THE
PARTING OF THE WAYS
The second watershed in the mission
of the Christ was reached when, emerging from the long silence and seclusion of
Nazareth, He faced the brief period of speech and service, culminating in His
Cross. That crisis is marked by His baptism in the river of Jordan. Concerning
the thirty years, practically no details are given. A few brief statements
constitute the record of this period. These statements reveal the principles of
His life, and a bare statement of facts, quite sufficient for an understanding
of all that is of value. They were years of seclusion and privacy.
The Gospel narratives give a much
fuller account of the three years of public ministry.
Between these periods, the baptism in Jordan stands, at once
dividing and uniting them. An understanding of the meaning of that ceremony, in
the case of Jesus, will be gained by contemplation of the thirty years and of
the three. The order of the present article then is that of considering,
first, the thirty years of private life; secondly, the three years of public
ministry; and lastly, the ceremony coming between the two periods.
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