After
their time in Egypt, the holy family returned to Nazareth, and, as far as we
know, they lived peacefully throughout Jesus’ childhood and early adult
years.
The
region they lived in was called Galilee.
It was perfect farm land, with rich soil, forests and lots of
greenery. The Sea of Galilee was also
perfect for fishing. The region of Galilee had approximately three million
people living there around Jesus’ time.
A historian named Josephus wrote about the 240 towns and villages of
Galilee, each with about 15,000 persons living in them. So this helps us understand where the large
crowds of people came from who eventually sought to see and hear Jesus when he
began his public ministry.
Nazareth
was on one of the great caravan routes, so a lot of business was transacted
there. The people of Galilee had a
reputation for being healthy, hard workers, and skillful merchants, shipping
their goods to all parts of the world.
Yet they were blamed for neglecting the study of their language, being
poor with grammar and prone to mispronounce words. The Apostle Peter was accused of being from Galilee by a maid in
the courtyard the night Jesus was betrayed on the basis of how he spoke. But we’ll talk more about that later on.
The
father in a Jewish family had specific responsibilities toward his son. Among other things, he needed to teach him
about the Jewish religious laws, beginning at age 3, and also teach him a trade.
Do you know what a “trade” is?
It’s a skill that a person uses to make a living. Joseph was a carpenter and he taught Jesus to
be a carpenter, too.
However,
when Jesus was yet a little child, he spent most of his time with his
mother. The education in the home was
mainly religious. The parents would
teach their child both private and public prayers. The child grew up believing in God, practicing his faith and
learning more about it as each year passed.
The child was also taught respect and honor for parents according to the
Fifth Commandment that God gave Moses.
The child learned both about love and obedience at the same time.
At
the door of each Jewish home there was a box attached to the doorpost. It was called a mezuzah and it contained
copies of Scripture verses reminding the people of how God brought them out of
slavery in Egypt. (Remember Moses and
the crossing of the Red Sea?) The Jewish people would kiss the mezuzah by
touching their lips with their fingers and raising their fingers to it when
entering or leaving the home.
A
poor Jewish family would live in a house that was a single room. The floors would be hard mud or plaster with
straw mats on top. Away from the door
there would be a raised area of stone that was used for eating, sitting and
sleeping. There was no glass, so one
window would be placed high on the wall and might be covered with lattice or an
animal skin in the winter to keep the cold out. Light was provided by an oil lamp or through an open door. The roofs were usually flat and were used
for drying food, for storage or even to sleep on during a hot night. In the city, the houses were joined next to
one another.
A
middle class home would have four rooms on one floor. A ladder or staircase outside would lead up to the roof. The rooms often were separated with
curtains. Better homes had chimneys. A cooking fire would be made outside the
house, or in the house, in a hole in the ground or within a pottery cooking
box. There were no stoves or ovens like
we know them today and certainly no refrigerators! Furniture would include a bed, table and chairs. A bed could be anything from a straw mat to
a wood-framed unit.
The
morning meal would usually be eaten sometime between 9 AM and noon. It consisted of bread, fruits, olives and
cheese. In the afternoon, there was a
siesta, do you know what that is? It’s
a nap! A heavier meal was eaten about
two hours before the sun went down, when the air was cooler. That meal would consist of vegetables,
butter and wine. Meat from sheep and
goats was usually eaten only on special occasions. Meat was not part of the normal diet. Vegetables were an important part of the diet and were often
boiled. They also enjoyed lentils,
cucumbers, onions and garlic. Olive oil
was used in cooking. Herbs were used
for seasoning. They also used salt,
anise, coriander, cumin, dill, thyme and mint.
Bread was eaten by itself or with salt, vinegar, broth or honey. Popular fruits were grapes, raisins,
pomegranates, apples and figs. Almonds
and pistachio nuts were also eaten.
Milk from camels, sheep and goats were drunk. Milk was made into yogurt, butter and cheese. Salt was used to flavor and preserve food.
Jews
sat on mats on the floor to eat, later they began using the custom of a table
with couches on which they reclined while eating. Hands were washed before eating and a prayer of thanksgiving said
for the food.
In
the evening, the men of the city would gather together in a circle with the
older and most respected men in the center.
On the outer edges, older boys would stand and listen. Once darkness came, the people would go to
bed early, in order to rise with the sun the next morning.
The
Jewish women would care for the household.
The Jewish mother would be up early in the morning, even before sun up,
starting a fire in the fireplace or oven.
Often the children would be responsible to find fuel for the fire.
A
woman would grind grain for flour in order to make bread as it was the most
important food. Grinding grain was a
very difficult task, it took a lot of energy and strength. But this was part of the housework and was
done regularly and bread was baked fresh every day. The oven was generally outside the house, in a courtyard
area. Some towns had a public oven
where one’s dough could be baked into bread.
Apart
from preparing food, the floor of the house needed to be swept carefully and
the place made tidy. The fire had to be
fanned into a flame so cooking could begin.
Every
family needed water. Water was fetched
from the local well or spring at the beginning or end of each day. Young women would fill their water jugs and
carry them home on their heads. When
filled to the top with water each jug weighed as much as 23 kilos. (How much do you weigh? Are you much more than 23 kilos?)
Nazareth
had only one spring and the Theotokos must have gone there to fetch water for
the needs of her family. Today water
still flows from the spring and it is excellent. The spring is now located in the Greek Orthodox Church of the
Annunciation in Nazareth.
The
other daily task that fell to the women was shopping. It was a daily chore because food would not keep for more than
one day in such a hot climate unless it was dried or salted. This shopping was done in the public market.
The
Jewish woman also made clothing for her family. She would begin by spinning wool which she would weave into cloth
and then sew together by hand. Men and
women both wore tunics and belts.
During winter they wore clothing made from animal skin or fur. They also wore sandals, but always took them
off whenever entering a house. Removal
of shoes was a sign of consideration and respect. After removing the sandals, the person’s feet would be washed
before entering the home.
Married
women would cover their heads with a scarf or veil and they always covered
their heads when worshiping God. And
whenever going out of the house into a public place, a woman would wear a scarf
or veil.
There
were no cars in Jesus’ time. The usual
transport was a donkey which carried people as well as goods on its saddle.
Roman
troops occupied Galilee and all the surrounding areas and the Jewish people
hated the Roman rule. However, the
Romans allowed the Jews to govern many of their affairs according to Jewish
religious laws.
The
language of Jesus’ time was called Aramaic.
Greek was also spoken by many and it is possible that Jesus may have
also spoken Greek as well as Aramaic.
Young
boys would attend schools taught by local Jewish religious leaders called
rabbis. They were taught the Jewish
religious laws as a supplement to what they were learning at home. Jesus probably started attending such a
school when he was about six years old.
On
special religious holidays, the family would travel to Jerusalem to worship at
the Temple. Once a boy reached 13 years
of age, he was required to participate in these religious feasts. We don’t know a lot about Jesus’ childhood
in terms of what he did or said, but we do know something about an event that
happened when he was 12 years old.
On
the first Passover feast after Jesus turned 12, his parents took him to the
Temple in Jerusalem for this religious celebration. They went to offer a sacrifice according to Jewish religious law
and to worship God. The travel from
Nazareth to Jerusalem was long and difficult, part of the trip included a
thirteen mile walk through the desert of Judea.
The
Gospel tells us that after the days spent in Jerusalem for the feast, the
Theotokos and Joseph left for Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem
and his parents did not know about it.
What do you think he was doing there?
He was discussing religious questions with the teachers of the Jewish
law. Not only did he ask them
questions, but he also gave them some answers that amazed them as they’d never
heard such teaching from anyone before and certainly not from a 12 year old
boy! They marveled at him.
In
the meantime, the Theotokos and Joseph had traveled for a day before they
realized that Jesus was not with them.
Remember, they were traveling with many of their relatives and often men
and women traveled in separate groups.
Either Joseph or the Theotokos may have thought that Jesus was with the
other parent. However as soon as they
realized he was missing, they hurried back to Jerusalem in search of him.
The
Gospel records that after three days they found Jesus in the Temple sitting in
the midst of the teachers of the Law, both listening and asking them
questions. And everyone who heard Jesus
was astonished at his understanding and answers.
We are
told that when his parents found him, they were amazed and his mother said,
“Son, why have you behaved like this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you and worrying.”
And
Jesus replied, “Why did you look for me?
Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
The
Gospel tells us that Joseph and the Theotokos did not understand what Jesus
said to them. What do you think Jesus
was trying to say? He was revealing who
he was, wasn’t he? Perhaps it was
sometimes easy for Joseph and the Theotokos to forget that he really was God,
the Son of the Father who is in heaven.
And
then we are told that Jesus went down with them and returned to Nazareth and
lived in obedience to his earthly parents.
This
is a lesson for each of us…that we, too, ought to obey our earthly parents as
this is very pleasing to God and we will be blessed for it.
We
finish here with this Gospel verse which says, “And Jesus kept increasing in
wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.”