Dear Jeff,
Hope all is going well on your trip to the west. We have been studying the parallel between the 30 years that it took the papacy to rise to power and the time that Jesus prepared for His ministry.
There certainly are 30 years between 508 and 538 but for Jesus, he began His ministry in 27 years. How do you account for this difference or are we being too literal? God bless on your return trip to Arkansas. Sincerely, T&N.
Response
Dear T&N,
“The life of Christ had been so secluded at Nazareth that the world did not know Him as the Son of God–their Redeemer. He was regarded as nothing more than the son of Joseph and Mary. His life in childhood and youth was remarkable. His silence in regard to His exalted character and mission contains an instructive lesson to all youth. His faithful obedience to His parents until He was 30 thirty years of age is a pattern for youth to imitate more than the Jesus in Gethsemane and upon Calvary.” Lift Him Up, 33.
“Jesus was thirty years old before He entered His public ministry. The period of His childhood and youth was one of comparative obscurity, but of the highest importance. He was in this obscurity laying the foundation of a sound constitution and vigorous mind. He ‘grew, and waxed strong in spirit’ (Luke 1:80). It is not as a man bending under the pressure of age that Jesus is revealed to us traversing the hills of Judea. He was in the strength of His manhood. Jesus once stood in age just where you now stand. Your circumstances, your cogitations at this period of your life, Jesus has had. He cannot overlook you at this critical period. He sees your dangers. He is acquainted with your temptations. He invites you to follow His example.” Manuscript Releases, volume 4, 235. Jeff.
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