To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Ver. 40. And the child grew, &c.
TWO years Old he was when he went into Egypt: and there he aboad in his Exile, a very small time, it may be some two or three months: about such a space as Mo∣ses had been hid in Egypt in his Fathers house from the fury of Pharaoh. When he re∣turned to Nazareth his Mothers City, being now about two years and a quarter old, he was not weaned [if in this he followed the use and custom of the Jewish children, as it
is like he did] but still sucked his Mothers breasts: As he grew in body, he grew much more in mind; for so the phrase, He waxed strong in Spirit, seemeth to be understood by the Evangelist; taking Spirit, not so much for the Holy Ghost, though it is past questi∣on, he was filled with that, as for his Soul or spiritual part of his humane nature. And so he describeth his growth in both parts, in the two expressions, The child grew in body, and waxed strong in intellect and soul: filled with wisdom, in an extraordinary manner above other children, and a graciousness appeared in him both in person and actions.
Ver. 41. Now his Parents went to Jerusalem, &c.
Joseph is called the Parent of Christ, as Paul calleth preaching foolishness, 1 Cor. 1. 21, 23. because he was so commonly reputed by men: And as for Womens going up to this Festival, whereas the Law required only the Males appearance before the Lord, three times in the year, we shall have occasion to speak of it hereafter.
Ver. 42. And when he was twelve years old, &c.
At what age our Saviour sheweth his admirable wisdom in the Temple among the Doctors, in this Story; at the same age had Solomon shewed his, in the matter of the two Hostesses, about the dead and living child, 1 King. 3. 25. 28. For that he was twelve years old at that time, may be conceived upon these collections.
First, Absalom began to rebel in the thirty seventh year of Davids Reign, or three years before his death, or thereabout; This is to be picked out of that dateless reckoning of years, 2 Sam. 15. 7. And after forty years Absalom said, let me go pay my vow, &c. These forty years are counted from the time that Israel asked a King: three of Sauls Reign, 1 Sam. 13. 1. and seven and thirty of Davids, and then began Absalom to challenge the Kingdom: and the reckoning from that date giveth this hint and intimation, that as their asking a King then did sore displease the Lord, so now are they punished in the proper kind for it, when they have so many Kings that they know not well which to follow, and many of them perish in following the usurper.
Secondly, Before his open rebellion, Absalom had been two years in Jerusalem, and not seen the Kings face, 2 Sam. 14. 28.
Thirdly, Before that time, he had been three years in deserved exile in Geshur, 2 Sam. 13. 38.
Fourthly, And two years had passed betwixt the rape of Tamar and slaughter of Am∣non, which occasioned him into that exile, 2 Sam. 13. 23.
So that counting all these years together, they appear clearly to be ten at the least, be∣twixt the rape of Tamar and Davids death: and so are they so many of Solomons age at the same time.
Now that there was some good space that passed betwixt these sums of time mentioned, as betwixt the birth of Solomon and the rape of Tamar, betwixt Absaloms seeing of the Kings face, and his breaking out after into that rebellion, and other spaces, it cannot be de∣nied upon serious and considerate casting up of the Story: But to find out the exact space and measure of time is hardly possible; and so is it to determine the age of our Saviour at the time of his disputing with the Doctors. For though the Evangelist say that he was twelve years old, yet hath he left it doubtful, whether current or compleat: and that it was a whole half year under or over, it cannot be denied, seeing that he was born about September, and this his disputing was at the Passover, about March or April. So when we say Solomon was twelve years old when he began to Reign, and when he deter∣mined the controversie of the two Hostesses, it is not necessary, punctually to pick out and shew that space of time to all exactness, it sufficeth to shew that the Text bringeth him near to that age under or over. See Ignat. Martyr in Epist. ad Magnes.
Vers. 43. The child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his Mother knew not of it.
That morning that they were to depart to their own home, it was the custom to go first to the Temple, and to worship the Lord, 1 Sam. 1. 19. Now the multitudes that went together at these times were exceeding great and many, all the males of the Nation, and very many of the females being constantly present at these occasions.
When therefore Joseph and Mary, and the Galilean company that went along with them, departed from the Temple to go their Journey, it is likely that Christ stayed be∣hind them in the Temple Court, where also he haunted, till they found him again. Now he having been absent from them, and in other companies sometimes before in the Festi∣val week, as it can hardly be doubted, it is not to be wondred if they were not so
punctually exact, as to be sure to bring him with them in their sight out of the Temple and the City. For they knew not, nor could they conceive, that he had any thing to do, or how he could stay behind them when they were gone, and therefore though they saw him not, yet doubted they not but he was with some of his acquaintance or other, in that vast and numerous multitude: Yea, so confident they were of this, that when after a while they missed him, yet did they not suspect his staying behind them in Jerusalem, but went that days journey forward, searching and inquiring for him among their kindred and acquaintance, that went along with them [for so are those words to be understood] till they came to their lodging. And by that time, not having found him, they resolve, and accordingly do, on the next morning return for Jerusalem.
It is conceived by some, that the multitudes going to and from these festivals, went, the men by themselves, and the women by themselves, and the children indifferently with either parent, as they thought good, and so Mary supposed that Jesus was with Joseph, and Joseph supposed that he was with Mary, and by this mis-apprehension, they went their first days journey, till they met at their lodging, before they mist him: But if that were certain, which is very doubtful, that they thus travailed males and females apart; yet it is clear by the Text, that they jointly mist him in their first days journy, and be∣times in the journey, long before they came to their Inn; and yet would not return to seek him at Jerusalem, where they could not so much as suspect that he would stay be∣hind, when he saw all the company setting homewards; but they still go on their jour∣ney, and inquire up and down in the company for him, till their not meeting him at night resolves them, that he was not in the company at all.
Vers. 46. After three days they found him in the Temple.
That is, on the third day: for one they spent in journying home-wards, though they missed him, the other in returning that journey to Jerusalem, and on the third day they find him in the Temple, where he had slipped from them in the croud when they came to do their farewel-Worship.
The Sanhedrin, or great Bench of Judges and Doctors sate in the Court of the Tem∣ple: This R. Solomon observeth upon the conjuncture of the end of the twentieth, and beginning of the one and twentieth Chapters of Exodus: for whereas the twentieth ends with, An Altar of Earth shalt thou make unto me, &c. and the one and twentieth begins with, And these are the judgments, his collection from hence is, that the Judges were to sit in the Sanctuary. And to the same purpose, and far more largely speaketh Maimoni∣des; The Sanhedrin, saith he, sate in the Sanctuary, and their number was seventy one, as it is said, Gather me seventy men of the Elders of Israel, and Moses was over them, as it is said, and let them stand there with thee, behold seventy one. The chiefest in wisdom among them, they made head over them, and he was the head of the Bench, and Wisemen con∣stantly call him Nasi [the Prince,] and he stands in stead of Moses: And him that is chief among the LXX, they appoint second to the head, and he sits on his right hand, and he is cal∣led Ab beth Din, or the Father of the Court, and the rest of the LXX sit before them two, according to their Dignity, &c. And they sit as it were in half the floor in a Circle, that the Nasi, and the Ab beth Din may see them all. And they erected also two other Courts of Judges, of twenty three men a piece, one by the Gate of the Court, and one by the Gate of the mountain of the house: Maimond. in Sanhedr. per. 1. 5. That is, one at the gate of the outer Court, and another at the gate of the inner. Now into which of these Societies our Saviour was got at this time, it is something hard to determine, since being in any of them he may be said to be in the Temple.