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He Submitted to Parental Authority, May 2
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was
subject unto them.
Luke 2:51
.
Jesus claimed His sonship to the Eternal.... His first visit to the temple
had awakened new impulses. All earthly obligations were, for the time,
lost sight of; but with the knowledge of His divine mission, and of His
union with God, He did not resist the authority of His parents. At their
request He returned with them as a faithful, obedient son, and aided
them in their life of toil. He buried in His own heart the secret of His
future mission, waiting submissively until the period of His public ministry
should commence before announcing to the world that He was the Messiah.
He submitted to parental restraint, for the period of eighteen years after
He had acknowledged that He was the Son of God, and lived the simple,
common life of a Galilean, working at the carpenter’s trade.... For thirty
years He submitted to parental restraint....
It is common for children, even of Christian parents, when not over
twelve years old, to feel that they must be allowed to follow their own
desires. And parents are ready to be led by their children, rather than to
lead them.... For this reason many youth come up with habits of selfishness
and idleness. They are vain, proud, and headstrong
When we look upon His patient self-denial, His shrinking from all
notoriety, devoting Himself to His daily labor in a humble sphere, what a
beautiful light is shed about His life! How clearly is pointed out the path
in which children and youth should walk! ... Jesus was no less the Son of
God in His lowly home, in His submission to His parents, than when God
spoke from His eternal throne, saying, “This is my beloved Son.
The life of Christ assures a blessing forever upon a life of cheerful
submission to parental restraint and a life of physical and mental industry
[130]
2
The Youth’s Instructor, September 1, 1873
.
3
The Youth’s Instructor, July 14, 1892
.
4
The Youth’s Instructor, September, 1873
.
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