He Submitted to Parental Authority, May 2

He Submitted to Parental Authority, May 2

And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them. Luke 2:51.

Jesus claimed His sonship to the Eternal.... His first visit to the temple had awakened new impulses. All earthly obligations were, for the time, lost sight of; but with the knowledge of His divine mission, and of His union with God, He did not resist the authority of His parents. At their request He returned with them as a faithful, obedient son, and aided them in their life of toil. He buried in His own heart the secret of His future mission, waiting submissively until the period of His public ministry should commence before announcing to the world that He was the Messiah. He submitted to parental restraint, for the period of eighteen years after He had acknowledged that He was the Son of God, and lived the simple, common life of a Galilean, working at the carpenter’s trade.... For thirty years He submitted to parental restraint....

It is common for children, even of Christian parents, when not over twelve years old, to feel that they must be allowed to follow their own desires. And parents are ready to be led by their children, rather than to lead them.... For this reason many youth come up with habits of selfishness and idleness. They are vain, proud, and headstrong.2

When we look upon His patient self-denial, His shrinking from all notoriety, devoting Himself to His daily labor in a humble sphere, what a beautiful light is shed about His life! How clearly is pointed out the path in which children and youth should walk! ... Jesus was no less the Son of God in His lowly home, in His submission to His parents, than when God spoke from His eternal throne, saying, “This is my beloved Son.”3

The life of Christ assures a blessing forever upon a life of cheerful submission to parental restraint and a life of physical and mental industry.4 [130]