What Jesus did for children, we may perhaps sum up as follows. He illustrated the ideal of childhood in His own life as a child. He mani- fested the tenderness of His affection for children by conferring blessings upon them in every sta.^e of their development as He was occasionally brought into contact with them. He asserted for children a recognized place in His kingdom, and dealt faithfully and lovingly Avith each aj,'e as it presented itself to Him in the course of His work. He chose the condition of childhood as a type of the fundamental character of the recipients of the kingdom of God. He adopted the relation of ehUdhood as the most s-ivid earthly image of the relation of God's people to Him who was not ashamed to be called their Father which is in heaven, and thus reflected back upon this relation a glory by which it has been transhgured ever since.
The history of the ideal childhood which Jesus Himself lived on the earth is set down for us in the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke, especially of Luke, whose distinction among the Evangelists is that he has given us a narrative founded on an investigation which 'traced the course of all things accurately from the first' (Lk P). Accord- ingly, not only does he with careful exactitude record the performance by our Lord's parents in His behalf, during His infancy, of 'all things that were according to the law of the Lord' (Lk 2^») ; but he marks for us the stages of our Lord's growth in His progress to man's estate, and thus brings Him before us successively as 'baby' (2'" jSp^^os), 'child' (2^" TraiSlof), and 'boy' ('2" xaFs), until in His glorious young-manhood, when He was about 30 years of age. He at last manifested Himself to j Israel {3^). The second chapter of Luke is thus in I
etlect an express history of the development of Jesus ; and sums up in two comprehensive verses His entire growth from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to manhood (2*- ^-). The language of these succinct descriptions is charged with sugges- tions that this was an extraordinary child, whose development was an extraordinary development. Attention is called alike to His physical, intellec- tual, and spiritual progress ; and of each it is sug- fested that it was constant, rapid, and remarkable, 'hose who looked upon Him in the cradle would perceive that even beyond the infant Moses ( Heb. 112^) this was ' a goodly child ' ; and day by day as He grew and waxed strong. He became more and more filled not only with knowledge ^ut with wisdom, and not only with wisdom but with grace, and so steadily advanced ' not alone in power and knowledge, but by year and hour in reverence and in charity.' Man and God alike looked upon His growing powers and developing character with ever increasing favour. The promise of the goodly child passed without jar or break into the fruitage of the perfect man : and those who gazed on the Dabe with admiration (o'''-^-^), could not but gaze on the boy with astonishment (2") and on the man with reverence.
It is therefore no ordinary human development which is here described for us. But it is none the less, or rather it is all the more, a normal human development, the only strictly normal human de- velopment the world has ever seen. This is the only child who has ever been bom into the world without the fatal entail of sin, and the only child who has ever grosvn to manhood free from the deterioration of sin. This is how men ought to grow up : how, were they not sinners, men would grow up. It is a great thing for the world to have seen one such instance. As an example it is indeed set beyond our reach. As the ideal child- hood realized in life, it has ever since stood before the world as an incitement and inspiration of quite incalculable power. In this perfect development of Jesus there has been given to the world a model for every age, whose allurement has revolutionized life. He did not, as Iren:eus {adv. Hwr. II. xxii. 4, cf. III. xviii. 4) reminds us, despise or evade the humanity He had assumed ; or set aside in His own person the law that governs it : on the contrary. He sanctified evei'y age in turn by Himself living His perfect life in its conditions. ' He came to save aU by means of Himself,' continues Irenajus, 'all, I say, who through Him are born again unto God,— infants and children, and boys, and youths. . . . He therefore passed through every age, becoming an infant for infants, thus sanctifying infants ; a child for children, thus sanctifying those who are of this age, being at the same time made to them an example of piety, righteousness, and submission ; a youth for youths, becoming an example to youths, and thus sanctifying them for the Lord.' ... On the few details given us of the childhood of our Lord see artt. BovHOOD of Jesu.s and Childhood.
During tlie course of His life begun with this ideal childhood, Jesus came into contact Vfith every stage of youthful development, and mani- fested the tenderness of His feelin" for each and His power and ^villingness to confer blessings upon all. A lurid light is thrown upon the nature of the world and the character of the times into which He was bom by the slaughter of the Inno- cents, which marked His advent (.Mt ■2'"-'"). But one function which the record of this incident per- forms is to serve as a black background upon which His own beneficence to childhood may be thrown Jlothers instinctix'ely brought their babies to for benediction ; and when they did so. He not content until He had taken them in His