3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

It is no great exercise of imagination, in the light of this piece of local knowledge, to picture Jesus, between 12 and 30, mixing in a busy family circle, and, as the eldest brother of the family, taking a prominent part in various domestic matters common to them all, yet differing from them in the intensity of his character, and the gravity and earnestness of his demeanour.

This difference would not be apparent to them. A stranger would have distinguished him from the rest by his reserve and seriousness, amounting to sadness: but we know that daily contact familiarises the mind with even the extremest peculiarities. And, therefore, as a member of the Nazareth community, Christ would simply be known as the quiet pensive son of Joseph, without challenging recognition as "the greater than Solomon."

The time was coming for his manifestation: but till 30, he was simply one of the inhabitants of Nazareth.

Nazareth Revisited Ch 10.

He knew his real paternity was not of Joseph: he never went to school; yet was he wiser than those who assumed to be his teachers, being filled with wisdom, the grace of God being upon him; and was the beloved of all who knew him (Matt. 1:23; Luke 2:40, 46-52; Mark 6:3; John 8: 15; Psalm 119:97-104). He was clearly in an intellectual and moral condition parallel with Adam's before he transgressed. The "grace of God" was upon Adam, and imparted to him much wisdom and knowledge; but still left him free to obey the impulses of his flesh if he preferred it, rather than the Divine Law.

This was the case also with Jesus, who, in his discourses, always maintained the distinction between what he called "mine own self" and "the Father Himself" who dwelt in him by His effluence. "The Son," said he, "can do nothing of himself"; and this he repeated in the same discourse, saying, "I can of mine own self do nothing."? He refers all the doctrine taught, and all the miracles performed to the Father, whose effluence rested upon and filled him. If this be remembered, it will make the "hard sayings" of his teaching easy to be understood.

Thus, in John 6:38, Jesus? says:

"l came down from heaven": "I am the bread that came down from heaven the bread of life; if any man shall eat of this bread, he shall live in the Aion, and the bread that I will give is my flesh."

These sayings caused the Jews who heard them to inquire: How can this man have come down from heaven whose father and mother we know? And, how can he give us his flesh to eat?

These inquiries were prompted by their rule of interpretation, which has been the rule of their posterity through all ages to this day. They interpreted the discourses of Jesus by the principles of the flesh.

"Ye cannot tell whence I come," said Jesus, "and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh."

They only conceived of the flesh born of Mary coming down from heaven, and of their eating that flesh as they would eat meat.

They did not recognize the voice of the Father in the words that came from the mouth of Jesus. If they had, they would have understood that it was the Spirit that had come down, and was to "ascend where he was before"; that the Spirit claimed the Cherub born of Mary as "His flesh," because it was prepared for Him (Psalm 40:6; Heb. 10:5); and that he gave this flesh, which he calls "my flesh," for the life of the world; which flesh Paul says, "through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without fault to God."

Judging according to the principles of flesh-thinking, they did not understand that it was an intellectual eating and drinking of the Spirit-and-life words, or teaching, that came down from heaven concerning the Christ and him crucified. "Thy words were found, and I did eat them," says Jeremiah (Ch. 15:16); but the contemporaries of Jesus had almost as little taste for such eating as ours. When a man marks, reads, and inwardly digests the subject-matter of the Father's doctrine, he eats and drinks it, and is "taught of God," (John 6:45), as all must be who would be saved.

That doctrine sets forth the things of the kingdom of God, and the things concerning Jesus Anointed, among which is the sanctifying of those who believe the promises covenanted, through the offering of the body of Jesus once. They who understand the doctrine of the Father and believe it unto obedience, eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man; for, saith he,

"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him" (John 6:56).

This in-dwelling is by faith of the words which are spirit and life, as appears from Paul's exhortation to us, saying: "Let Christ dwell in your hearts by faith" (Eph. 3:17).

When the words or doctrine, of the Eternal Spirit concerning the kingdom and name are the subject matter of our faith, we dwell in Christ and Christ dwells in us. The Jews did not see into this, because they judged after the flesh, which, in this great matter of God and salvation, is altogether ignored as unprofitable. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I speak unto you are spirit and life" (John 6:63); therefore, if these words dwell in us, "Spirit and life" dwell in us, otherwise not.

We must judge then, after the Spirit, for "the deep things of God," which are "the things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned."

Phanerosis - The Anointed Cherub.

That the Jews regarded Jesus as the natural son of Joseph is rather against the Josephite theory than for it; for Jesus repudiated the views entertained of him by the Jews, and stigmatised them as fleshly. His words are,

"I know whence I came and whither I go, but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh. . . . Ye are from beneath. I am from above. Ye are of this world. I am not of this world."—(John 8:14, 15, 23).

If Christ was the natural son of Joseph, no signification can be attached to these words that would not also apply to all the prophets and apostles; and then Jesus sinks to a level with them instead of occupying that prominence indicated in the words,

"To him give all the prophets witness"—(Acts 10:43). "Christ the end of the law for righteousness."—(Rom. 10:4).

Not only so, but the language addressed to the Pharisees would be strained, unnatural, unsuitable, and extravagant in the last degree, if it merely meant that his teaching (by the spirit upon him), was superior to theirs. He says,

"I proceeded forth and came from God, neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech?" (John 8:43).

This appeal to the meaning of his words plainly intimates that they had reference to his individual origin. They could by no law of language have any other significance. Of course the Pharisees could not understand them; because, judging after the flesh, they believed Jesus to be a mere man—a natural son of Joseph; but in view of the fact that his paternity was direct from heaven, without the intervention of man, we are enabled to see great point in them.

They mean—that is, he meant them to mean—that he was the Son of God as distinct from men whose paternity was of the flesh. They accused him of blasphemy in this: "For a good work," said they,

"we stone thee not: but for blasphemy, and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."

(The Jews sought the more to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God—John 5:18). Jesus answered them,

"Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, thou blasphemest, because I said I am the Son of God" (John 10:33–36).

What a weak and scarcely detectable element of meaning there would be in these statements on the Josephite theory. In fact, it may well be asked if they could have any meaning whatever. And to this question there could be but one answer, viz., if the Josephite theory is to be received, John's gospel must be rejected. The two are utterly irreconcilable.

The divine sonship view involves no violence of this kind. Take the New Testament account as it stands, and John's statements fall into the category of intelligible utterances. We have then a rational explanation of the reason why Jesus, in the days of his flesh, assumed the title of the Son of God, which on the other theory is entirely wanting. According to Luke, the angel Gabriel said to Mary, the mother of Jesus, before his conception, in answer to her question

"How shall this be seeing I know not a man?" "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also the holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

This is a very satisfactory explanation of the whole matter. The fact that the gospel occasionally speaks of Jesus as the Son of Joseph is no countenance to the idea that he was in reality the Son of Joseph. Such descriptions where they occur merely reflect in an historical way the impression that prevailed among the unbelieving Jews. It is true the evangelists did not correct it; but then it must be remembered that it was not their province, as narrators of Christ's life, to do so.

They never step aside from the narrative to discuss the errors of the people. They simply record facts, and in doing this they were bound to make known that in the surprise created by the wisdom and the works of Christ, the people who rejected him, exclaimed,

"Is not this the carpenter's son?"

If we are to say that because they did this without contradicting the view therein expressed, they endorsed it, we must conclude they believed Jesus to be a demonologist, operating under the auspices of Beelzebub; for they record that the Jews said

"He hath a devil and is mad," . . . "He casteth out demons by Beelzebub the prince of the demons;"

and they add nothing to confute the declaration! But in truth, it was their duty to put these things on record without comment. We have to judge from other sources whether the popular impressions (always loose and inaccurate) were the truth. Against these impressions we have to put Christ's declaration that the Jews judged after the flesh, and did not believe; and the fact that the confession of enlightened believers was,

"Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel" (John 1:49).

Josephism draws its conclusions from the impressions of the mob: it is wiser to seek light at the mouth of Christ himself and at the hands of Christ's actual adherents and companions.

The Christadelphian, Jul 1889

8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:

"..whatsoever city ... inquire who in it is worthy."

...If the people of the place did not receive them favourably, it was to be reckoned a crime entailing severe results afterwards.

...All this was natural to the circumstances. The apostles were being sent forth as the trustees of the most honourable responsibility ever entrusted to man; and it was reasonable so far as they were concerned that a trial of faith should be linked with it in the command to go forth absolutely unprovided.

On the other hand, the places visited by them were actually approached in their persons by the authority and power and majesty of God in Christ.

It was, therefore, reasonable that they should be held under a paramount obligation to render the homage of attention and accommodation.

Nazareth Revisited Ch 23

11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

We did not lecture in Washington.‭ ‬It was useless to endeavor to gain the public ear under existing circumstances.‭ ‬The kingdom of God,‭ ‬and the preservation of the Union,‭ ‬are incompatibilities.‭ ‬The belief of the one makes hopeless the expectation of the other.

‭ ‬We advocate the kingdom,‭ ‬and the nearness of the time when it is to be set up,‭ ‬which necessarily throws a damper over the hopes of Unionists and Rebels‭; ‬and they do not care to listen to doctrine that bereaves them of the idols of their hearts.‭

They are joined to these,‭ ‬and are determined to perish with them.‭ ‬What more can we do than we have done‭? ‬The heart of this people is that of a stone,‭ ‬which can only be made broken and contrite by the judgments of God.‭ ‬Then let the judgments come‭; ‬and in the midst of the tempest may he be a covert and hiding place to his people from the storm.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Nov 1861

19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:

It would have been better for John had Herodias had her way at the start: for he would then have been spared a lingering imprisonment which was very trying to him. It was probably needful for himself that he should have this trial. He had been honoured as no man had been honoured before him, in being the herald of the Son of God.

For a considerable time, he had been a power with the whole Jewish nation, and a centre of righteous and purifying influence which even the rulers could not resist. His whole work had been gloriously crowned by the actual manifestation of the Messiah at his hands.

And it was now probably needful for himself that he should have a taste of that affliction which prepares all the Sons of God for the due appreciation of the goodness in store for them. And so, he was "put in prison," for doing his duty. How long he languished here cannot be determined with certainity -- probably about a year. But it was long enough to exercise him very painfully.

He "heard in prison the works of Christ," but apparently these works were not of the class he had expected. It is possible and probable that John the Baptist shared the expectation common to the disciples, that "the kingdom of God should immediately appear" (Luke xix. II).

He might suppose that the Messiah would proceed to his kingly work as soon as he was manifested in the world. If so, knowing that the Messiah had in very deed been manifested, he would anticipate his early assumption of royal power, and his deposition of Herod, and his liberation of John himself from the durance vile in which he was languishing.

Instead of that, he only heard of his going about preaching and healing the sick, and of his avoiding the people when "they wanted to take him by force and make him a king" (Jno. vi. 15).

It was a great trial to John's faith in the position in which he was placed. It appears to have caused him a degree of faltering. He called two of his disciples, to whom he would have access by Herod's goodwill, and sent them to Christ with this inquiry:

"Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?"

Nazareth Revisited Ch 5

34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

The Godly Man

For peace of mind, and for the singleminded and effectual accomplishment of the work to which he is Divinely appointed, the godly man does well to remember that he has been SET APART. But still, he is not a cold, unfeeling spectator, hardly regarding the mankind's troubles, and impatient - like Jonah for its destruction.

A moment's consideration of THE Godly Man will dispel that idea. Repeatedly we are told that Jesus was moved with compassion for the vast droves of shepherdless sheep, and was never far from tears when he contemplated the benighted misery of the world.

Bro Roberts

49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

The lord Jesus had been mistaken for a terrifying pneuma, or unsubstantial shade of evil, before. He appeared to his disciples in their ship, in the fourth watch of the night, walking on the sea. This is related by Mark in ch. 6:49, and by Matthew ch. 14:26.

In narrating the incident they both testify that they cried out in consternation, exclaiming that what they saw was aphantasma. They mistook him for the same thing, on the sea before, and in Jerusalem after, his resurrection; and with the same terrifying accompaniments: I conclude, therefore, that Luke's pneuma, and Matthew and Mark's phantasma, are the same sort of aphantom) and that the reading of phantasnia for pneuma in Luke 24:37, adopted by Griesbach (a German Hebrew and Greek scholar who specialized in the text of Scripture) is correct. The thing signified is the same, so that any dispute is a mere strife of words.

The sense of pneuma in verse 37, fixes its signification in verse 39, because the pneuma in the fortieth verse, is the subject of criticism in the latter. Speaking of such a pneunia, the Lord Jesus said, "a pneuma bath not flesh and bones, as ye see me having".

He had ascended to the Father, or they would not then be invited to handle him; nevertheless, he was not a phantasmial pneuma, but still substantial flesh and bones, only incorruptible and deathless - incorruptible and undying flesh and bones which is "spirit", pneuma hagiosunes, in contrast with flesh, blood and bones, which is "flesh", and therefore corruptible and mortal. what Jesus was on that evening of the third day, he is now. He is "the Lord the Spirit," substantial, incorruptible, deathless and omnipotent flesh and bones, which now "flourish as an herb," and which say,

"O Yahweh, who is like unto thee, who delivereth the poor from him that was too strong for him?"

It is "of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones," the faithful are the "members;" for what he is now in respect to body, flesh, and bones, they hope to be when he shall appear to make manifest the hosts of the heaven in the scenes of this chapter.

Eureka 19.6.

52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

Miracles are merely a higher form of the work we see performed every day before our eyes in Nature.

Bro Roberts, The Trial P60

56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

It was these wonderful works of power that kept him before the public, and made him a subject of anxiety with the leaders of the people -- the Scribes and Pharisees. "The people rejoiced for all the glorious things done by him," and the leaders could not resist the popular feeling. They followed in its wake and tried to neutralise it by criticism and objection whenever they could find occasion. They watched him with this view, during his progress in the neighbourhood of Capernaum.

Nazareth Revisited Ch 35