Childhood Of Jesus

[music] In the small town of Bethlehem, not far from the city of Jerusalem, in the land of Israel, Jesus, the promised savior, had been born in a lowly stable. Mary his mother knew that in order to fulfill the law of Moses, she and Joseph must soon take the baby to the temple and make an offering as the child was presented to God. And so Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple in Jerusalem. And Joseph offered a pair of doves as a sacrifice of thanksgiving when Jesus was only a few weeks old. But the priests did not realize who this child was. They did not know that he was thus savior whose birth had been prophesied throughout the ages. Thus it was that Jesus name was written among the firstborn of Israel. In Jerusalem was a good and holy man whose name was Simeon. The Holy Spirit had made it known to him that he would not die until he had seen [music] the Savior. Great was Simeon's faith. Moved by the spirit, he had come to the temple where he was waiting for the event. And as Mary and Joseph and the baby came closer, Simeon's heart suddenly leaped. This was the day the Savior had come at [music] last. And when Simeon looked down upon the child, he gave thanks to God, and he took the baby in his arms. Lord, now let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, but thou hast prepared in the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel. Behold, this child is set for fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be spoken against. Lo, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Nearby there stood an old prophetus named Anna. She was a widow of many years and she never left the temple but stayed there night and day fasting and praying. And Anna too came and gave thanks to God for the coming of the Savior. And so in the city of Jerusalem where Jesus was later to be crucified, these two faithful old people knew and believed that this baby was the savior of the world. At the time when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there were wise men in a far distant country in the east who had studied the stars. They too knew that the promised savior had been born. Now they were on the long journey to find him. When they arrived in Jerusalem, the wise men asked some of the people, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. This announcement from the wise men instantly created much excitement among the people of Jerusalem. But since they could not tell anyone about a new king, the wise men decided that they would have to search elsewhere. In those days, [music] Herod the Great, the ruler of Judea, was staying at his palace in Jerusalem. He was a cruel man and had committed many crimes. There were those who came to Herod and told him of the wise men who [music] had come from the east, of the star they had seen, and of the one who they said had been born king of the Jews. >> King of the Jews? I, Herod, am king of the Jews. Who is this new king that these wise men have come to worship? Tell my counselors to come in at once." Herod was greatly troubled by this news. And when the chief priests and scribes were assembled, he asked of them where the Christ was to be born, for he knew that a savior had been promised to the Jews. In Bethlehem of Judea, as it was written by the prophet, thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah. For out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel." >> But when Herod received this news, a plan began to form in his mind. He never intended letting any newborn baby grow up to be king of the Jews. And so he dismissed the priests and scribes. After secretly sending for the wise men, Herod asked them at what time they had seen the star. Then he instructed them to find the child. >> Go search for this child. When you found him, bring word to me that I [music] too may come and worship him. Then the wise men, having heard the king, went their way, and lo, the star which they had seen in the east went before them, till it came to rest over where the young child was. And coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary, [music] his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him, and they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrr. However, the wise men, being warned by God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, went back to their own country another way. And when they had gone, one night as Joseph lay asleep, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream and warned him, "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word, or Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. Joseph awakened Mary and told her of the angel's message. There was no time to lose. [music] They must make hasty preparations for their journey. And so [music] that very night, Joseph took the child and his mother and departed into Egypt. Meanwhile, Herod had waited in vain for the wise men to come back. Now he was furious. Realizing that he had been mocked, Herod decided to put an evil plan into action at once. Go to Bethlehem, all places near there. Take every boy baby 2 years or less and put them all to death. Yes, Herod thought that his order would surely do away with any newborn king who might someday take his place. He did not know that Jesus was already on the way to Egypt. There the little family stayed for a while. Mary and Joseph gave Jesus their loving care. They were happy, for God had protected them from the cruel Herod. Then one night, the angel of the Lord came again to Joseph in a dream. Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for they are dead which sought the young child's life. So once more, Joseph obeyed the angel and took the child and his mother back to the land of Israel. The journey from Egypt was long and tiring. As they had nowhere to rest at night except by the roadside, Joseph prepared a fire to keep them warm while they slept. But when Joseph heard that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was now king of Judea in his father's place, he was afraid to go back to Bethlehem. For he knew that Herod's son was also a cruel man and might bring harm to the child. And so, having been warned again in a dream, Joseph turned and took Mary and the child into the province called Galilee, where the new king's power did not reach. In Galilee, they went to live in the town of Nazareth, which had been their home before Jesus was born. Joseph worked hard, and Mary cared for the boy. Here they were happy, living in the love of God among familiar surroundings and old friends. The Galilean land lay quiet under the changing seasons. The men worked in [music] the fields and groves. Sometimes there was no rain and the land lay dry under the hot sun. Sometimes the streams and springs were full and the harvest was plentiful. And so the years passed. When Jesus was 12 years old, he went with Mary and Joseph and a group of travelers to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. As the travelers were resting on the [music] return journey to Nazareth, his parents missed Jesus and went among the people looking for him. >> Have you seen Jesus anywhere? >> No, I haven't. I thought he was with you. >> We miss him coming out of Jerusalem, but we thought he might have been with friends. We've asked everybody we've met, but no one has seen him. >> We'd best go back and look for him. >> So, they went back to Jerusalem. They could not understand how Jesus could have been left behind, and they were worried about him. It was a big city. Perhaps something had happened to him. After searching the streets of Jerusalem for 3 days, they finally came to the temple. Perhaps someone there had seen Jesus. And there they finally found him in the study room of the temple talking with the teachers who were all surprised at his understanding [music] and his answers on many things. >> Sen, why have you treated us so? Your father and I have been looking for you anxiously. >> How is it that you sought me? Did you not know I must be about my father's business? >> And so in the temple where he had been presented as a baby and where Simeon and Anna had recognized him as the savior, Jesus was already becoming aware of the great mission for which his father had sent him into the world. Nazareth was to be his home for many years, and Jesus was obedient to Mary and Joseph. while he grew up in mind and body and in favor with God and man. [music] [music]