For centuries, scholars have tried to identify the sources that were used by the anonymous author of The Childhood of Jesus. Research into the childhood narrative has produced a wealth of new information on early Christian and Jewish storytelling that influenced this composition. But it is not until now that the most persuasive readings from these seemingly disparate sources have been identified and presented in a single volume.
The Hidden Stories of the Childhood of Jesus is a book that belongs to the genre of fiction. It is written by John Matthews and published by Little, Brown and Company in the year 1984. It is a book that has been translated into several languages and has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.
The story narrates the life and adventures of Jesus Christ during his childhood years. The author has made use of different literary devices to make it an interesting read for both adults and children alike. The book consists of 15 short stories that are related to each other as they all revolve around Jesus Christ’s various adventures during his childhood years.
The first story titled “A Boy’s Game” talks about how Jesus had been chased by some boys who were playing a game called “catch me if you can.” The next story titled “The Water Carrier’s Son” talks about how Jesus was able to help his father earn extra money by selling water from their well in Nazareth Village. In another story titled “The Bullock Cart,” we find out about how Jesus helped his father build a bullock cart so that they could sell vegetables in Jerusalem market place during Passover festival.
The Holy Bible is a very ancient book that was written by many different people. It contains many stories about the life of Jesus Christ, and this book is one of them. It is an amazing story about his childhood and how he grew up to be the man who changed the world forever. This article will discuss some of the hidden stories of his childhood that you may not have heard before.
It has been said that Jesus was a carpenter before he became famous, but there is no proof of this in any writings or scriptures. He did however have a lot of skills when it came to carpentry, which he used when he built his own house later on in life. This exposition discusses Jesus’ childhood story, and Jesus childhood friends.
Hidden Stories of The Childhood of Jesus Pdf
The gospels tell the story of Jesus Christ, but they don’t provide a complete history of his life. Sometimes we can gain insight into Jesus’ childhood by looking at references to him in non-gospels. One place to look is apocryphal literature. Apocrypha means “hidden.” This term refers to a collection of texts that were previously hidden and were only discovered after some time had passed since they were written (or more recently by modern-day archaeologists). The gospels tell the story of Jesus Christ, but they don’t provide a complete history of his life. Sometimes we can gain insight into Jesus’ childhood by looking at references to him in non-gospels. One place to look is apocryphal literature. Apocrypha means “hidden.” This term refers to a collection of texts that were previously hidden and were only discovered after some time had passed since they were written (or more recently by modern-day archaeologists).
Who is Jesus Christ?
Who was Jesus Christ? The man who walked on water, turned water into wine and fed thousands with a few loaves of bread and fish. He healed the sick and even raised the dead. The man who changed the world by loving his enemies, forgiving those who hurt him, praying for them and dying for their sins.
Jesus Christ is not just any ordinary man or prophet; he is God’s son sent to earth to save us from our sins. He lived a perfect life without ever sinning so that we can be forgiven when we ask Him to forgive us of our wrongdoing through prayer (Romans 3:23).
What did Jesus mean when he said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God?
The rich man was not talking about his money or possessions, he was talking about his soul. Jesus told him that it would be harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for him to enter heaven.
The rich man’s soul is like a heavy load on his back, keeping him from entering heaven. You see, when we sin, our souls get heavier and heavier until finally they are so heavy that we cannot lift them anymore! The rich man’s soul had become burdensome due to all of his sins and now it was very difficult for him even to walk around in this world!
And if you think about it, all sins are like the weight of many camels resting on top of us—we cannot escape from them unless God forgives us for them! Sin makes our hearts heavier than anything else could ever make them; therefore we need forgiveness from God more than anything else in order to be able to escape sin’s power over us!
What does it mean that God saved us by grace, through faith?
- Grace is unmerited favor.
- Faith is the evidence of things not seen.
- Faith is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1).
How do you explain Matthew 19:24, which says it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God?
The answer is that you can’t. Matthew 19:24 says it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. It does not say anything about camels being unwelcome in heaven, though; it just says that they’re better equipped than rich people at doing so. So if you’ve got money and are worried about whether or not your riches might keep you from going to heaven, rest assured—you’ll be fine! Just be sure to avoid being arrogant, stingy or mean-spirited while on Earth so as not to incur God’s wrath when he judges your soul after death (I would recommend reading The Hidden Stories of Jesus Pdf).
What makes Jesus unique from other prophets?
Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is also the Alpha and Omega (the beginning and end), Lamb of God and Mediator between man and God. Jesus Christ is our Savior who died on a cross to save us from sin. When we accept Him as our Savior, we are forgiven for our sins, made righteous in His sight by His shed blood through faith in Him alone.
How could Jesus be both God and man?
The story of Jesus’ birth is one of the most well-known narratives in the Bible. It’s a story about God becoming man, and how that relationship helps us understand humanity more fully than we could alone.
This is the idea behind Christology—the study of Jesus’ divinity—and it’s a concept that has been debated since the beginning of Christianity. How could Jesus be both God and man?
This question has led to some interesting solutions throughout history: Docetism argued that only His human form was real, while Arianism claimed He wasn’t even fully human. But these aren’t really answers; they’re just new ways of asking the same question “How can this be possible?”
Jesus’ life is complicated and this book goes into some of the unknown facts surrounding His life.
Jesus’ life is complicated and this book goes into some of the unknown facts surrounding His life.
Jesus was a real person who lived a real life, but his story is often told in ways that don’t seem authentic or accurate. In this book you’ll find out what it’s like to grow up with Jesus as your father, how people reacted to him, and what happened when he died on the cross.
The First Gospel Of The Infancy Of Jesus Christ
The First Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ, also commonly referred to as The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (not to be confused with the apocryphal book simply called the Gospel of Thomas), dates to AD 185 and tells stories of the early events in the life of Christ, including miracles; although, also included are stories depicting the childhood Jesus behaving less sacredly than one might expect, which may be exactly the reason why the infancy gospels were never considered canon by the Church. Presented here is a translation of one of the longer Greek versions and one of the longer Latin versions. These translations are from the 19th century.
Jesus’ Childhood Story
There were religious and political forces at work in Judea and the surrounding territories that complicated Jesus’ upbringing. The city of Bethlehem, long associated with King David’s family, is widely believed to be the location of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:4–7).
Jesus’ time in His hometown would be brief. Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the Jerusalem Temple soon after His birth (Luke 2:22-38). Within a matter of months, the family would make the perilous journey to Egypt under cover of darkness, escaping the murderous reign of King Herod (Matthew 2:13-18). The family took refuge in Egypt until Herod died, at which point they returned home.
In contrast, Jesus did not spend his formative years in the Jerusalem or Bethlehem region. Nazareth, a Galilean town, was actually Jesus’ birthplace (Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:39).
A brief summary of Jesus’ life up until the age of 12 is given in Luke 2:40. And the Lord’s favor was upon the child, and He grew in wisdom and stature.
Relationships within Jesus’s family
Jesus was raised in a large and active family. Joseph and Mary did not have any other children before the birth of Jesus, as is made clear by Matthew (Matthew 1:24-25). The Bible, however, reveals that Jesus had a number of half-siblings who were younger than him.
Four brothers are identified by Matthew: James, Joses, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). At the very least, there were two sisters (verse 56). This means that Jesus was the oldest of at least seven siblings.
Joseph, the man who became his stepfather, worked as a carpenter (verse 55). Most people’s mental image of this profession is someone who works with wood. Although this word “can mean carpenter—one who works with wood—or perhaps even builder, in a time and place when most homes were made of mud brick,” according to The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Revised Edition, 2010, Vol. 9, p. 384).
Jesus would have had early exposure to the qualities of competence, patience, and perseverance that are essential in this line of work.
Did Jesus work as a carpenter?
Mark says Jesus was addressed as “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3). It was common practice during His time for sons to train under their fathers as apprentices. Thus, it is likely that Jesus, as the eldest son, would have been apprenticed to and worked as a carpenter.
The Bible doesn’t say for sure, but it’s probably safe to assume that before He started His ministry, Jesus worked as a carpenter to make ends meet.
As a child, Jesus was immersed in the Jewish faith.
The Bible not only reveals that Jesus had many siblings and that Joseph was a carpenter, but it also reveals that Jesus was raised in a deeply religious household. His family always observed the annual religious festivals as God had commanded.
According to Luke, every year Jesus’ parents took the kids to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread (Luke 2:41-42).
Intriguingly, modern social scientists have confirmed the advantages for children of being raised in a religious household. Dr. Pat Fagan is the head of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute’s Center for Research on Marriage and Religion and a senior fellow there.
When policymakers consider America’s grave social problems, such as violent crime and rising illegitimacy, substance abuse, and welfare dependency, they should heed the findings in the professional literature of the social sciences on the positive consequences that flow from regular church attendance, he concluded after compiling the findings of more than 100 independent social scientists over the last two decades.
Well-adjusted children thrive in environments where they are taught early on that there is a God and that each person is made in His image. God chose Joseph and Mary to raise His Son because they would provide a nurturing environment based on God’s love, His commandments, and His way of life.
Jesus Christ was a one-of-a-kind baby.
Jesus grew up like any other boy, but because He had the Holy Spirit and God’s favor from birth, He had an enormous head start on other young men when it came to understanding the Scriptures and spiritual principles.
Something interesting happens in Jesus’ life when he is 12 years old, according to Luke’s account. This amazing tale is unique to the Gospel of Luke, and it has much to teach us.
Interesting insight into the dynamics of Jesus’ unique family is provided in Luke 2:43–44. As the family caravan made its way back to Nazareth from Jerusalem after the festivals, it was noticed that Jesus was missing. Why did they get this far before figuring it out?
For starters, Jesus had to be a trusted young man in the eyes of His parents. It’s clear that Joseph and Mary trusted Jesus to make the right decisions on the way back from Jerusalem.
By this point, they knew that their eldest was an exceptional young person. If He had been erratic or immature, they might have felt the need to keep closer tabs on His movements. Of course, it seems they weren’t anticipating anything out of the ordinary.
The fact that He wasn’t traveling with them came as a shock. Distressed, they spent the next day making the long journey back to Jerusalem in the hopes of finding Him there unharmed. Joseph and Mary didn’t wonder where Jesus was until later that day because they assumed He was with another family or relatives. It’s easy to see why they acted this way; after all, they had no reason to expect anything less than trustworthy behavior from their Son or a routine trip back to Nazareth following the Passover holiday.
They were taken aback to learn that He had not traveled with them. Worried, they spent the next day making the long journey back to Jerusalem in the hopes of finding Him unharmed.
Jesus, as a young boy, in the temple
On the third day following the festival, they discovered Him in the temple precincts. He wasn’t lost, lonely, or afraid to be alone; he wasn’t even interacting with other boys. Instead, he was actively engaged in deep discussions with some of Jerusalem’s most eminent legal scholars, “both listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46).
As opposed to being irritated by someone so young, these wise men were blown away by Jesus’ ability to ask and answer probing questions about theology and philosophy. All who heard Him were amazed at His wisdom and answers, according to Luke’s account (verse 47). They were, indeed, in the presence of a young man blessed by God.
Joseph and Mary were relieved to find Jesus unharmed once they found Him. They were worried about their son, but they couldn’t understand why he was acting in such an unexpected way.
Mary was the one to initiate the question of significance. Joseph seems to have kept his mouth shut for the time being so that she could represent them both. Mary sought an answer from her Son now, perhaps because Jesus was conceived in her womb or because, as a caring mother, she was the one more emotionally distraught after the days of searching.
Jesus’ mom exercised great restraint and discernment by first questioning her son’s motivations. In verse 48, she demanded to know, “Son, why have You done this to us?” Here we are, having spent a lot of time looking for you, both your father and I.
She apparently knew her Son had never been irresponsible or rebellious, and so she sought an honest explanation for what He was doing, whereas many parents would have simply allowed their frustration or anger to dictate their action and lash out at their child for causing such distress.
In other words, “I have to take care of my Father’s business.”
Jesus asked His mother, “Why did you seek Me?” Did you really think I could put off taking care of My Father’s business? (verse 49).
When Jesus decided to stay in Jerusalem, He didn’t tell anyone beforehand. Maybe He wanted Joseph and Mary to assume that He was busy with something important and not worry if they didn’t see Him for a while.
Spiritual comprehension
As a child, Jesus must have had some deep discussions with His parents. The angel Gabriel appeared to His mother nine months before the birth of Jesus, and she would have told the story of His birth and what Gabriel said to her.
Unbounded Spirit from His Father was also present in Jesus (John 3:34). A firm understanding of His own mission on earth was something He was well aware of. Even at such a young age, His desire to do His Heavenly Father’s will and accomplish God’s work would have burned brightly in His heart.
So, it’s possible Jesus thought His parents would take all this into account on this particular occasion, and that it would calm their fears about where He was. Naturally, the intensity of their love and worry for their 12-year-old son clouded their ability to hear and comprehend His words in full (Luke 2:50).
After His parents’ return, Jesus prepared to launch into His life’s work and enter His Father’s business. Jesus, however, has decided to go back to Nazareth and remain under the authority of Joseph and Mary for the time being (verse 51).
The plan of Jesus’ Heavenly Father was for His Son’s public ministry to begin after He had been in the world for 18 years. When that time came, He would be prepared to take on the toughest obstacle any man has ever faced.
Why did Luke write about Jesus’s visit to the temple when he was a young boy?
God moved Luke to write about Jesus’ miraculous youth for a reason. This shows that Jesus’ siblings, like the rest of us, had feelings, emotions, cares, and sometimes confusion just like everyone else (see John 7:3-4).
All three protagonists in this story responded godly to their trials and grew as people as a result. Jesus matured in His understanding of His role as a son and emerged with a greater grasp of God’s will for Him, while Joseph and Mary were given much to reflect upon in regards to their Son and His unique abilities. But no one sinned, and the bond between parent and child was strengthened rather than weakened by the ordeal.
The Bible’s teachings were what kept these three people on the right path. Our Heavenly Father also assisted them by sending the Holy Spirit.
We encourage you to download and read the booklet God’s Purpose for You to learn more about God’s purpose for your life and how that Spirit and truth can direct your path.
Jesus Childhood Friends
Jesus’ hospitality to the three siblings marked the beginning of their friendship with him. While traveling with his followers, Jesus stopped at a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home (Luke 10:38). Martha, who was easily distracted, learned from Jesus how to be still in His presence. Being still with Jesus can strengthen every one of our relationships.
In a later chapter of the Gospels, when their brother Lazarus becomes ill, the two sisters rush to Jesus for help. Jesus is the One who goes before us and who has a better grasp on our requirements than we do. He shed tears thinking of the hardships His friends had to endure in order to witness the miracle (John 11:35). Because of sin, there will always be hardships to endure, but the eternal joy found in Christ is greater than anything we may experience here on earth for a little while. Trusting in Jesus is an essential life skill that we can learn from Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.