From: Over 50 Interpreters Explain the Gospel of
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Roland H. Worth, Jr. © 2015
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CHAPTER
TWO:
Verses
25-52
Books utilized codes at end of chapter
WEB: Behold,
there was a man in
Young’s: And lo, there was a man in Jerusalem,
whose name is Simeon, and this man is righteous and devout, looking for the
comforting of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him,
Conte (RC): And behold, there
was a man in
whose name was Simeon.
Many have attempted to identify the Simeon of the text: (1) with Rabban
Simeon, the son of Hillel and the father of Gamaliel, who was president of the Sanhedrin, 13 A.D.; (2)
with an aged Essene, who was living after the death
of Herod, and who rebuked Archelaus for marrying his
brother's widow. The name, however, was
a very common one, and all that we really know of this Simeon is told us in
this chapter. [6]
Who this Simeon was
("the first prophet who said that Christ had come," Bengel) is utterly unknown.
The supposition that he was son of Hillel and
father of Gamaliel (Michaelis,
Paulus, and older commentators), who became president
of the Sanhedrin in A. D. 13, does not agree with verses 26, 29, where he
appears as an aged man. [23]
Also: This
cannot be Rabban Shimeon
the son of Hillel (whom the Talmud is on this account
supposed to pass over almost unnoticed), because he would hardly have been
spoken of so slightly as anthropos, “a
person.” The Apocryphal Gospels call him
“the great Teacher” (James 26; Nidodemus
16.) [56]
Although age is a natural assumption from these verses that of extreme
age may not be intended [rw]: Christian legend says that he had stumbled at
Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive,” and had received a divine
intimation that he should not die till he had seen it fulfilled (Nicephorus, A.D. 1450).
The notion of his extreme age is not derived from Scripture but from the
“Gospel of the Nativity of Mary,” which says that he was 113. [56]
and the same man was just. In dealings toward men. [14]
Known
as a righteous and careful observer of the law of God. [4]
and devout. Towards God. [14]
waiting for the consolation of
There was a general
feeling among the more earnest Jews at this time that the advent of Messiah
would not be long delayed. Joseph of Arimathaea is especially mentioned as one who "waited
for the
and the Holy Ghost was upon him. He was favored with prophetic visions; was
divinely inspired, and venerable as a witness.
[4]
WEB: It had
been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he
had seen the Lord's Christ.
Young’s: and it hath been divinely told him by the
Holy Spirit -- not to see death before he may see the Christ of the Lord.
Conte (RC): And he had received
an answer from the Holy Spirit: that he would not see his own death before he
had seen the Christ of the Lord.
that he should not see death, before he had seen
the Lord’s Christ. The idea of the aged
Simeon comes from a notice in the apocryphal "Gospel of the
Nativity," which speaks of him as a hundred and thirteen years old. These legendary "Gospels" are
totally devoid of all authority; here and there possibly a true
"memory" not preserved in any of the "four" may exist, but
in general they are extravagant and improbable.
The Arabic "Gospel of the Infancy" here speaks of Simeon seeing
the Babe shining like a pillar of light in his mother's arms. There is an old and striking legend which
speaks of this devout Jew being long puzzled and disturbed by the Messianic
prophecy (Isa. vii. 14), "A virgin shall
conceive;" at
length he received a supernatural intimation that he should not see death until
he had seen the fulfillment of the strange prophecy, the meaning of which he
had so long failed to see. [18]
WEB: He came
in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of
the law,
Young’s: And he came in the Spirit to the temple,
and in the parents bringing in the child Jesus, for their doing according to
the custom of the law regarding him,
Conte (RC): And he went with the
Spirit to the temple. And when the child Jesus was brought in by his parents,
in order to act on his behalf according to the custom of the law,
into the temple.
Into that part of the temple where the public worship was chiefly
performed--into the court of the women. [11]
And when the parents. This was evidently the usual expression
which the
brought in the child Jesus. It
was one of the commonest occurrences in the
The Arabic Gospel of the
Infancy (vi.) says that he saw Him shining like a pillar of light in His mother’s
arms, which is probably derived from verse 32.
[56]
to do for Him after the custom of the law. That is to make an offering for purification
and to present him to God. [11]
WEB: then he
received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Young’s: then he took him in his arms, and blessed
God, and he said,
Conte (RC): he also took him up,
into his arms, and he blessed God and said:
and blessed God, and said.
Thanked or praised God. [11]
WEB: "Now
you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;
Young’s: 'Now Thou dost send away Thy servant,
Lord, according to Thy word, in peace,
Conte (RC): "Now you may
dismiss your servant in peace, O Lord, according to your word.
lettest thou thy servant depart. Die. [11]
in peace. On leaving a dying person the Jews said, “Go in peace,”
Genesis 15:15. Otherwise they
said, “Go to peace” as Jethro did to
Moses. [56]
according to Thy word. The promise made by revelation. To many it might have appeared improbable
when such a promise was made to an old man, that it should be fulfilled. But God fulfills all His word; keeps all His
promises, and never disappoints those who trust in Him. [11]
Weymouth: Because mine
eyes have seen Thy salvation,
WEB: for my
eyes have seen your salvation,
Young’s: because mine eyes did see Thy salvation,
Conte (RC): For my eyes have
seen your salvation,
Him who is to procure
salvation for His people. [11]
As
the result, he can die in peace, having personally seen the fulfillment of his
dreams and hopes (verse 29). [rw]
WEB: which you
have prepared before the face of all peoples;
Young’s: which Thou didst prepare before the face
of all the peoples,
Conte (RC): which you have
prepared before the face of all peoples:
of all people. The noun is plural, the peoples, and
refers equally to the Gentiles. [2]
Jesus Christ is offered
to all, but received by few. [27]
WEB: a light
for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people
Young’s: a light to the uncovering of nations, and
the glory of Thy people
Conte (RC): the light of
revelation to the nations and the glory of your people
In
allusion to such prophecies as Isaiah lx. he
hails the Messiah, who was now arising as the Sun of Righteousness with healing
in His wings. Mal. iv.
2. Ignorance of the will of God is to
the soul as darkness to the body. Is. vi. 10. The world was lying in ignorance, sin, and in spiritual
darkness. Is. ix. 2.
[4]
and the glory of thy people
Christ is the glory of
the true
Weymouth: And while the child's father and mother were wondering at
the words of Symeon concerning Him,
WEB: Joseph
and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him,
Young’s: And Joseph and his mother were wondering
at the things spoken concerning him,
Conte (RC): And his father and
mother were wondering over these things, which were spoken about him.
WEB: and
Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, "Behold, this child is
set for the falling and the rising of many in
Young’s: and Simeon blessed them, and said unto
Mary his mother, 'Lo, this one is set for the falling and rising again of many
in Israel, and for a sign spoken against --
Conte (RC): And Simeon blessed
them, and he said to his mother Mary: "Behold, this one has been set for
the ruin and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and as a sign which will
be contradicted.
and said unto
Mary his mother. With a prophetic foresight
of her future experiences. [52]
Behold, this child is
set. Is appointed or constituted for that, or such
will be the effect of His coming. [11]
for the fall and rising again of many. For the fall,
because He will be a stumbling-block to many (Isa.
viii. 14; Matt. xxi. 42, 44; Acts iv. 11; Rom. ix. 33; 1 Cor.
i.23). For the rising,
because many will be raised up through Him to life and glory (Rom. vi. 4, 9;
Eph. ii. 6). The A.V. predicates
the falling and the rising of the same persons:
"the fall and rising again of many." The Rev., "the falling and rising up of
many," is ambiguous. [2]
Or:
The word "again" is not expressed in the Greek. It seems to suppose, in our translation, that
the same persons would fall and rise again. But this is not its meaning. It denotes that many would be ruined by His
coming; and many others be made happy or be saved. [11]
Not necessarily of those
who fall, but the rising up of many who are prostrate, to worship and follow
Him. The word again has the
meaning here of rising up. Some of the
hearers of Christ would refuse to obey Him through unbelief, and should fall
into ruin. Others would hear and believe
and rise up from the darkness or torpidity, in which they had before been, and
follow Him gladly to the salvation of their souls. [4]
in
and for a sign
which shall be spoken against. For nearly three centuries, of course with
varying intensity, the name of Jesus of
“As
concerning this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against,” Acts
28:22. Jesus was called “this deceiver,”
“a Samaritan,” “a demoniac.” To this day
[c. 1900] Nuzrani, “Christian,” is—after
“Jew”—the most stinging term of reproach throughout
In depth: How could Simeon, a mere mortal, in
propriety, “bless” Jesus—or did he [19]? If
you confine this to Joseph and Mary, there will be no difficulty. But, as Luke appears to include Christ at the
some time, it might be asked, What right had Simeon to
take upon him the office of blessing Christ?
"Without all contradiction," says Paul, "the less is
blessed of the greater," (Heb. vii. 7.) Besides, it has the appearance of absurdity,
that any mortal man should offer prayers in behalf of the Son of God.
I answer: The Apostle does not speak there of every
kind of blessing, but only of the priestly blessing: for, in other respects, it is highly proper
in men to pray for each other. Now, it
is more probable that Simeon blessed them, as a private man and as one
of the people, than that he did so in a public character: for, as we have already said, we nowhere read
that he was a priest. But there would be
no absurdity in saying, that he prayed for the
prosperity and advancement of Christ's kingdom:
for in the book of Psalms the Spirit prescribes such a blessing
of this nature to all the godly.
"Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; we have blessed
you in the name of the Lord" (Ps. cxviii. 26).
[or: 18]
It is noticeable that, while Simeon blesses Mary and Joseph, he
refrains from blessing the Child, of whom, however, he pointedly speaks. It was not for one like Simeon to speak words
of blessing over "the Son of the Highest." The words which follow are expressly stated
to have been addressed only to Mary.
Simeon knew that she was related--but not Joseph--to the Babe in his
arms; he saw, too, that her heart, not Joseph's, would be pierced with
the sword of many sorrows for that Child's sake. [18]
WEB: Yes, a
sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may
be revealed."
Young’s: (and also thine
own soul shall a sword pass through) -- that the reasonings
of many hearts may be revealed.'
Conte (RC): And a sword will pass
through your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be
revealed."
Only
occurs elsewhere in the New Testament in Revelation
Some would infer from
these words, that the Virgin suffered martyrdom by the sword. They probably refer only to the grief which
she was to feel at the death of Jesus.
It pierced her soul as a sword, rending it as none but a mother's
imagination can conceive. [4]
The childhood in the
Nazareth home, and the early manhood in the Nazareth carpentry, were no doubt
her happiest days, though, in those quiet years, expectation, fears, dread,
curiously interwoven, must have ever torn that mother's heart. The days of the public ministry for Mary must
have been sad, and her heart full of anxious forebodings, as she watched the
growing jealousies, the hatred, and the unbelief on the part of the leading men
of her people. Then came
the cross. We know she stood by it all
the while. And, after
the cross and the Resurrection, silence.
Verily the words of Simeon were awfully fulfilled. [18]
shall pierce through
thy own soul also). Although
it will be her son who will have His flesh pierced by the beating, the thorns,
and the crucifixion, it will “also” be driving a sword through her heart as
well. Not all wounds are physical and,
in some ways, the most severe can be those inflicted on the human psyche. [rw]
that the thoughts.
These words seem to belong to the preceding verse, though not
necessarily. For the sword piercing
Mary's heart is the climax of the foregoing words, alluding to the Crucifixion. That event must occur, and her heart must be
grieved, before the thoughts of other hearts would be revealed. Jesus was to be crucified in order to fulfill
His great work. Then the cross would
bring out the secret thoughts and intentions of all men. [4]
Rather,
“reasonings.”
The word dialogismoi generally has a
bad sense as in 5:22; Matthew 15:19; Romans 1:21. By way of comment see the reasonings
of the Jews in John 9:16; 1 Corinthians 11:19; 1 John 2:19. [56]
of many hearts
may be revealed. In the
betrayal of Jesus through suborning an apostle, through the willingness to
abuse their position to ram through a religious court conviction and then one
before the secular podium of Herod—who really wanted no part in the affair—the
intents of “many hearts” were revealed in all their naked savagery and
hate. All the pious rhetoric was
stripped bare and what was left was a very visible exposure of their true
nature. [rw]
WEB: There was
one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of
the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven
years from her virginity,
Young’s: And there was Anna, a prophetess,
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, she was
much advanced in days, having lived with an husband seven years from her
virginity,
Conte (RC): And there was a
prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, from the
tribe of Asher. She was very advanced in years, and she had lived with her
husband for seven years from her virginity.
Such an appellation must
have been caused by some earlier and frequent utterances, dictated by the
Spirit of prophecy. [9]
the daughter of Phanuel. The particularity with which her parentage
and lineage is given shows that she was a person whose family as well as
personal history was well known to the public.
[9]
of the tribe
of Asher. This tribe was located in the northwestern
part of
That tribe was
celebrated in tradition for the beauty of its women, and their fitness to be
wedded to high-priests or kings. [2]
Her native province stretched its whole
eastern side along the margin of the
It is true that at this
period the ten tribes had been long lost, the "Jews" being made up of
the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; but yet certain families preserved their
genealogies, tracing their descent to one or other of the lost divisions of the
people. Thus Anna belonged to
Asher. [18]
Thus
Tobit was of the tribe of Naphthali
(Tobit 1:1).
Compare “our twelve tribes,” Acts 16:7; James 1:1. [56]
she was of a great
age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity. A very short span compared with how many
years she had lived after his death (verse 37).
WEB: and she
had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn't depart from the
temple, worshipping with fastings and petitions night
and day.
Young’s: and she is a widow of about eighty-four
years, who did depart not from the temple, with fasts and supplications
serving, night and day,
Conte (RC): And then she was a
widow, even to her eighty-fourth year. And without departing from the temple,
she was a servant to fasting and prayer, night and day.
which departed not
from the temple. Was there whenever it was
open to worshippers. [52]
Or:
Probably, in virtue of her reputation as a prophetess, some small
chamber in the temple was assigned to her.
This seems to have been the case with Huldah
(2 Chron. xxxiv. 22).
It has also been suggested that she lovingly performed some work in or
about the sacred building. Farrar
suggests such as trimming the lamps (as is the rabbinic notion about Deborah),
derived from the word lapidoth, splendour. Such
sacred functions were regarded among all nations as a high honour. The great city of
An ancient symbolic application of the principle: You waste the whole
day in the concerns of the body;
and you cannot spare two short hours for the care of your soul. You frequent the theatre,
and never leave it, till the close, when it is
said, Valete et plaudite; and yet you depart from the
Church, before the celebration of the Divine mysteries. S. Mark
xiv. 37.—8. Chrysostom. [36]
but served God
with fastings and prayers. Constant religious service. Spending her time in prayer
and in all the ordinances of religion.
[11]
fastings. The Law of
Moses had only appointed one yearly fast, on the Great Day of Atonement. But the Pharisees had adopted the practice of
“fasting twice in the week,” viz. on Monday and Thursday, when Moses is
supposed to have ascended, and descended from, Sinai, and had otherwise
multiplied and extended the simple original injunction (verse 33). [56]
night and day. Continually, i.e.,
at the usual times of public worship and in private. [11]
There were times when
she would leave the sacred hill, but she was there so constantly that it may be
said she lived in it during that long period.
[4]
“Night”
is put first by the ordinary Hebrew idiom which arose from their notion that
“God made the world in six days and seven nights.” Compare Acts 26:7, “unto which promise our
twelve tribes, instantly serving God night and day, hope to come.’ 1 Timothy 5:5, “She
that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in
God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night
and day.” [56]
Weymouth: And coming up
just at that moment, she gave thanks to God, and spoke about the child to all
who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem.
WEB: Coming up
at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those
who were looking for redemption in
Young’s: and she, at that hour, having come in,
was confessing, likewise, to the Lord, and was speaking concerning him, to all
those looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
Conte (RC): And entering at the
same hour, she confessed to the Lord. And she spoke about him to all who were
awaiting the redemption of
gave thanks unto the Lord. When
one’s dreams are finally realized, what more appropriate thing to do than give
thanks? [rw]
and spake of Him to all them. We gain a glimpse of the saints, who were at
that time looking for a Redeemer. We are
apt to believe that the Jews were altogether wicked. Many were waiting and ready to confess the
Messiah, and though slowly yet surely did believe on Him. Mal. iii. 16. [4]
spake. The tense of
the verb translated “spake” indicates continued
action—was speaking—doubtless to one after another, or to group after
group, as she had opportunity to do so, as devout persons came into the temple
courts—persons whom she knew to be waiting for the redemption of
Jerusalem. -- A.H.
[52]
that looked for redemption in
in
WEB: When they
had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they
returned into
Young’s: And when they finished all things,
according to the Law of the Lord, they turned back to Galilee, to their city
Conte (RC): And after they had
performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to
they returned into
Had the visit of the
Magi, and the flight to
In depth: Typical
family life in a lower class Jewish home such as that in which Jesus lived
before and after the return from Egypt [55]. It was into
a Jewish home of the humbler sort that Jesus was born. Industry must have excluded bitter poverty,
but the home of Joseph, the village carpenter, was not one of elegance or
wealth.
Family
life begins with marriage; but among the Jews betrothal was a matter of as much
seriousness and solemnity as marriage itself.
Even the property of the bride belonged to the husband from the time of
the betrothal, and they could be separated only by divorce, precisely as after
marriage. The marriage was a festal
occasion and included the removal of the bride to her husband’s house.
The
house in which the new family took up its abode would depend on the wealth of
the husband, but among the humbler classes consisted of one or two square rooms
on the ground floor, with a roof of straw and mud laid upon timbers or
boughs. A flight of steps outside the
house frequently led to the roof.
The furniture was of the
simplest kind. Bedsteads were scarcely
used at all; couches were found only in the houses of the wealthy. Sometimes there was a ledge on the side of
the room, and on this, or on mats woven of palm leaves and laid upon the clay
floor, the family slept, wrapped in their cloaks.
Pictures and statuary,
being forbidden by the law (Exodus 20:4), would not be seen in a Jewish house
at all. Books were rare and confined
almost wholly to copies of the Scriptures.
The position of the wife
and mother was an honorable one. Perhaps
the saddest blot upon the family customs was the laxity of their divorce
customs, which permitted the husband to divorce his wife at will. Yet even in this there was a tendency toward
a stricter practice in the teachings of one school of the scribes; and with
this tendency the teaching of Jesus agreed, though striking at the root of the
matter as neither school had done.
The love of children was
always singularly strong among the Jews, and this both
on the side of the father and of the mother.
Law, narrative, and poetry all alike bear witness to this fact. See Leviticus 26:9; 1 Samuel 1; Psalms 127:3;
etc. Destruction of children, by
exposure or otherwise, so terribly common among the Gentiles, was almost or
wholly unknown among the Jews. As among
the ancients and orientals
generally, a boy was more highly esteemed than a girl, yet the depreciation of
the daughter was only relative; both sons and daughters were desired and
welcomed. In ancient times the boy was
named at his birth, and sometimes at least, by his mother (Genesis 29:32 and
chapter 30), but in later times on the occasion of his circumcision (Luke
The law enjoined upon
the parents the duty of instructing their children both in the history and in
the religion of their nation—two things which were to the Jew almost
inseparable (Deuteronomy 4:9; 6:7, 20;
The care of
the children fell in most cases directly upon the mother; nurses and other
servants were found only in the wealthier families. Manual labor was never despised by a true
Hebrew. Even the boy who was destined to
be a scribe learned a trade. It was no
reproach to Jesus that He was a carpenter.
It was in such
a home, humble, pious, and, we may believe, happy, that Jesus lived with his
brothers and sisters during the thirty years of His childhood and youth.
Weymouth: And the child grew and became strong and full of wisdom, and
the favour of God rested upon Him.
WEB: The child
was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and
the grace of God was upon him.
Young’s: and the child grew and was strengthened
in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was
upon him.
Conte (RC): Now the child grew,
and he was strengthened with the fullness of wisdom. And the grace of God was
in him.
and waxed strong in spirit. Many
manuscripts lack this; if included the idea would likely be grew in confidence
in the inner being, caused, in large part, surely by His becoming “filled with
wisdom,” which is mentioned next. Confidence
grows when there is the insight and knowledge necessary to deal with what is
happening. [rw]
filled with wisdom. More exactly, becoming filled. [52]
See verse 52,
where it is plain, that having a human mind, as man, He advanced in knowledge
and in natural powers. Here it is
declared that He was remarkable for wisdom in His childhood. [8]
The growth of
our Lord is here described as a natural human growth. The nature of the “Hypostatic
and the grace of
God was upon Him. He enjoyed the fruits of God in all His
experience. It is the necessary result
of the just before stated. [52]
Isaiah 11:2, 3. “Full of grace and truth,” John
In depth: Possible
childhood experiences of Jesus reflected in the parables [29]. The influence of a home is marked on every
man's life. Though Jesus is not recorded
as speaking of His home, yet there is no doubt that He learned much there that
He embodies later in the parables. Are
these not definite reminiscences of Mary's thriftiness--the salt that had lost
its savor, the little leaven that made the loaf rise, the old garment that had
not outlived the new patch, the woman sweeping the house to find the lost
coin? Read how Jesus draws on home
scenes for His parables:
The
salt. Matthew 5:13
The
bread. Matthew 13:33.
The
patched garment. Matthew o:16.
The
lost coin. Luke 15:8.
Perhaps we see Joseph in
the story of the householder who calls out to some neighbor, come by night to
borrow of him, that the children are in bed and he cannot come down; or
perhaps, too, Joseph is seen in the parable of the father who would give his
children the best gifts.
The
householder seeking assistance.
Luke 11:5-8.
The
father's gifts. Matthew 7:9-11.
Occasionally with a
sense of humor Jesus recalls to the worldly minded Pharisees the simple things
of home, comparing their haughty spirits to a cup or a platter poorly washed
(Luke 11:37-39), it being considered irreligious to use a cup not ceremonially
washed for the occasion.
WEB: His
parents went every year to
Young’s: And his parents were going yearly to
Jerusalem, at the feast of the passover,
Conte (RC): And his parents went
every year to
went to
every year.
They made a yearly pilgrimage. [6]
at the feast
of the Passover. Exodus 23:15-17; Deuteronomy 16:1-16. The custom of going up three times a
year seems long to have fallen into abeyance with most Jews. 1 Samuel 1:21, “the yearly
sacrifice.” [56]
In depth: Milestones in the spiritual growth of a
typical Jewish boy [6]. At three a Jewish
boy began to wear the fringed garment (Numbers
"On his son's thirteenth
birthday his father may say, Blessed be He who has
made me free from the burden of my son's sins." On this day the father brought the boy to the
synagogue on the "Sabbath of Phylacteries," and presented him with
phylacteries, which the son thenceforth wore at the recital of his daily
prayer. The boy then became a visible
member of the Jewish Church, and was called "a son of the law."
And [56]: Up to this age a Jewish boy was called “little,” afterwards he was called
“grown up,” and became a “Son of the Law,” or “Son of the Precepts.” At this age he was presented on the Sabbath
called the “Sabbath of Phylacteries” in the Synagogue, and began to wear the
phylacteries with which his father presented him. According to the Jews twelve was the age at
which Moses left the house of Pharaoh’s daughter, and Samuel was called, and
Solomon gave his judgment, and Josiah carried out his reform. (Josephus, Antiquities, ii.
9.6, v. 10.4.)
In depth: The yearly
Jewish feasts and when held [55]. Besides New Year’s day, the cycle of Jewish feasts in Jesus’ day
included the following each year:
1. The Feast of the Passover and
Unleavened Bread, first month (Nisan, March-April), 14th to 21st
days.
2. The Feast of Acra,
on the 23rd day of the second month.
3. The Feast of Pentecost, fifty days
after Passover, about the 6th day of the third month.
4. The Feast of Woodcarrying,
on the 15th day of the fifth month.
5. The Feast of Tabernacles, from the 15th
to the 22nd of the seventh month, the last day of it constituting the
Feast of Waterdrawing.
6. The Feast of Dedication, lasting eight
days and beginning on the 25th day of the eighth month
(November-December).
7. The Feast of Purim, on the 14th
day of the twelfth month.
Of these feasts,
Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles were celebrated in
Weymouth: And when He was twelve years old they went up as was
customary at the time of the Feast, and,
WEB: When he
was twelve years old, they went up to
Young’s: and when he became twelve years old, they
having gone up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast,
Conte (RC): And when he had
become twelve years old, they ascended to
No single word breaks
the silence of the Gospels respecting the childhood of Jesus from the return to
they. The entire family. It
is hard to imagine the other children being left behind since they were all
younger than Jesus’ 12 years of age.
This passage—through the plural “they” and the explicit mention of
Joseph in verse 43—tells us that Joseph lived at least this long into the
youth’s maturation process. [rw]
went up to
after the custom of the feast. According to the usual manner of the feast. The way in which it was
properly observed. [11]
Or, in particular: After the custom of the Jews of going to
In depth: What we can
infer about Jesus’ childhood period prior to this [56]. This silence of the Evangelists is a proof of
their simple faithfulness, and is in striking contrast with the blaze of
foolish and dishonouring miracles with which the
Apocryphal Gospels degrade the Divine Boyhood.
Meanwhile we are permitted to see
(i)
That our Lord never attended the schools of the Rabbis (Mark 6:2; John
(ii) That He had learnt to write (John 8:6).
(iii) That He was acquainted not only with Aramaic,
but with Hebrew, Greek, and perhaps Latin; and
(iv) That He had been
deeply impressed by the lessons of nature [as reflected in certain of His
teachings and parables].
Weymouth: after staying
the full number of days, when they started back home the boy Jesus remained
behind in
WEB: and when
they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed
behind in
Young’s: and having finished the days, in their
returning the child Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his
mother did not know,
Conte (RC): And having completed
the days, when they returned, the boy Jesus remained in
This was not absolutely
incumbent; some went home after the first two days, but such people as Joseph
and Mary would do their duty thoroughly.
[12]
Now, a boy in the East,
twelve years old, is usually far more advanced than is ever the case in our
Northern nations, where development is much slower. We may well suppose that the Boy was left
much to Himself during these days of the feast.
It requires no stress of imagination to picture him absorbed in the
temple and all that was to be seen and learned there. [18]
as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in
and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. The fact is
very interesting as shewing the naturalness and
unconstraint in which our Lord was trained.
[56]
We are left
uncertain whether it was unawares to the boy [himself] that they
departed without Him. Nor does anything
indicate whether this was His first visit to
WEB: but
supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's journey, and they looked
for him among their relatives and acquaintances.
Young’s: and, having supposed him to be in the
company, they went a day's journey, and were seeking him among the kindred and
among the acquaintances,
Conte (RC): But, supposing that
he was in the company, they went a day's journey, seeking him among their
relatives and acquaintances.
Scores, if not hundreds of families journeying slowly from and to
the holy city. In order to rest
during the heat of noontide, it was their custom to start before light in the
morning. To get all together on the
road, and to settle arrangements for the night’s encampment, might occupy a
considerable part of one day. [52]
In the numerous and
rejoicing caravans of kinsmen and fellow-countrymen relations are often
separated without feeling any anxiety. [56]
went a day's journey. This
is sometimes put for a distance of twenty or thirty miles, but here it means
that they traveled a day, according as the caravan might move, more or less
rapidly. [8]
This day’s journey would be but a
few miles, perhaps not more than six or eight.
[52]
and they sought him. At
the day's close, when they would naturally collect in families for the night,
they looked for Him, but in vain. So [in
the mid-nineteenth century] we saw the trains of pilgrims to the feast at
The
Greek is nearly like our “tried to hunt him up.” [52]
The
word implies anxious and careful search. [56]
Up to now His non-presence would have been dismissed as
just another case of what could happen easily enough in any large caravan of
travelers. At this point,
however, it would start to become a matter of concern. [rw]
among their kinsfolk. Relatives. [11]
and acquaintance. Neighbors who had gone up
with them in the same company to
WEB: When they
didn't find him, they returned to
Young’s: and not having found him, they turned
back to
Conte (RC): And not finding him,
they returned to
seeking Him. Some make this clause simply mean “to seek
Him there;” but it may suppose a search on the way back, as well as after they
arrived. The next morning they would
begin their scrutiny of the city. From
the question of Jesus (verse 49), we may, perhaps, infer that they did not go
directly to the temple; but in the course of the day they reached the
place. [52] However
see verse 46 on this also. [rw]
Weymouth: On the third day they found Him in the Temple sitting among
the Rabbis, both listening to them and asking them questions,
WEB: It
happened after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of
the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them
questions.
Young’s: And it came to pass, after three days,
they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both
hearing them and questioning them,
Conte (RC): And it happened
that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of
the doctors, listening to them and questioning them.
they found Him
in the temple. Two words in the original are rendered
temple; one meaning the actual Tabernacle, containing only the Holy Place and
the Holy of Holies, the other including all the courts. The latter is here used, as only the priests
could enter the former. [4]
Inside a temple synagogue: Three rooms in the
Probably in
one of the numerous chambers which ran round the Court, and abutted on the
actual building. [56]
In the temple
enclosure, says the Talmud, there were three synagogues--one at the gate of the
court of the Gentiles, another at the entrance of the court of the Israelites,
a third in the south-east part of the inner court: it was in these that the rabbis expounded the
Law. Among the famous doctors, or
rabbis, then living and teaching in Jerusalem, were the famous Hillel, then very aged, verging, we are told, on his
hundredth year; his almost equally illustrious rival, Shammai;
Gamaliel, the master of Saul of Tarsus; Jonathan, the
compiler of the Chaldee Paraphrase of the sacred
books; Simeon, the son and successor of Hillel;
Nicodemus, who, some years afterwards, came to Jesus by night, and, when the
end was come, reverently assisted in laying the King's Son with all honour in his tomb in Joseph of Arimathaea's
garden. [18]
sitting in the midst of the doctors
[teachers, NKJV]. Not occupying a teacher's place, but sitting
in the circle among the doctors and their hearers. [2]
The narrative in no way attributes to Him
the part of a doctor [of the Law]. In
order to find support for this sense, some critics have alleged the detail
"seated in the midst of the doctors."
The disciples, it is said, listened around. Paul's expression "seated at the feet of
Gamaliel" (Acts 22:3), would be sufficient to
prove the contrary. [13]
Both hearing them and asking them questions. As the Rabbinical method of teaching was by
questions--by proposing, for example, a problem taken from the Law--both master
and disciples had an opportunity
of showing their [insight]. Jesus had
given some remarkable answer, or put some original question; and, as is the
case when a particularly intelligent pupil
presents himself, He had attracted for the moment all the interest of His
teachers. Josephus, in his autobiography
(c. i), mentions a very similar fact respecting his
own youth. When he was only fourteen
years of age, the priests and eminent men of
We may, with great
probability, assume that amongst those "doctors" whom the Boy
questioned at that Passover Feast, some if not all of [the] well-known men were
sitting. The apocryphal Gospels, as
usual, profess to give us details where the true story is reverently
silent. The "Gospel of Thomas"
(second century), for instance, tells us that Jesus, when on the road to
Nazareth, returned of his own accord to Jerusalem, and amazed the rabbis of the
temple by his solution of the hardest and most difficult questions of the Law
and the prophets. In an Arabic Gospel of
somewhat later date than that of Thomas, we find the Boy even teaching the
astronomers the secrets of their own difficult study. Probably Stier's
simple words approach the nearest to the truth here, when he suggests that his
questions were "the pure questions of innocence and of truth, which keenly
and deeply penetrated into the confused errors of the rabbinical
teaching." [18]
WEB: All who
heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
Young’s: and all those hearing him were astonished
at his understanding and answers.
Conte (RC): But all who listened
to him were astonished over his prudence and his responses.
were astonished at
his understanding and answers. To
discover a young, perceptive mind like this was counted as a joyous event. Not everyone had either the interest or
inclination to be an analyst of scripture and to discover a youth who did
have such a temperament was counted a great blessing. [rw]
Examples of such a reaction: Besides the self-attested instance of the
young Josephus we find that “when Shimon Ben Gamaliel
and Rabbi Jehoshua Ben Korcha
were seated in the debating room upon divans Rabbi Elazer
Ben Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi [i.e. Judah the Holy] sat before them on the
ground asking questions and starting objections. The other Rabbis exclaimed ‘We drink of their
water’ (i.e. of their wisdom) ‘and they sit upon the ground!’ Seats were therefore brought in, and the two
children were seated upon them.” Babha Metsia, f.
84b. [56]
WEB: When they
saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have
you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I were
anxiously looking for you."
Young’s: And, having seen him,
they were amazed, and his mother said unto him, 'Child, why didst thou thus to
us? lo, thy father and I, sorrowing, were seeking
thee.'
Conte (RC): And upon seeing him,
they wondered. And his mother said to him: "Son, why have you acted this
way toward us? Behold, your father and I were seeking
you in sorrow."
Quiet country people from
His mother said unto Him. [I.e.,] privately.
She could not rebuke after such a scene.
[7]
Son. Mary's words have in them something of
reproach. Joseph, it is noticeable,
stands evidently apart; but the mother, strangely as it would seem at first,
associates him in "thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." Had she, then, forgotten the
past? Who but Mary could have repeated
this sacred memory of her mistake, and of the Boy's far-reaching answer? What forger could have imagined such a
verse? [18]
why hast thou thus dealt with us? Why
hast thou given us all this trouble and anxiety? [11]
behold thy father. Joseph was not the real father of Jesus, but
he was legally so; and as the secret of His birth was not commonly
known, he was called His Father. Mary,
in accordance with that usage, also called him so. [11]
and I have sought thee sorrowing. Anxious, lest in the
multitude He might not be found; or lest some accident might have happened to
Him. [11]
WEB: He said
to them, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in
my Father's house?"
Young’s: And he said unto them, 'Why is it that ye
were seeking me? did ye not know that in the things of
my Father it behoveth me to be?'
Conte (RC): And he said to them:
"How is it that you were seeking me? For did you not know that it is
necessary for me to be in these things which are of my Father?"
How is it that ye sought Me? Why
have ye sought Me with so much anxiety? Mary should have known that the Son was safe;
that His heavenly Father would take care of Him. [11]
wist [knew, NKJV?] ye not. This
was something she should have automatically understood, but had failed
to. [rw]
It
is remarkable that He does not accept the phrase “Thy father” which Mary had
employed. “Did ye not know?”
recalls their fading memory of Who He was; and the “I must” lays down the law
of devotion to His Father by which He was to walk even to the Cross. Psalms xl. 7-9. “My meat is to do
the will of Him that sent Me and to finish His work,” John
that I must be. Lit.,
it is necessary, or it behoves. A word often used by Jesus concerning his own
appointed work, and expressing both the inevitable fulfillment of the divine
counsels and the absolute constraint of the principle of duty upon
himself. See Matt. xvi. 2; xxvi. 54; Mark viii. 31; Luke iv. 43; ix. 22;
xiii. 33; xxiv. 7, 26, 46;
John iii. 14; iv. 4; xii.
34. [2]
Men, be they pleased or displeased, God must be obeyed. [54]
about My Father's business. He
did not enter upon His public work for eighteen years after this; yet
still the work of God was His work--and always, even in childhood, it
was proper for Him to be engaged in the great business for which He came. [11]
It is to be noted that
while this reply was unintelligible to the bystanders, it was perfectly
satisfactory to His parents. He knew His
Father to be God. The words admit of
another rendering which seems still more pointed--"In My Father's
house"--that is, in the temple. Why
then seek Me elsewhere? [4]
In depth: What was
Jesus doing during the days when He was not attending the religious discussions [30]? How
the Child maintained Himself during the two nights and the day
in which He was without His parents in
WEB: They
didn't understand the saying which he spoke to them.
Young’s: and they did not understand the saying
that he spake to them,
Conte (RC): And they did not
understand the word that he spoke to them.
which He spake unto them. Henceforth Joseph disappears from the
Gospels. [7]
In depth: Why did Mary not understand Jesus' point in
light of His supernatural birth [14]? Sceptics like
Strauss have pronounced it unaccountable when Mary had been assured by Gabriel
that Jesus was the son of the Most High, [that] she and Joseph [w]ould not understand that Jesus now claimed God as His
Father.
1. But they understood not the great transition
that had taken place within Him at this age of becoming a son of the law. Since the time of the angel's declaration the
word "father" at Joseph's home had been Joseph's name. This sudden transfer of the title to God was
without warning to these parents. Mary
had just called Joseph his "father," and she naturally understood Jesus's use of the term in the same sense. She cannot therefore at the moment understand
how loosing himself from his father's company was
being about His Father's business.
2. The parent's views of the Messiahship included the idea of royalty, righteous
dominion, and perhaps war-like heroism and bold exploit. Mary's song at His conception was strongly
tinged with the Old Testament images of this nature. It might not, therefore, be very obvious to
her at the [moment] how a quiet interview with the doctors in the temple was
any part of His business as Messiah.
3. But "his mother kept all these sayings
in her heart" [verse 51]. When this
first doubtful sign of His conscious divine Sonship
was confirmed by other proofs, she soon saw, we may believe, its joyful
meaning. The predictions of His infancy will
be fulfilled; he is the great Messiah.
This first saying was so felt by her heart and preserved by her memory
as to be recorded in this Gospel.
WEB: And he
went down with them, and came to
Young’s: and he went down with them, and came to
Nazareth, and he was subject to them, and his mother was keeping all these
sayings in her heart,
Conte (RC): And he descended
with them and went to
Down
from
and was subject.
Greek, habitually subject. [7]
Performed the duty of a
faithful and obedient child; and not improbably was engaged in the trade of
Joseph--that of a carpenter. [11]
unto them. We may infer from the subsequent omission of
Joseph’s name, and from the traditional belief of his age, that he died shortly
after this event, as the Apocryphal Gospels assert. [56]
but his mother
kept all these sayings in her heart. Who should remember them but that
mother? And from whom
could Luke, or whoever was the writer of this account, derive it but from her
lips? [14]
In depth: Jesus’
temporal career education [56]. With the exception of these two verses, the
Gospels preserve but one single word to throw light on the life of our Lord
between His infancy and His baptism.
That word is “the carpenter” in Mark 6:3, altered in some manuscripts
out of irreverent and mistaken reverence into “the son of the
carpenter.” They shew
that (i) our Lord’s life was spent in poverty but not
in pauperism; (ii) that He sanctified labour as a
pure and noble thing; (iii) that God looks on the heart, and that the dignity
or humility, the fame or obscurity, of the outer lot is of no moment [=
importance] in His eyes. Romans 14:17,
18. [56]
WEB: And Jesus
increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Young’s: and Jesus was advancing in wisdom, and in
stature, and in favour with God and men.
Conte (RC): And Jesus advanced
in wisdom, and in age, and in grace, with God and men.
in wisdom. That is in
intellectual acquirements and moral adaptation of all to the uses of life. [52]
and stature. His physical growth. To translate “in age,” which the Greek word
would in itself allow, would be inappropriate here, where advancement in age is
self-evident. [52]
and in favor
with God and man. He was
counted praiseworthy by both His fellow residents of
Proverbs
3:4, “So shalt thou find favour
and good success (margin) in the sight of God and man.” Pirke Abhoth, iii. 10, “In whomsoever the mind of men
delights, in him also the Spirit of God delights.” [56]
In depth: Jesus’
youthful education [22]. Jewish method of
child training: (a) As soon as Jewish children could talk they
were made to commit the "Shema," the Jewish creed, consisting of 19 verses
from Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21; Num. 15:37-41, and named from the first Hebrew word
(as our Creed from "credo") and as they grew older (boys at least)
were taught to write them out.
(b) When six years of
age boys were sent to school. Schools in
most cases were attached to the synagogues in town (Luke
(c) There were institutions of higher learning in
Jerusalem, corresponding somewhat to our theological and law schools, but these
He never attended, John 7:15.
(d) Besides, the education at school, the Jewish
child was educated in His father's house, in the synagogue and the workshop.
(e) The character of education among the Jews was
exclusively religious and patriotic, its aim being to
stimulate the custom, Jesus followed the trade of His father. The Talmud says, "On the father lies the task of circumcising his son, of instructing him in
the law, of teaching him a craft; for not to teach him a trade, is to teach him
to steal."
Language. The mother tongue of Jesus was Aramaic. He no doubt understood classical Hebrew, for
although at His time it was a dead language, it was familiar to the Palestinian
Jews. It is almost certain that He knew
Greek for He seems to have spoken to non-Jews (Greeks, Pilate, centurion)
without an interpreter
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