All the pilgrims used to go to the Temnle on the day of their departure, by a rule possibly based on'l S 1". There would be a preat crowd, and the temporary separation of a family in the colonnades and on the steps would be (as in great public gatherings now) a natural occurrence, causing little alarm. Possibly Joseph and Mary joined their fellow-travellers from Galilee, in the belief that the Child, who would know the time and point of departure, was amon" the younger pil- grims. The little fear they felt on the first day (Lk 2") rather supports the view mentioned above, that it was not Jesus' first Passover.
Our Lord's ' parents' {yoveU, Lk 2"—' Joseph and his mother' is a correction in the interests of orthodox dogma), being ignorant of His having stayed behind, went therefore a day's journey towards home. As we do not know the route
they travelled by, it is impossible to say that 'as far as Beeroth (Farrar, Life of others). Jericho is quite as j resting-pla
they
Christ, and others),
The search among the kinsfolk and acquaint- ances being in vain, they returned to Jerusalem, and found Him 'after three days' (probably from
Bickell, pp. 126, 127. They are not justified in saj-ing which Psalm or Psalms our Lord used. Ps. 136 has the general sup- port. The Babylonian Gemara mentions Ps 23. The 114th Psalm, which Christian tradition (cf. the name of its tune, 'Peregrinus') connects with the Passover, cannot have been the one mentioned (Mt 2630), as its use occurred be/ore the actual supper (Bickell, p. 120). See art. Hallel.
BOYHOOD OF JESUS
BOYHOOD OF JESUS
the time of separation). We need not inquire whether tliis expression means ' on the third day ' {fiera ijfi^pas rpciy, cf. Mk 8"** fi€Ta rpets T}^pat),* Tlie search on the road Ijack to and in Jerusalem was a thorough one (di/afTjroPi'Tfs). Tliere must have been many persons who cunhl be inquired of witli safety, persons in sympathy with tlie pious liopes of Simeon and Anna (Lk 2-'"^*'), tliough these had jirobably passed away. It is St. Luke who tells us {2^) that tliere was a group of pious persons, who looked for the redemption of Jerusalem.f As this refers to a period only twelve years previous, Joseph and Mary could easily find some of these residents of Jerusalem, even if the connexion had not been kept up in tlie yearly Passover visits (Lk 2^'). We think that the reason for Joseph and Mary spend- ing at least a day in Jerusalem before going up to the Temple, was that they and our Lord were well known to this group of persons, and that they tliought of Him as possibly among friends at Jeru- salem, just as they liad tliought it i)ossible on the tiist day of the separation tliat He was among the pilgrims.
Christ in the Temple. — 'And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors (RVm ' or teachers'), both hearing them, and asking them questions' (Lk 2^). By being present at the meeting of the Kabbis, Christ was obeying the counsel of Ben Sira (Sir 6'^"^^), which was possibly a commonplace piece of instruction in pious Israelite families. * stand thou in the multitude of the elders ;
And whoso is wise, cleave thou unto him,
Be willing to listen to every godly discourse ;
And let not the proverbs of understanding escape thee.
If thou seest a man of understanding, get thee betimes unto
And let thy foot wear out the steps of his doors.' A discussion has been raised as to the meaning of ' in the midst ' (^^ i^-^irv). It is usually thought that Clirist sat, as scholars did, on the floor, with the Rabbis on a raised bench or divan, arranged perhaps in a semicircle, ^c tiJj /n^crifj occurs in Ac 4', where it cannot mean more than ' present in a central position where others could see and liear,' yet apart from the members of the court. Kuinoel watered down the expression here to ' in the same room with the teachers.' It has, however, been suggested that the Kabbis, being struck by the searchin" power of the questions put by Chri.st, and the depth of knowledge of the Law which they displayed, invited Him to take a seat among them- selves, as a mark of admiration, as well as for more convenience in the conversation. If this was so, their action would be somewhat similar to that in a British court of justice where a dis- tinguished visitor, or even witness, is sometimes complimented by an invitation to ' take a seat on the Bench. ' It is said that members of the Sanhe- drin did sometimes, on extraordinary occasions, admit an inquirer to the same seat as themselves. It would be a probable thing to do, where the youth of the person made him, as in this case, liable to partial concealment among older and taller bystanders.
There is no ground for supposing that Christ disputed with the Kabbis. It is clear that He in nowise offended their prejudices on this occasion. All that He said, although remarkable for His age,
* The mystical school of interpreters have pointed out several parallels to this period : (a) Bengel says : ' For the same number of days, when He lay in the grave. He was considered as lost by His disciples (Lk 2421).'