictest rules. So, as dad and son walked the road leading to the heathen city, Joseph ignored what they were seeing around them and instead told Jesus stories about the old days when the Jews ruled the city.
But Jesus thought the city was awesome. It was clean, and it had real roads and big beautiful buildings. There were bright white marble temples, and open-air theaters. It was the most modern city Jesus had seen in his young life, and was complete with clean water, sewers, trash collectors, and many other public works like we have today.
Jesus and his dad had arrived in Scythopolis right when the games were starting. These competitions were the Olympics of those times. There were many different types of athletic events, and of course, a lot of athletes were running around wearing few cloths. The people were partying, having a good time, and enjoying themselves. To the Jews, all of these things were wrong and ungodly. So, for Joseph, everything they were seeing was forbidden. A proper Jew would never say anything good about any of it, or heathens, or their lifestyle.
Jesus, though, wouldn’t let up. He wanted to see the games and finally convinced Joseph to go. When they got there, Jesus was amazed. He loved the games and in his mind he started making plans to start something similar back home in Nazareth. Jesus thought it’d be great for him and his friends if they could also start exercising and playing sports.
When Joseph heard this, he flipped out. He told Jesus that what he’d seen was wrong, and there was nothing good about the heathens or their games. But Jesus wasn’t convinced, and he kept arguing with his dad. Then he told Joseph about his plans to go home and build a workout arena like the Greeks had, so the Jews could hold their own games in Nazareth.
That was too much for Joseph. He was usually good at holding his temper, but this time he lost it. Joseph grabbed Jesus by the shoulders and shook him, the whole time telling him to never utter such an evil thing again. Joseph had never before gotten angry and treated Jesus like that, and it really surprised the boy. So, in respect to his dad, Jesus gave in and never brought the subject up again as long as Joseph lived.
The Twelfth Year (A.D. 6)
As he got older, Jesus started to work more in the carpenter shop at home. Normally, his father would have managed any money he made, but Joseph let Jesus handle his own affairs. Jesus didn’t tell anyone about this arrangement. He was learning to keep his thoughts to himself, and to be careful with what he told others about his life.
Jesus’ mind was developing quickly. Like us, his personality was a blend of both the human and divine. His mind was struggling with the fact that he was the actual creator of this universe, yet here he was growing up like any other person. This was confusing, to say the least. Yet, throughout it all Jesus continued to grow in tack, compassion, and his ability to get along with people. He was fulfilling his desire to really know humanity.
Mary and Joseph were also seeing changes as Jesus got older. They both deserve the highest respect for the effort they put into raising this duel son of God and son of man. It wasn’t always smooth sailing. Of the two, Joseph had a clearer idea of Jesus’ spiritual mission. As time went by, Mary seemed to become more confused by it all. But never did either of them ever dream that their little boy, Joshua, was the actual creator of the universe.
By this age, Jesus was already hard to fool or take advantage of, and he could spot a hypocrite a mile away. He also had no problem calling people out when he’d catch them saying one thing, and then doing another. For example, the Jews used to nail a small piece of parchment, a type of paper, to the door frame of the house. Then, every time they’d come in or go out of the house, they had to touch the paper with their finger, then kiss that finger, and finally say a prayer asking God to protect them. But Jesus thought this was hypocritical. If kids couldn’t draw pictures or make things with clay because they might worship them before God, why were the adults doing the same thing by worshiping their own little piece of paper. Jesus won the argument, and Joseph took down the parchment.
Remember, this was in Nazareth, the most liberal town in all of Palestine. Because the rabbis in Nazareth were less strict, Jesus was able to push the Jewish boundaries a bit more than normal. This little bit of freedom to think and act was important. Jesus had to balance everything in his mind between his sense of what was right for God, and what was right for his parents. Somehow, he had to obey both, and sometimes they weren’t exactly the same. But every day he was improving.
His Thirteenth Year (A.D. 7)
Jesus entered puberty when he was thirteen years old. Just like all other kids, he started morphing into a young adult. His voice deepened, his hormones changed, and his body started to mature. On January 9, Jesus’s brother, Amos, was born.
Jesus was now sure of who he was. He knew that he’d come to Earth to teach humanity the truth about God his Father. And he was going to do this by showing us God through the way he, Jesus, lived his life on Earth.
So, here we have a young man who everyone else in town thinks is normal. But in reality, he’s the creator of our universe. And as all of this is coming clearer in his mind, Jesus starts to plan his future mission.
On March 20, Jesus graduated from school. This was a big occasion, and Jesus was now considered an adult fully learned in Jewish laws and traditions. Jesus had done well in school, and his chazan kept trying and get him to go to Jerusalem to keep studying there. But Jesus was sure that wasn’t what he was going to do. As it turns out, the boy didn’t have to choose. Tragedy soon struck the family, fate took a different turn, and life’s plans had to change.
The Journey to Jerusalem
Now that Jesus was an adult, he could go to the Passover feast in Jerusalem. Jews traveled from all around the world to be part of this festival. On Monday, April 4, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus joined about a hundred other people from Nazareth and they all set out for Jerusalem. The Passover was at the end of that week on Saturday, April 9.
It was an easy walk through of the Jordan Valley. During the day the group enjoyed being in the wilds; they marveled at the scenery, and retold all of the ancient stories about Palestine. At night, they’d find a spring to camp by so they had water. As the group got closer to Jerusalem, they started seeing more people from other parts of the world. Everyone was excited to be attending the Passover. And Jesus was eager to finally see Jerusalem, the Holy City, and its temple dedicated to God his Father.
Before getting to Jerusalem, the group stopped for a break in a small town called Bethany. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus met a man named Simon who had three kids around Jesus’ age. The children’s names were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and the two families soon became best friends.
The group then made it to the Mount of Olives, and for the first of many times Jesus stood on that ridge looking down on Jerusalem. He saw the Jewish temple, and the many palaces built to impress people and show off someone’s importance. This moment was the greatest human type of trill that Jesus had ever had. Soon, though, he would stand on this very same spot and looking down on Jerusalem, cry for his people.
By Thursday evening the family made it to Jerusalem and stayed at a relative’s house until the Passover on Saturday. Joseph took Jesus sightseeing, and showed him the university where he wanted him to keep going to school. But Jesus wasn’t interested in any of it: He’d already done away with that idea.
The Passover feast is another bloody religious ceremony. It’s based on killing, or sacrificing, hundreds of animals. This was somehow supposed to please God. All of this offended Jesus. So of course, he asked Joseph a lot of questions about why God wanted people to kill innocent animals to please him. Joseph was put on the spot, and the only thing he could tell Jesus was that it was right thing to do because the Jewish law said so. It was obvious that Jesus didn’t buy his answer.
That Friday night before the Passover Jesus was sad for his people. He loved them, and he felt sorry for them. What they were doing was obscene. Jesus knew that God would never want people to slaughter animals for him. It was a backward practice, and it was not worshiping God. That night as Jesus slept, an angel visited him in his dreams. Jesus was told it was time to be about his Father’s will.
And all of Nebadon watched in suspense as this greatest of miracles unfolded.
Okay, my friends, that’s it for Son of Man, Chapter 3, “The Later Childhood of Jesus.”
Next’s weeks Chapter 4 is titled, “Jesus at Jerusalem.”
Best wishes for the week.