A S P E C T S - a monthly devotional journal For subscription information on receiving Aspects every month via e-mail, or the laser-printed edition by mail, see NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION near the end of this file. Aspects is written by David S. Lampel. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #14, January 1992 (Internet Edition) T H E Y F O U N D H I M I N T H E T E M P L E ----------------------------------------------------------------- In this issue: Perspective - The Quiet Student Perspective - Our Sanctuary Perspective - Could This Be God? Perspective - From the Mind of God Perspective - Dialogue ----------------------------------------------------------------- NIV And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. -LUK 2:40-47 NIV Phillips The child grew up and became strong and full of wisdom. And God's blessing was upon him. Every year at the Passover festival, Jesus' parents used to go to Jerusalem. When he was twelve years old they went up to the city as usual for the festival. When it was over they started back home, but the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. without his parent's knowledge. They went a day's journey assuming that he was somewhere in their company, and then began to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. They failed to find him, however and turned back to the city, looking for him as they went. Three days later, they found him--in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All those who heard him were astonished at his powers of comprehension and at the answers that he gave. -LUK 2:40-47 Phillips ___________________________ Beginnings. January is a time for beginnings. It's a time when plans are made, goals set, energies harnessed for pressing into the fresh new year. In January some of us busy ourselves creating outlines of activity for the coming months; some of us longingly look back on the previous months, already missing the events just passed. With this issue, Aspects begins the year with a new look. More than just aesthetics, this new format should offer you more options in how you use Aspects. This issue also marks the beginning of a planned series: "Moments in the Life of Christ." Each monthly issue of Aspects during this year will deal with a moment in the earthly life of our Lord. In the coming months we will be considering His preparation for ministry, and this issue looks at the very first (recorded) moment of that preparation: His visit to the Jerusalem temple at the age of 12. Beginnings. We all have had a beginning. In theological terms, our Lord Jesus never had a beginning; He has existed eternally with God the Father. In practical terms, His beginning took place at the moment when the Holy Spirit "came upon" His mother, Mary, and the "power of the Most High overshadowed" her.(1) But the beginning of His earthly ministry began that day when Jesus was left behind at the temple. Adult Jews were obliged to attend the three major feasts of their faith annually in Jerusalem; these were Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.(2) While many were unable to attend all three feasts, most made every effort to attend Passover. Just as in the present-day bar-mitzvah, at puberty a boy the age of Jesus became a "son of the covenant" or "son of the Torah."(3) To everyone around Him, Jesus was just another Jewish boy coming of age, making the trip to the Jerusalem temple for possibly the first time in His life. He was growing physically, His arms and legs becoming longer--maybe even awkwardly so. His voice was beginning to change and His face was taking on the dimensions of approaching maturity. He was beginning to look at things around Him differently: through the eyes of one who would soon be an adult. But through the advantage of Scripture, we know more than those who accompanied Him that day--we know that Jesus was more than that. He was "increasing in wisdom" not just as a young man, but as the young Son of God. The Messiah was about to visit the temple of His Father. Into the Word ------------- Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words. -LUK 19:45-48 NIV At the age of 12, Jesus had been warmly received by the teachers and elders; now they wanted to kill Him. What had changed? Making it Personal ------------------ Where are you when you're in the wrong place? Years ago, when I was in grade school (this was the Early Neolithic Period), I decided one day after school to accompany a chum to the local creek, instead of returning home. The object of our adventure, as I now recall, was the catching of crawdads. When I eventually made it home, my worried Mom applied to my posterior the physical representation of her concern. That day I learned the importance of "prior permission." I note that I was not dallying after school in my classroom, gleaning wisdom at the feet of my teacher, but was somewhere I was not supposed to be, accomplishing little more than getting my pants muddy. Where are you when you're in the wrong place? Are you in some place of gain, acquiring wisdom and knowledge? Or are you someplace you shouldn't be, afraid to go home for the punishment that will attend that moment? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective T H E Q U I E T S T U D E N T ------------- Joseph and Mary, with their caravan of friends and relatives, had departed Jerusalem. Since the men and women might have been grouped separately in the train, His mother and father, when missing Jesus, could have expected Him to be with the other parent, or with relatives.(4) But the boy had lingered in the temple. What had caused Jesus to stay? What inner motivation had persuaded Him to remain behind at His parent's departure? While in Egypt, my wife and I were one day visiting the Temple of Seti I in Abydos.(5) Roaming away from the organized tour, I wandered deeper into the recesses of the temple, until I came upon a large, shadowy chamber filled with pillars. I was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of belonging--as if this room had once been as familiar to me as my own house. Since I do not subscribe to the theory of reincarnation, to this day I have no explanation for the sensation that passed through me. But I wonder if Jesus experienced that same sense of belonging the day he visited the temple as a young boy. His heavenly Father had ordained that structure as the unique place where He would meet with His people.(6) Nowhere on earth, at that time, could the presence of God be more tangibly felt than in that structure. On this side of Judgement Day we may never know how Jesus, at the age of 12, perceived His deity; but surely, as He stepped into those hallowed halls, a sense of closeness to God the Father passed through Him. So Jesus probably felt very much at home on this day in the temple, and could have been so engrossed in the moment as to be unaware of his parents' departure. And what was the first thing the very Son of God did when left alone with the teachers? Did He solemnly address them as authority from heaven? Did He chastise them for failing to properly keep the Law? I am impressed with the spirit of submission displayed by our Lord; according to scripture, He first sat and listened (v46). As our crucified and risen Lord, Jesus still listens to us. He sits at the right hand of God and listens to all our heartache and sorrow; He listens to our words of joy and thanksgiving. And He listens most attentively to the silent longings of our heart. ___________________________ Jesus Is All the World To Me Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all; He is my strength, from day to day, without Him I would fall. When I am sad, to Him I go, no other one can cheer me so; When I am sad He makes me glad, He's my friend. Jesus is all the world to me, my friend in trials sore; I go to Him for blessings, and He gives them o'er and o'er. He sends the sunshine and the rain, He sends the harvest's golden grain; Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain, He's my friend. Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better friend; I trust Him now, I'll trust Him when life's fleeting days shall end. Beautiful life with such a friend; beautiful life that has no end; Eternal life, eternal joy, He's my friend.(7) Into the Word ------------- Jesus & the Temple MAT 4:5-7 MAT 12:2-8 MAT 17:24-27 MAT 21:12-16 MAT 21:23-27 MAT 24:1-2 MAT 26:55-64 MAT 27:3-5 MAT 27:39-40 MAT 27:50-51 MAR 11:7-11 MAR 11:15-18 MAR 11:27-33 MAR 12:35-13:3 MAR 14:47-59 MAR 15:29-30 MAR 15:37-38 LUK 2:25-38 LUK 2:41-50 LUK 4:9-12 LUK 19:45-20:8 LUK 21:1-6 LUK 21:37-22:4 LUK 22:47-53 LUK 23:44-46 JOH 2:13-21 JOH 7:25-46 JOH 8:1-2 JOH 8:20 JOH 8:58-59 JOH 10:22-23 JOH 18:20 REV 3:12 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective O U R S A N C T U A R Y ------------- Let's slip away, for a moment, from this scene of scholarship. I can't help but linger on this picture of the young Jesus surrounded by the much older teachers. We have been looking at the important lessons to be learned from what passed between them, but just for a moment let us consider the place. The Temple was a specific building in Jerusalem, but a temple can be many things to many people. It can be a closet, where we go to speak and listen to our God; it can be a classroom where we go for instruction; it can be a grand and magnificent cathedral or a humble shack, where we gather with those of like mind to worship God; it can be a place of sanctuary, of protection and safety, where the temporal world is left outside; and it can be a silent moment of the heart, where the Holy Spirit speaks with us in thoughts too rich for words. ___________________________ Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. -PSA 23:6 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. -PSA 27:4-6 Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. -PSA 65:4 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. -PSA 73:13-17 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. -PSA 84:2 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. -PSA 84:10 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." -PSA 92:12-15 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. -PSA 96:8-9 A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. -PSA 100:1-5 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. -PSA 150:1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective C O U L D T H I S B E G O D ? ------------- We live in a world of telling; people don't think much of asking, they would rather tell. Somewhere along the line we've picked up the idea that the act of asking questions is a sign of weakness, that there's something unmanly about the inquiry. In one of His earliest teachings, Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." and "Blessed are the gentle [or humble], for they shall inherit the earth."(8) Even at the tender age of 12, He was demonstrating this. He who was God in flesh, containing within Him the very definition of knowledge itself, thought it entirely appropriate to seek the wisdom of others. ___________________________ "Wise men know their own ignorance and are always ready to learn. Humility is the child of knowledge. Michelangelo was found by the Cardinal Farnese walking in solitude amid the ruins of the Coliseum, and when he expressed his surprise, the great artist answered, 'I go yet to school that I may continue to learn.' Every person we encounter is able to teach us something, and we would be very foolish not to be able to learn from him." (Spurgeon)(9) Into the Word ------------- God/Man/God Trace the path Jesus took from Heaven to man and back to Heaven. GEN 1:1,26 JOH 1:1-3 ISA 9:6-7 LUK 2:7 JOH 1:14 LUK 2:40,52 JOH 1:49 JOH 4:25-26 JOH 6:42 JOH 17 MAT 27:27-30 LUK 23:33,46 EPH 4:9-10 JOH 20:11-18 LUK 24:31-32 ACT 1:9-11 REV 1:8,17-18 REV 5:11-14 REV 22:16,20 Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. ----------------- Although He was a Son, He learned obediance from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. -HEB 5:8-9 Was God perfecting (or completing) Jesus through the wisdom of the Temple teachers? ___________________________ "Of all trees, I observe, God has chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft and patient lamb; of all fowls, the mild and guileless dove. Christ is the rose of the field, and the lily of the valley. When God appeared to Moses, it was not in the lofty cedar, nor the sturdy oak, nor the spreading plane, but in a bush, a humble, slender, abject shrub--as if he would, by these choices, check the conceited arrogance of man." (Feltham)(10) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective F R O M T H E M I N D O F G O D ------------- They were amazed! Of course they were. With brilliant hindsight, and with the advantage of the narrative by Doctor Luke, we can shrug our shoulders and say: "Well, what do you expect? This was the Son of God!" But they didn't know that. At best, he was a prodigy--a surprisingly inquisitive, knowledgeable youth who held them enthralled for a few days. Even if the teachers had reason to recall the prophecy--in which they all would have been well-versed--there was nothing about this young boy to associate Him with the coming Messiah. They had an excuse. What's yours? How often do you catch yourself using the word 'surprise' or worse, 'coincidence,' when referring to something God has done in your life? How often have you used the word 'amazing' when reading Scripture? Scene 1: You've been praying regularly for weeks that God will heal the cancer in your father. A date for surgery is set, but the doctors are not optimistic--his prognosis is grim. During surgery you pray without ceasing, pleading that God will make the surgeons' fingers sing, that they will rid your parent's body of the cancer. After long hours, they emerge from the operating room sweaty and weary--but smiling. They have successfully routed out every trace of the disease and your father is given a perfectly clean bill of health. He can live a normal life. You turn to your companion, overwhelmed with relief, and exclaim, "What a wonderful surprise! They didn't think he would make it!" Scene 2: Your relationship with a close friend has been deteriorating. Hateful things have been said from both directions and you can't imagine that the friendship can be repaired--much less sustained. You turn to your Bible, thinking (as a last resort) that maybe these pages of small type will hold some solution for the situation. Suddenly a verse bursts off the page, as if painted in neon, and in only a few seconds you realize what you must do for the relationship. An overwhelming sense of peace surges through you. Silently, you are amazed at how the answer came so quickly from Scripture. Why are we so easily amazed by God's working in our lives? Why are we so easily surprised by answered prayer? There was in that one 12-year-old boy the wisdom and knowledge of all ages; He not only knew all things, but had created all things. He was God! The temple teachers were amazed. They had every right to be--they didn't know they were speaking with God. What's our excuse? ___________________________ Standing on the Promises Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Thro' eternal ages let His praises ring; Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God. Refrain Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior; Standing, standing, I'm standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to Him eternally by love's strong cord, Overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword, Standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises I cannot fall, List'ning every moment to the Spirit's call, Resting in my Savior as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God.(11) Into the Word ------------- ...and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? -LUK 2:48-49 KJV "'How is it that ye sought me?' That means: Did you not know where I should be sure to be? What need was there to go up and down Jerusalem looking for me? You might have known there was only one place where you would find me. 'Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?' Do people know where to find us? Is it unnecessary to go hunting for us? Is there a place where it is certain that we shall be? It was so with this child Jesus, and it should be so with all of us who profess to be His followers." (Maclaren)(12) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective DIALOGUE ------------- Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. -ACT 2:41-47 ___________________________ When moving to a new area, one is often asked about one's occupation, as in: "And what do you do?" I have been asked this question many times in the past--and especially during this last year. My first response is always: "I am a writer." Invariably, I am then obliged to flesh that response out a bit. I tell the inquisitor that I write Christian plays, computer programs for churches, and (pausing to choose my words carefully, since I have never successfully chosen them before) a Bible Study newsletter. I have never been comfortable describing Aspects to someone who has never seen it. I'm just not sure what to call it. At various times it could be called a Bible Study, a devotional, or a reference resource. But it doesn't have enough questions for a Bible Study, it has too many footnotes for a devotional, and it contains too much of my opinion for a reference resource! Easier than describing what Aspects is, is explaining what it hopes to accomplish. I am drawn to that phrase used on the first page: "Let us reason together." As is so often the case with Scripture, the serious student will find that this word, reason, can be used with several different shadings of meaning. Job uses it in reference to arguing with God; it can mean to plead your case (as before a judge in court), to argue, or--as I would like to use it here--to discuss, to state your position in healthy debate. The idea is one of everyone sharing their insights into scripture for the benefit of all. This concept of sharing leads me to the New Testament--specifically, ACTS 2:41-47--and the picture of the healthy early church. I see in this portrait a community of believers sharing the gifts of God's blessings with their brothers and sisters in the faith. God's blessings are not limited to the physical; they are also seen in our abilities and skills--the special gifts God Himself has shared with each of us. Putting these two concepts together is Aspects. As saints, we each have received and developed unique insights into God's truths, and how better to share them than to reason together with other saints, so that we all can come to a deeper understanding of His holy Word. It is my prayer that you will see Aspects not as a passive exercise in reading, but as a springboard into a richer relationship with your God. In these times He speaks to usthrough His Word--it is His manual for our lives. And I hope you will freely and unselfishly share your insights with others who receive Aspects. ======================================================================== NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Notes ----- 1 LUK 1:35 2 The Passover feast commemorated the historic event of Israel's deliverance from the bondage of Egypt; it included the symbolic elements of roasted lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs and four cups of wine, specifically placed throughout the feast. The feast of Pentecost (or Weeks) marked the completion of the barley harvest; this feast was also called the Feast of Harvest and Day of the First Fruits. During this time period, Pentecost was celebrated as the anniversary of the law-giving at Mount Sinai. Th e Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Booths or Festival of Ingathering) was held at the end of the year when the labors of the field were gathered in. The historical reference for the Jews was the exodus from Egypt, during their time of wandering and dwelling in booths (shelters constructed from boughs and branches) in the wilderness. 3 The Expositor's Bible Commentary (Zondervan, 1984), Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, p.851. 4 Ibid,, p.852. 5 Seti (or Sethos) I was the father of Ramses II (or Ramses the Great) and ruled Egypt from 1303 to 1290 BCE. 6 EXO 25:8; 1CH 28:1-10. 7 Will L. Thompson, Hymn #510 in The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration (WORD, 1986). 8 MAT 5:3,5 NASB 9 Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon (Shaw, 1990), p.266. 10 Owen Feltham, Ibid., p.20. 11 R. Kelso Carter, Hymn #271 in The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration (WORD, 1986). 12 Alexander Maclaren in his Expositions of Holy Scripture (Baker, 1984), Vol.9, p.66-67. Copyright Information --------------------- All original material in Aspects is Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel."). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, or spoken messages. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the New International Version. NIV quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. NASB quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Subscription Information ------------------------ Aspects is published monthly. There are two preferred methods of receiving it on a regular basis: 1) You may subscribe to the laser-printed (hard copy) edition, which is sent out via regular mail. This edition is different from this file you are reading in the following ways: - a "typeset" look, with italics, larger titles and headings, etc. - Scripture text and quotations are more obviously set apart - lines printed for your notes after each question - arrives pre-punched for a 3-ring binder - generally looks better 2) You may subscribe to the e-mail edition, which will be "mailed" to you directly each month. This edition will be formatted just like this file you are now reading--which still contains all the text of the printed edition. There is no charge for either option. For a free subscription to Aspects, send a note to "dlampel@dlampel.com" Please specify the method by which you wish to receive Aspects. Be sure to include your postal mailing address if you choose the printed edition. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aspects is distributed free-of-charge, without obligation, in service to our Lord and to His glory. Reader opinions are always welcome, as are insights into the published material. Send all comments to the above address. We always appreciate hearing when someone has been edified by this work. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes on the "online" Format ---------------------------- Certain adaptations to the text are necessary for distribution of this ASCII edition of Aspects. Endnote reference numbers are enclosed in parentheses (); quotations are enclosed by quotation marks " ", and are further set apart from original text by indentation and the presence of a following endnote reference; Scripture references are indented, and either cite the reference or are accompanied by a following endnote reference. If you would prefer reading Aspects in its more native, printed form, we would encourage you to subscribe to the edition that is mailed out every month. ---------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/aspects: asp-014.txt