Paper 123 Overview: The Early Childhood of Jesus

During Jesus' early childhood years, his family sought safety in Alexandria, Egypt, where they lived with relatives until Herod's death made it safe to return to Palestine. Mary was exceedingly protective of her "child of promise," but Joseph helped her understand the importance of allowing Jesus normal childhood experiences and social development with other children. After much deliberation about whether to settle in Bethlehem or Nazareth, the family returned to their home in Nazareth when Jesus was about three years old.

These formative years were marked by Jesus' extraordinary intellectual development, his acquisition of three languages (Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew), and the beginning of his formal education at age seven. As his parents had more children—James, Miriam, Joseph, Simon, and others—Jesus developed a sense of responsibility toward his siblings. Though his parents recognized there was something special about their firstborn son, they raised him as normally as possible while providing excellent intellectual, moral, and religious training consistent with Jewish tradition. His childhood experiences, including his relationships with family and friends, laid the foundation for his later mission.

After the uncertain and anxious period in Bethlehem, Mary maintained constant vigilance over Jesus during their sojourn in Alexandria, initially reluctant to let him play with other children. Joseph, with the help of relatives, convinced Mary that overprotecting Jesus would be detrimental to his development, potentially making him self-conscious and self-centered. Mary eventually agreed to allow Jesus more freedom, though she remained watchful whenever he played with other children.

During their two years in Alexandria, Jesus enjoyed good health and developed normally, with few people besides relatives knowing he was a "child of promise." Before departing Egypt, their Alexandrian friends presented Jesus with a complete Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures. In August of 4 B.C., Joseph and Mary left Egypt on a boat bound for Joppa, subsequently spending September in Bethlehem deliberating their future before deciding in early October to return to Nazareth, despite Mary's preference for remaining in the City of David.

The family arrived unannounced at their Nazareth home, which had been occupied by Joseph's married brother for over three years. They quickly settled into their own household, with Jesus at about three years and two months of age. Joseph secured work as a carpenter within a week, and the family was supremely happy in their own home after years of uncertainty and travel.

Jesus had handled the travels well but missed his playmates from Alexandria. Following Joseph's advice, Mary and Joseph agreed not to tell their Galilean friends and relatives about Jesus being a "child of promise." The fourth year of Jesus' life was marked by normal physical development and unusual mental activity, including forming a close friendship with a neighbor boy named Jacob. A significant event during this period was the birth of Jesus' first sibling, James, on April 2, 3 B.C., which greatly excited Jesus. Joseph built a small workshop near the caravan stopping place, enabling Jesus to later observe travelers and learn about the wider world while helping his mother with household duties and watching his father work.

A momentous event occurred on February 11, 2 B.C., when a Thought Adjuster, a divine gift from the Paradise Father, came to indwell Jesus' mind. This indwelling presence had previously served with Machiventa Melchizedek and brought valuable experience to its association with Jesus. Jesus was unaware of this divine Monitor, just as millions of other children who receive these spiritual helpers remain unaware of their presence.

This event marked the end of direct supervision by Universe Rulers over Jesus' incarnation, as his guardianship now rested with the Thought Adjuster and seraphic guardians. Jesus celebrated his fifth birthday in August of this year and welcomed his sister Miriam, born on July 11. He developed a pattern of asking thoughtful questions that continued throughout his childhood, with his parents patiently addressing his inquiries about life and the world. The Jewish system of child-rearing divided childhood into seven stages, and as Jesus entered the fifth stage, Mary formally transferred responsibility for his education to Joseph, while she continued teaching him practical home skills like gardening and caring for plants and flowers.

By his sixth year, Jesus had mastered the Galilean dialect of Aramaic, and Joseph began teaching him Greek using their copy of the Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures—one of only two complete copies in Nazareth. This made their home a gathering place for truth seekers, and Jesus, as he grew older, would meet many earnest students who came to study this precious manuscript that had been given to him on his sixth birthday.

Jesus experienced his first significant disillusionment when he asked his father about the cause of an earthquake and discovered Joseph didn't know the answer. That summer, Zacharias, Elizabeth, and their son John visited the Nazareth family, giving Jesus and John an opportunity to play together and form a connection. After meeting John, Jesus became increasingly interested in Jewish history and religious ceremonies, asking detailed questions about Sabbath observances, synagogue services, and the various festivals of commemoration. He also developed a personal approach to prayer that troubled his parents, insisting on talking to his heavenly Father as naturally as he spoke to Joseph, refusing to adopt the more solemn and reverent communication styles his parents tried to teach him.

The seventh year of Jesus' life began with an extraordinary snowstorm in January—the heaviest snowfall Jesus would witness during his lifetime and one of the deepest at Nazareth in a hundred years. Like other Jewish children of his time, Jesus' play often imitated adult activities such as weddings and funerals rather than organized games. He and his brother James enjoyed playing in the corner of their father's carpenter shop, though Jesus sometimes struggled to understand why certain playtime activities were forbidden on the Sabbath.

Jesus experienced his only significant childhood accident during this year when he fell down the stone stairs leading to the family's rooftop bedroom during an unexpected July sandstorm. This incident worried Mary greatly, causing her to keep Jesus close for several months afterward. The celestial guardians assigned to watch over Jesus did not intervene to prevent this accident, as it was a normal childhood experience and not a threat to his divine mission. In March of this year, Mary gave birth to their fourth child, Joseph, adding to Jesus' growing list of siblings and family responsibilities.

At seven years old, Jesus began his formal education at the Nazareth synagogue school, having already become fluent in both Aramaic and Greek. For the next three years, he studied the rudiments of the Book of the Law in Hebrew, followed by three years in the advanced school where he committed the deeper teachings of sacred law to memory through oral repetition. At thirteen, he would graduate as an educated "son of the commandment" and responsible citizen of Israel.

The synagogue school had students sitting on the floor in a semicircle facing the chazan (teacher), with studies focused exclusively on the Scriptures. Jesus quickly mastered Hebrew and later often read the Scriptures at Sabbath services when no prominent visitors were present. While his intellectual education came from the synagogue school, his moral training came primarily from his home, and his practical education came from mingling with people from all walks of life. Jesus was an excellent student who impressed his teachers with his insightful questions. For his school entrance "birthday text," he chose a passage from Isaiah about being anointed to bring good news to the meek and liberty to captives—words that would later characterize his own ministry.

During his eighth year, Jesus continued to excel in school, performing well enough to earn one week off each month. He typically spent these free weeks either visiting his fisherman uncle near the Sea of Galilee or staying at his mother's brother's farm. His mother gradually became less anxious about these trips away from home as she saw how much Jesus enjoyed them and how his relatives competed for his company during these monthly visits.

This year, Jesus met a mathematics teacher from Damascus who taught him new techniques with numbers, sparking an interest that Jesus maintained for several years. He began teaching the alphabet to his brother James and developed a strong interest in music, arranging to exchange dairy products for harp lessons. By age eleven, he would become a skilled harpist who entertained family and friends with his interpretations and improvisations. Jesus continued asking penetrating questions about science and religion that sometimes embarrassed his teachers and parents, showing particular interest in geography and astronomy. His third brother, Simon, was born in April of this year. A significant event occurred when Nahor, a teacher from a Jerusalem academy, came to observe Jesus and offered to take him to Jerusalem for advanced education, but after careful consideration, Jesus decided to remain with his parents in Nazareth.