When Jesus Was A Little Boy
When Jesus Was a Little Boy
Even though Jesus was God's own son, he had to grow up just like any other little boy. And God was watching over him every minute.
After the wicked King Herod was dead, and Mary and Joseph and Jesus came back from Egypt - they went to Nazareth to live. Nazareth wasn't a great big city with tall buildings and temples and lots of traffic. It was a little country town, tucked away in the hills.
By this time Jesus wasn't a baby any longer - he was a little boy!
The Bible tells us that he had to learn things. And that he obeyed his mother and Joseph. And that Joseph was a carpenter. So we have a pretty good idea of what Jesus' life was like.
In the morning, the sunshine would sneak in Jesus' window and across his bedroom floor and up the side of his bed and over the top of his covers - and in his eyes - and wake him. Mary would pour water in a basin and help Jesus get washed and dressed. And then it was time for breakfast.
While Mary got breakfast, Jesus would put the dishes on the low bench they used for a table and spread the mats on the floor for them to sit on. Then Mary and Joseph and Jesus sat around on the mats, and Joseph would thank God for their breakfast while they all bowed their heads. Then they would eat barley cakes with fresh butter and honey. And while they ate, they would talk about what they were going to do that day and ask God to help them do everything just right.
There were so many things to do INSIDE their house.
And Jesus helped with everything. He helped feed the animals. He helped Mary get water at the well. And he helped Joseph, too.
He helped Joseph in his carpenter shop. He handed Joseph nails and pieces of wood. He caught the curly shavings as they fell to the floor. And he watched the sawdust sprinkle the floor, like snow, when Joseph went szhhh-szhhh with the saw. And Jesus obeyed Mary and Joseph in everything they asked him to do.
There were so many things to do OUTSIDE their house.
There were walks in the hills and rides on the donkey, and picnics, and friends to play with.
And in the evening Mary and Joseph and Jesus would sit on their doorstep and watch the sun go down - and talk about God. They would tell God's stories over and over, until Jesus knew them all by heart.
And then Jesus would say his prayers and go to bed. And the stars came out - and all of Nazareth would go to sleep, tucked away there in the hills.
That's the way the other people in Nazareth lived. And that's the way Jesus lived, too.
Even though he was God's Son, he had to grow up just like any other little boy.
And God was watching over him every minute.

THINK!
What were some of the things Jesus found to do inside his house? Outside? What do you suppose he learned when he helped Joseph and Mary? When he played with his friends? When he went on hikes? When he rode a donkey? When he took care of animals? Do you learn just about the same things today?
A VERSE TO LEARN
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right" (Ephesians 6:1).