1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor withGod and man." (Luke 2:40,52.) His was not a mindthat had all the experiences and intelligence of His pre-existentstate. We read that He grew in wisdom. Hismind grew. Of course, being perfect He would learnmuch more rapidly and accurately than would others; andthis accounts for the fact that as a child He was able toconfound the Doctors of the Law. With His natural qualitiesof mind He was able to grasp the situation, to takein things rapidly.St. Luke tells us that at the age of twelve years ourLord accompanied His mother and Joseph to Jerusalem.The Jewish children were accustomed to attending religiousservices; and it was a custom that Jewish boysshould make a consecration at the age at which Jesusdid. Jesus knew that He was different from other boys.Very likely He told them the facts relating to Hismiraculous birth. It is assumed by some that He waseven charged with having an illegitimate birth. But sincewe do not know definitely about this, we must confineourselves to the Scriptures.Our Lord came into the world in a miraculous mannerfor the purpose of fulfilling the prophecies, which wereall to attain fulfilment in Him. Naturally He would availHimself of the first opportunity of ascertaining the requirements.When at twelve years of age He learnedfrom the Doctors of the Law that He could not assumethe priestly function as a boy, He made no further attempt,but was subject to His parents, or to Mary andher husband, who properly enough were His guardiansuntil He reached thirty years of age, when His first stepwas to make full consecration of Himself."I COME TO DO THY WILL"Our Lord at thirty years of age certainly had muchknowledge that Adam did not possess when he was ontrial. Our Lord had some knowledge of what constitutessin and its penalty. He had also knowledge of the factthat God had arranged for the redemption of mankind,through the great Mediator of the New Covenant--aSavior, a Redeemer, a Deliverer. He knew that theinability of others to keep the Divine Law written in theDecalogue and His ability to keep that Law, constitutedthe difference between Himself and others.Doubtless our Lord's mother had told Him of Hismiraculous birth and of the message that had comethrough Gabriel and of the prophecy of Anna and ofSimeon. And He had in mind the prophecy respectingHimself and the future of the great Messiah that wasto come and deliver the world. All this knowledge wasvery valuable.But the thing that our Lord evidently lacked was theknowledge of the deeper things of the Scriptures. Heevidently found perplexities in the Bible; for He had notreceived the Holy Spirit. Although He might be better