Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? We know very little about Christ's life before his three-year ministry at age 30. What do we know?
We know about his humble birth, as foretold by ancient prophets. We know he was brought as a baby to the Temple in Jerusalem; there he was visited by Simeon and Anna. A number of "wise men from the east" visited Jesus and presented him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. He was brought by Joseph and Mary to Egypt, to escape from King Herod. After King Herod's death (resulting in the kingdom being divided between Herod's three sons), Jesus was brought to Nazareth. We know that Christ's brothers included James, Joses, Simon, and Judas. He also had sisters. We assume that he worked as a carpenter under his stepfather's mentoring. With the understanding that before his mortal life, Christ created the universe (under the direction of Heavenly Father), imagine the creations that Christ the carpenter's son made. As a young adult, I would be fascinated to learn about the third decade of Christ's life. In modern times, this has sometimes been referred to as the "decade of decisions." Though the times and circumstances were different, certainly Christ underwent some of the same challenges that I face. "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). When I feel alone, I must always remember that Christ felt similar sorrows as the result of his difficult life circumstances, and that he felt my personal sorrows in the Garden of Gethsemane as a result of his infinite atoning sacrifice. "As the child grew, and waxed strong in the spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him" (Luke 2:40). "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52). One day, I would like to ask Christ about the third decade of his life. I would like to know how he made difficult decisions, how he chose friends, how he balanced his profession with other aspects of his life, how he prepared for his three-year ministry, how he maintained a positive attitude. I am grateful for the reality of a Living Savior and the knowledge that this conversation can one day be a reality.
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