PAPER 125
JESUS AT JERUSALEM
125:0.1
NO INCIDENT in all Jesus' eventful earth career was
more engaging, more humanly thrilling, than this,
his first remembered visit to Jerusalem. He was
especially stimulated by the experience of attending
the temple discussions by himself, and it long stood
out in his memory as the great event of his later
childhood and early youth. This was his first
opportunity to enjoy a few days of independent
living, the exhilaration of going and coming without
restraint and restrictions. This brief period of
undirected living, during the week following the
Passover, was the first complete freedom from
responsibility he had ever enjoyed. And it was many
years subsequent to this before he again had a like
period of freedom from all sense of responsibility,
even for a short time.
125:0.2
Women seldom went to the Passover feast at
Jerusalem; they were not required to be present.
Jesus, however, virtually refused to go unless his
mother would accompany them. And when his mother
decided to go, many other Nazareth women were led to
make the journey, so that the Passover company
contained the largest number of women, in proportion
to men, ever to go up to the Passover from Nazareth.
Ever and anon, on the way to Jerusalem, they chanted
the one hundred and thirtieth Psalm.
125:0.3
From the time they left Nazareth until they reached
the summit of the Mount of Olives, Jesus experienced
one long stress of expectant anticipation. All
through a joyful childhood he had reverently heard
of Jerusalem and its temple; now he was soon to
behold them in reality. From the Mount of Olives and
from the outside, on closer inspection, the temple
had been all and more than Jesus had expected; but
when he once entered its sacred portals, the great
disillusionment began.
125:0.4
In company with his parents Jesus passed through the
temple precincts on his way to join that group of
new sons of the law who were about to be consecrated
as citizens of Israel. He was a little disappointed
by the general demeanor of the temple throngs, but
the first great shock of the day came when his
mother took leave of them on her way to the women's
gallery. It had never occurred to Jesus that his
mother was not to accompany him to the consecration
ceremonies, and he was thoroughly indignant that she
was made to suffer from such unjust discrimination.
While he strongly resented this, aside from a few
remarks of protest to his father, he said nothing.
But he thought, and thought deeply, as his questions
to the scribes and teachers a week later disclosed.
125:0.5
He passed through the consecration rituals but was
disappointed by their perfunctory and routine
natures. He missed that personal interest which
characterized the ceremonies of the synagogue at
Nazareth. He then returned to greet his mother and
prepared to accompany his father on his first trip
about the temple and its various courts, galleries,
and corridors. The temple precincts could
accommodate over two hundred thousand worshipers at
one time, and while the vastness of these buildings
-- in comparison with any he had ever seen --
greatly impressed his mind, he was more intrigued by
the contemplation of the spiritual significance of
the temple ceremonies and their associated worship.
125:0.6
Though many of the temple rituals very touchingly
impressed his sense of the beautiful and the
symbolic, he was always disappointed by the
explanation of the real meanings of these ceremonies
which his parents would offer in answer to his many
searching inquiries. Jesus simply would not accept
explanations of worship and religious devotion which
involved belief in the wrath of God or the anger of
the Almighty. In further discussion of these
questions, after the conclusion of the temple visit,
when his father became mildly insistent that he
acknowledge acceptance of the orthodox Jewish
beliefs, Jesus turned suddenly upon his parents and,
looking appealingly into the eyes of his father,
said: "My father, it cannot be true -- the Father in
heaven cannot so regard his erring children on
earth. The heavenly Father cannot love his children
less than you love me. And I well know, no matter
what unwise thing I might do, you would never pour
out wrath upon me nor vent anger against me. If you,
my earthly father, possess such human reflections of
the Divine, how much more must the heavenly Father
be filled with goodness and overflowing with mercy.
I refuse to believe that my Father in heaven loves
me less than my father on earth."
125:0.7
When Joseph and Mary heard these words of their
first-born son, they held their peace. And never
again did they seek to change his mind about the
love of God and the mercifulness of the Father in
heaven.
1. JESUS VIEWS THE TEMPLE
125:1.1
Everywhere Jesus went throughout the temple courts,
he was shocked and sickened by the spirit of
irreverence which he observed. He deemed the conduct
of the temple throngs to be inconsistent with their
presence in "his Father's house." But he received
the shock of his young life when his father escorted
him into the court of the gentiles with its noisy
jargon, loud talking and cursing, mingled
indiscriminately with the bleating of sheep and the
babble of noises which betrayed the presence of the
money-changers and the vendors of sacrificial
animals and sundry other commercial commodities.
125:1.2
But most of all was his sense of propriety outraged
by the sight of the frivolous courtesans parading
about within this precinct of the temple, just such
painted women as he had so recently seen when on a
visit to Sepphoris. This profanation of the temple
fully aroused all his youthful indignation, and he
did not hesitate to express himself freely to
Joseph.
125:1.3
Jesus admired the sentiment and service of the
temple, but he was shocked by the spiritual ugliness
which he beheld on the faces of so many of the
unthinking worshipers.
125:1.4
They now passed down to the priests' court beneath
the rock ledge in front of the temple, where the
altar stood, to observe the killing of the droves of
animals and the washing away of the blood from the
hands of the officiating slaughter priests at the
bronze fountain. The bloodstained pavement, the gory
hands of the priests, and the sounds of the dying
animals were more than this nature-loving lad could
stand. The terrible sight sickened this boy of
Nazareth; he clutched his father's arm and begged to
be taken away. They walked back through the court of
the gentiles, and even the coarse laughter and
profane jesting which he there heard were a relief
from the sights he had just beheld.
125:1.5
Joseph saw how his son had sickened at the sight of
the temple rites and wisely led him around to view
the "gate beautiful," the artistic gate made of
Corinthian bronze. But Jesus had had enough for his
first visit at the temple. They returned to the
upper court for Mary and walked about in the open
air and away from the crowds for an hour, viewing
the Asmonean palace, the stately home of Herod, and
the tower of the Roman guards. During this stroll
Joseph explained to Jesus that only the inhabitants
of Jerusalem were permitted to witness the daily
sacrifices in the temple, and that the dwellers in
Galilee came up only three times a year to
participate in the temple worship: at the Passover,
at the feast of Pentecost (seven weeks after
Passover), and at the feast of tabernacles in
October. These feasts were established by Moses.
They then discussed the two later established feasts
of the dedication and of Purim. Afterward they went
to their lodgings and made ready for the celebration
of the Passover.
2. JESUS AND THE PASSOVER
125:2.1
Five Nazareth families were guests of, or associates
with, the family of Simon of Bethany in the
celebration of the Passover, Simon having purchased
the paschal lamb for the company. It was the
slaughter of these lambs in such enormous numbers
that had so affected Jesus on his temple visit. It
had been the plan to eat the Passover with Mary's
relatives, but Jesus persuaded his parents to accept
the invitation to go to Bethany.
125:2.2
That night they assembled for the Passover rites,
eating the roasted flesh with unleavened bread and
bitter herbs. Jesus, being a new son of the
covenant, was asked to recount the origin of the
Passover, and this he well did, but he somewhat
disconcerted his parents by the inclusion of
numerous remarks mildly reflecting the impressions
made on his youthful but thoughtful mind by the
things which he had so recently seen and heard. This
was the beginning of the seven-day ceremonies of the
feast of the Passover.
125:2.3
Even at this early date, though he said nothing
about such matters to his parents, Jesus had begun
to turn over in his mind the propriety of
celebrating the Passover without the slaughtered
lamb. He felt assured in his own mind that the
Father in heaven was not pleased with this spectacle
of sacrificial offerings, and as the years passed,
he became increasingly determined someday to
establish the celebration of a bloodless Passover.
125:2.4
Jesus slept very little that night. His rest was
greatly disturbed by revolting dreams of slaughter
and suffering. His mind was distraught and his heart
torn by the inconsistencies and absurdities of the
theology of the whole Jewish ceremonial system. His
parents likewise slept little. They were greatly
disconcerted by the events of the day just ended.
They were completely upset in their own hearts by
the lad's, to them, strange and determined attitude.
Mary became nervously agitated during the fore part
of the night, but Joseph remained calm, though he
was equally puzzled. Both of them feared to talk
frankly with the lad about these problems, though
Jesus would gladly have talked with his parents if
they had dared to encourage him.
125:2.5
The next day's services at the temple were more
acceptable to Jesus and did much to relieve the
unpleasant memories of the previous day. The
following morning young Lazarus took Jesus in hand,
and they began a systematic exploration of Jerusalem
and its environs. Before the day was over, Jesus
discovered the various places about the temple where
teaching and question conferences were in progress;
and aside from a few visits to the holy of holies to
gaze in wonder as to what really was behind the veil
of separation, he spent most of his time about the
temple at these teaching conferences.
125:2.6
Throughout the Passover week, Jesus kept his place
among the new sons of the commandment, and this
meant that he must seat himself outside the rail
which segregated all persons who were not full
citizens of Israel. Being thus made conscious of his
youth, he refrained from asking the many questions
which surged back and forth in his mind; at least he
refrained until the Passover celebration had ended
and these restrictions on the newly consecrated
youths were lifted.
125:2.7
On Wednesday of the Passover week, Jesus was
permitted to go home with Lazarus to spend the night
at Bethany. This evening, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary
heard Jesus discuss things temporal and eternal,
human and divine, and from that night on they all
three loved him as if he had been their own brother.
125:2.8
By the end of the week, Jesus saw less of Lazarus
since he was not eligible for admission to even the
outer circle of the temple discussions, though he
attended some of the public talks delivered in the
outer courts. Lazarus was the same age as Jesus, but
in Jerusalem youths were seldom admitted to the
consecration of sons of the law until they were a
full thirteen years of age.
125:2.9
Again and again, during the Passover week, his
parents would find Jesus sitting off by himself with
his youthful head in his hands, profoundly thinking.
They had never seen him behave like this, and not
knowing how much he was confused in mind and
troubled in spirit by the experience through which
he was passing, they were sorely perplexed; they did
not know what to do. They welcomed the passing of
the days of the Passover week and longed to have
their strangely acting son safely back in Nazareth.
125:2.10
Day by day Jesus was thinking through his problems.
By the end of the week he had made many adjustments;
but when the time came to return to Nazareth, his
youthful mind was still swarming with perplexities
and beset by a host of unanswered questions and
unsolved problems.
125:2.11
Before Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem, in company
with Jesus' Nazareth teacher they made definite
arrangements for Jesus to return when he reached the
age of fifteen to begin his long course of study in
one of the best-known academies of the rabbis. Jesus
accompanied his parents and teacher on their visits
to the school, but they were all distressed to
observe how indifferent he seemed to all they said
and did. Mary was deeply pained at his reactions to
the Jerusalem visit, and Joseph was profoundly
perplexed at the lad's strange remarks and unusual
conduct.
125:2.12
After all, Passover week had been a great event in
Jesus' life. He had enjoyed the opportunity of
meeting scores of boys about his own age, fellow
candidates for the consecration, and he utilized
such contacts as a means of learning how people
lived in Mesopotamia, Turkestan, and Parthia, as
well as in the Far-Western provinces of Rome. He was
already fairly conversant with the way in which the
youth of Egypt and other regions near Palestine grew
up. There were thousands of young people in
Jerusalem at this time, and the Nazareth lad
personally met, and more or less extensively
interviewed, more than one hundred and fifty. He was
particularly interested in those who hailed from the
Far-Eastern and the remote Western countries. As a
result of these contacts the lad began to entertain
a desire to travel about the world for the purpose
of learning how the various groups of his fellow men
toiled for their livelihood.
3. DEPARTURE OF JOSEPH AND MARY
125:3.1
It had been arranged that the Nazareth party should
gather in the region of the temple at midforenoon on
the first day of the week after the Passover
festival had ended. This they did and started out on
the return journey to Nazareth. Jesus had gone into
the temple to listen to the discussions while his
parents awaited the assembly of their fellow
travelers. Presently the company prepared to depart,
the men going in one group and the women in another
as was their custom in journeying to and from the
Jerusalem festivals. Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem
in company with his mother and the women. Being now
a young man of the consecration, he was supposed to
journey back to Nazareth in company with his father
and the men. But as the Nazareth party moved on
toward Bethany, Jesus was completely absorbed in the
discussion of angels, in the temple, being wholly
unmindful of the passing of the time for the
departure of his parents. And he did not realize
that he had been left behind until the noontime
adjournment of the temple conferences.
125:3.2
The Nazareth travelers did not miss Jesus because
Mary surmised he journeyed with the men, while
Joseph thought he traveled with the women since he
had gone up to Jerusalem with the women, leading
Mary's donkey. They did not discover his absence
until they reached Jericho and prepared to tarry for
the night. After making inquiry of the last of the
party to reach Jericho and learning that none of
them had seen their son, they spent a sleepless
night, turning over in their minds what might have
happened to him, recounting many of his unusual
reactions to the events of Passover week, and mildly
chiding each other for not seeing to it that he was
in the group before they left Jerusalem.
4. FIRST AND SECOND DAYS IN THE TEMPLE
125:4.1
In the meantime, Jesus had remained in the temple
throughout the afternoon, listening to the
discussions and enjoying the more quiet and decorous
atmosphere, the great crowds of Passover week having
about disappeared. At the conclusion of the
afternoon discussions, in none of which Jesus
participated, he betook himself to Bethany, arriving
just as Simon's family made ready to partake of
their evening meal. The three youngsters were
overjoyed to greet Jesus, and he remained in Simon's
house for the night. He visited very little during
the evening, spending much of the time alone in the
garden meditating.
125:4.2
Early next day Jesus was up and on his way to the
temple. On the brow of Olivet he paused and wept
over the sight his eyes beheld -- a spiritually
impoverished people, tradition bound and living
under the surveillance of the Roman legions. Early
forenoon found him in the temple with his mind made
up to take part in the discussions. Meanwhile,
Joseph and Mary also had arisen with the early dawn
with the intention of retracing their steps to
Jerusalem. First, they hastened to the house of
their relatives, where they had lodged as a family
during the Passover week, but inquiry elicited the
fact that no one had seen Jesus. After searching all
day and finding no trace of him, they returned to
their relatives for the night.
125:4.3
At the second conference Jesus had made bold to ask
questions, and in a very amazing way he participated
in the temple discussions but always in a manner
consistent with his youth. Sometimes his pointed
questions were somewhat embarrassing to the learned
teachers of the Jewish law, but he evinced such a
spirit of candid fairness, coupled with an evident
hunger for knowledge, that the majority of the
temple teachers were disposed to treat him with
every consideration. But when he presumed to
question the justice of putting to death a drunken
gentile who had wandered outside the court of the
gentiles and unwittingly entered the forbidden and
reputedly sacred precincts of the temple, one of the
more intolerant teachers grew impatient with the
lad's implied criticisms and, glowering down upon
him, asked how old he was. Jesus replied, "thirteen
years lacking a trifle more than four months."
"Then," rejoined the now irate teacher, "why are you
here, since you are not of age as a son of the law?"
And when Jesus explained that he had received
consecration during the Passover, and that he was a
finished student of the Nazareth schools, the
teachers with one accord derisively replied, "We
might have known; he is from Nazareth." But the
leader insisted that Jesus was not to be blamed if
the rulers of the synagogue at Nazareth had
graduated him, technically, when he was twelve
instead of thirteen; and notwithstanding that
several of his detractors got up and left, it was
ruled that the lad might continue undisturbed as a
pupil of the temple discussions.
125:4.4
When this, his second day in the temple, was
finished, again he went to Bethany for the night.
And again he went out in the garden to meditate and
pray. It was apparent that his mind was concerned
with the contemplation of weighty problems.
5. THE THIRD DAY IN THE TEMPLE
125:5.1
Jesus' third day with the scribes and teachers in
the temple witnessed the gathering of many
spectators who, having heard of this youth from
Galilee, came to enjoy the experience of seeing a
lad confuse the wise men of the law. Simon also came
down from Bethany to see what the boy was up to.
Throughout this day Joseph and Mary continued their
anxious search for Jesus, even going several times
into the temple but never thinking to scrutinize the
several discussion groups, although they once came
almost within hearing distance of his fascinating
voice.
125:5.2
Before the day had ended, the entire attention of
the chief discussion group of the temple had become
focused upon the questions being asked by Jesus.
Among his many questions were:
125:5.3
1. What really exists in the holy of holies, behind
the veil?
125:5.4
2. Why should mothers in Israel be segregated from
the male temple worshipers?
125:5.5
3. If God is a father who loves his children, why
all this slaughter of animals to gain divine favor
-- has the teaching of Moses been misunderstood?
125:5.6
4. Since the temple is dedicated to the worship of
the Father in heaven, is it consistent to permit the
presence of those who engage in secular barter and
trade?
125:5.7
5. Is the expected Messiah to become a temporal
prince to sit on the throne of David, or is he to
function as the light of life in the establishment
of a spiritual kingdom?
125:5.8
And all the day through, those who listened marveled
at these questions, and none was more astonished
than Simon. For more than four hours this Nazareth
youth plied these Jewish teachers with
thought-provoking and heart-searching questions. He
made few comments on the remarks of his elders. He
conveyed his teaching by the questions he would ask.
By the deft and subtle phrasing of a question he
would at one and the same time challenge their
teaching and suggest his own. In the manner of his
asking a question there was an appealing combination
of sagacity and humor which endeared him even to
those who more or less resented his youthfulness. He
was always eminently fair and considerate in the
asking of these penetrating questions. On this
eventful afternoon in the temple he exhibited that
same reluctance to take unfair advantage of an
opponent which characterized his entire subsequent
public ministry. As a youth, and later on as a man,
he seemed to be utterly free from all egoistic
desire to win an argument merely to experience
logical triumph over his fellows, being interested
supremely in just one thing: to proclaim everlasting
truth and thus effect a fuller revelation of the
eternal God.
125:5.9
When the day was over, Simon and Jesus wended their
way back to Bethany. For most of the distance both
the man and the boy were silent. Again Jesus paused
on the brow of Olivet, but as he viewed the city and
its temple, he did not weep; he only bowed his head
in silent devotion.
125:5.10
After the evening meal at Bethany he again declined
to join the merry circle but instead went to the
garden, where he lingered long into the night,
vainly endeavoring to think out some definite plan
of approach to the problem of his lifework and to
decide how best he might labor to reveal to his
spiritually blinded countrymen a more beautiful
concept of the heavenly Father and so set them free
from their terrible bondage to law, ritual,
ceremonial, and musty tradition. But the clear light
did not come to the truth-seeking lad.
6. THE FOURTH DAY IN THE TEMPLE
125:6.1
Jesus was strangely unmindful of his earthly
parents; even at breakfast, when Lazarus's mother
remarked that his parents must be about home by that
time, Jesus did not seem to comprehend that they
would be somewhat worried about his having lingered
behind.
125:6.2
Again he journeyed to the temple, but he did not
pause to meditate at the brow of Olivet. In the
course of the morning's discussions much time was
devoted to the law and the prophets, and the
teachers were astonished that Jesus was so familiar
with the Scriptures, in Hebrew as well as Greek. But
they were amazed not so much by his knowledge of
truth as by his youth.
125:6.3
At the afternoon conference they had hardly begun to
answer his question relating to the purpose of
prayer when the leader invited the lad to come
forward and, sitting beside him, bade him state his
own views regarding prayer and worship.
125:6.4
The evening before, Jesus' parents had heard about
this strange youth who so deftly sparred with the
expounders of the law, but it had not occurred to
them that this lad was their son. They had about
decided to journey out to the home of Zacharias as
they thought Jesus might have gone thither to see
Elizabeth and John. Thinking Zacharias might perhaps
be at the temple, they stopped there on their way to
the City of Judah. As they strolled through the
courts of the temple, imagine their surprise and
amazement when they recognized the voice of the
missing lad and beheld him seated among the temple
teachers.
125:6.5
Joseph was speechless, but Mary gave vent to her
long-pent-up fear and anxiety when, rushing up to
the lad, now standing to greet his astonished
parents, she said: "My child, why have you treated
us like this? It is now more than three days that
your father and I have searched for you sorrowing.
Whatever possessed you to desert us?" It was a tense
moment. All eyes were turned on Jesus to hear what
he would say. His father looked reprovingly at him
but said nothing.
125:6.6
It should be remembered that Jesus was supposed to
be a young man. He had finished the regular
schooling of a child, had been recognized as a son
of the law, and had received consecration as a
citizen of Israel. And yet his mother more than
mildly upbraided him before all the people
assembled, right in the midst of the most serious
and sublime effort of his young life, thus bringing
to an inglorious termination one of the greatest
opportunities ever to be granted him to function as
a teacher of truth, a preacher of righteousness, a
revealer of the loving character of his Father in
heaven.
125:6.7
But the lad was equal to the occasion. When you take
into fair consideration all the factors which
combined to make up this situation, you will be
better prepared to fathom the wisdom of the boy's
reply to his mother's unintended rebuke. After a
moment's thought, Jesus answered his mother, saying:
"Why is it that you have so long sought me? Would
you not expect to find me in my Father's house since
the time has come when I should be about my Father's
business?"
125:6.8
Everyone was astonished at the lad's manner of
speaking. Silently they all withdrew and left him
standing alone with his parents. Presently the young
man relieved the embarrassment of all three when he
quietly said: "Come, my parents, none has done aught
but that which he thought best. Our Father in heaven
has ordained these things; let us depart for home."
125:6.9
In silence they started out, arriving at Jericho for
the night. Only once did they pause, and that on the
brow of Olivet, when the lad raised his staff aloft
and, quivering from head to foot under the surging
of intense emotion, said: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
and the people thereof, what slaves you are --
subservient to the Roman yoke and victims of your
own traditions -- but I will return to cleanse
yonder temple and deliver my people from this
bondage!"
125:6.10
On the three days' journey to Nazareth Jesus said
little; neither did his parents say much in his
presence. They were truly at a loss to understand
the conduct of their first-born son, but they did
treasure in their hearts his sayings, even though
they could not fully comprehend their meanings.
125:6.11
Upon reaching home, Jesus made a brief statement to
his parents, assuring them of his affection and
implying that they need not fear he would again give
any occasion for their suffering anxiety because of
his conduct. He concluded this momentous statement
by saying: "While I must do the will of my Father in
heaven, I will also be obedient to my father on
earth. I will await my hour."
125:6.12
Though Jesus, in his mind, would many times refuse
to consent
to the well-intentioned but misguided efforts of his
parents to dictate the course of his thinking or to
establish the plan of his work on earth, still, in
every manner consistent with his dedication to the
doing of his Paradise Father's will, he did most
gracefully
conform to the desires of his earthly father and
to the usages of his family in the flesh. Even when
he could not consent, he would do everything
possible to conform. He was an artist in the
matter of adjusting his dedication to duty to his
obligations of family loyalty and social service.
125:6.13
Joseph was puzzled, but Mary, as she reflected on
these experiences, gained comfort, eventually
viewing his utterance on Olivet as prophetic of the
Messianic mission of her son as Israel's deliverer.
She set to work with renewed energy to mold his
thoughts into patriotic and nationalistic channels
and enlisted the efforts of her brother, Jesus'
favorite uncle; and in every other way did the
mother of Jesus address herself to the task of
preparing her first-born son to assume the
leadership of those who would restore the throne of
David and forever cast off the gentile yoke of
political bondage.
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