The inhabitants of Nazareth were not a little astonished to see Joseph,
the carpenter, who had so long disappeared from their midst, walk up
the street with his wife and a handsome boy. It was a good thing that
they had baggage with them. But Cousin Nathaniel made a very wry face,
in which the smile of welcome struggled with the anxiety this
unexpected arrival caused him. Cousin Nathaniel had taken possession
of, and settled comfortably in the house, regarding himself as the
heir. Now he must pack up and go.
Joseph was delighted to see his workshop again, with its vice, bench,
yardstick, plane, and saw. The red dyeing vat was also there, and the
cord with which the timber was measured before the axe was used on it.
Cousin Nathaniel declared that many of the tools belonged to him, until
Joseph pointed to the J with which all the things were marked for the
sake of order. When the old workman tied on his apron, and for the
first time set to work with the plane so that the fine shavings flew
whirring about, his blood flowed swiftly for delight, and his eye
looked like that of a young man. And so the carpenter began cheerfully
to work again, not only in his own shop, but anywhere in the
neighbourhood where building or repairing was required, or tables,
chests, or benches were needed. The little property he had brought
from Egypt would be increased here, so that when the time came his son
should make a good start in life. Mary helped him with careful and
economical housekeeping, and made undergarments and cloaks for the
women of Nazareth. Jesus had a room to himself to which he could
withdraw when work was over. Joseph hoped, by making him comfortable
at home, to counteract the attractions of the outside world. The vine
trellises could be clearly seen through the windows of the room, and a
hill with olive-trees, and clouds from Lebanon passing over the sky,
and the stars that rose in the east. The first gleam of sun, moon, and
stars, when they rose, fell into that peaceful chamber. The Books of
Moses, the Maccabees, the Kings, the Prophets, and Psalmists which
Jesus gradually collected in Nazareth, Cana, Nain, and in villages
below round the lake, filled a shelf. The men of Galilee had become
indifferent to the works which their forefathers wrote with toil and
reverence; they had had to wait too long for the fulfilment of the
prophecies, and began to doubt that a Messiah would ever come to the
Jews, so that they were quite pleased to give the parchments to that
nice boy of Joseph's. If they wanted to know anything, they had only
to ask him, and he explained it so clearly and concisely, and sometimes
so impressively, that they never forgot it again. That was much easier
than awkwardly searching for themselves, and labouring hard to decipher
the words only to be unable to understand them when they had done so.
Many a night, by the light of the moon, did Jesus read in his books.
They were the same as those we read to-day when we open the Old
Testament. So that it is as if we sat with Jesus on the same school
bench. He read of Adam and his sin, of Cain and his murder, of Abraham
and his promise, of Noah and the deluge. He read of Jacob and his
sons, of Joseph whom his brothers sold into Egypt, and of his fate in
that land. And he read of Moses the great lawgiver, of David the
shepherd, minstrel and king, and of Solomon's wisdom and of his temple,
and of the Prophets who judged the people for their misdeeds, and
prophesied the future kingdom. Jesus read the history of his people
with a burning heart. He saw how the race had gradually gone from bad
to worse. If he had at first rejoiced with all enthusiasm, later on he
became angry at the degeneration. Grief made him sleepless, and he
peered thoughtfully into the starry heavens, asking: "What will deliver
them from this misery?"
The stars were silent. But out of the distance, out of the stillness
of eternity, it was proclaimed: I love them so deeply, that I shall
send my own Son to make them happy.
By day Joseph took care that the youth should not dream too much.
Jesus must learn his trade. He did so willingly but not gladly, for
his head was not with his hands, and while he should have joined two
beams to make a door frame, the dark saying of the Prophet sounded in
his head: "He is numbered among the transgressors."
"What are you doing there? Is that a door frame? It's a cross!" So
Joseph awoke him out of his reverie, and Jesus was terrified to see
that he had nailed the pieces of wood crosswise.
"Tell me," said Joseph to the boy, "what are you thinking of? If
you've any sense in your head use it for your honest work. The
simplest handicraft needs it all, and not only a piece here and there.
And especially carpentering, which builds people houses, bridges,
ships, and yea, temples for Jehovah. You cannot imagine what mischief
a bad carpenter may do. You're thinking of divine things? Well, work
is a divine thing. With work in his hands, man continues the creation
of God. People say that you are clever; then let your master see it.
You make the tools blunt and the work is not clean and sharp. This
can't go on, child."
Jesus let the lecture pass in silence, and worked far into the night to
make the mischief good.
Joseph confided his grief to his wife. Not that the boy would turn out
a bad carpenter. If he liked he could succeed in anything. But Joseph
was grieved to have to scold his favourite so often. He had to do that
to every apprentice.
Mary said: "Joseph, you are quite right, to direct him. I am indeed
anxious. I observe the child carefully, and I am not satisfied. He is
so different, so very different from boys of his age."
"I think, too, that he is different," said Joseph. "We must not forget
that from the very beginning it was different with this child. Jehovah
understands it; I can't fit it together. He reads too much, and that's
bad for young people."
"And I almost fear he reads the Law in order to criticise it," said
Mary.
"He'll find himself. At his age boys exaggerate in everything." So
Joseph consoled himself. "He's a singular boy. Look at him when he
plays with other children! The tallest of them all! No, after all, I
wouldn't have him other than he is."
They had talked in sorrow and joy while Jesus was nailing the wood
correctly out in the workshop. And when he had gone to bed, Joseph
crept into his room, and laid his hand gently on his head.
And so the years went by. Jesus improved in his work, and grew in
intelligence, and in cheerfulness. The Sabbath day was all his own.
He liked to go up to the hill top where the sheep were feeding among
the stones and the olive-trees, whence he could see the mighty
mountains of Lebanon and, the wide landscape, partly green and fertile
and partly barren, down to the lake. He stood there and thought. He
was always friendly with the people he met or who were employed about
him, but he seldom became intimate with them. Occasionally he would
join in some athletic exercise with youths from Cana, and in wrestling,
strive who could overcome the other. Then his soft brown hair would
fly in the wind, his cheeks would glow, and when the game was over, he
would return arm-in-arm with his adversary to the valley below. But he
preferred to be alone with himself, or with silent nature. Beautiful
ideas came springing like lambs in that peaceful place, but there also
came thoughts strong as lions. He dreamed. He did not think; thought,
as it were, lay within himself, and then he spoke out many a word at
which he was himself terrified. Ideas began to shape themselves within
him, and before he was aware of it they were clearly spoken by his
tongue, as if it was another who spoke for him. And so he came out of
the mysterious depths to the light.
He was often challenged to dispute; he never defended himself except by
words, but they were so weighty and fiery that people soon left him in
peace. If he struck, he knew how to make the injury good. One day
when he was going down the defile to the stony moor, a mischievous boy
ran up behind him and knocked him down. Jesus quickly picked himself
up, and shouted angrily to the boy, "Die!" When he saw the blazing
eye, the boy turned deathly pale and began to tremble so that, near to
fainting, he had to lean up against the rocky wall. Jesus went up to
him, laid his hand on his shoulder and said kindly, "Live!"
No one in the whole country-side had ever seen such an eye as his.
Like lightning in anger, in calmer moods like the gleam of dewdrops
upon flowers.