He could truthfully reply, as he did, “Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men.”
In other words, the tree symbolized the same eternal truth, which our Lord taught Nicodemus: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) That also explains the vision of the Virgin and the blessed Child, Jesus.
Kenosis. Bible students have a special term, “Kenosis,” for the voluntary condescension, or humiliation, of our Lord, in coming to this world as its Redeemer. This word means that he gave up his divine attributes completely and became a man, like other sons of Adam. Paul states this clearly. (Gal. 4:4-5)
Such are the historical facts. Our Lord came. The Eternal Father sent him. It was divine love that caused him to come.
“That the Son of God, in becoming the Son of man, should submit himself to the regular human method of coming into the world is one of the most sublime proofs of his loving condescension to us. Yet one thing we must not forget,—that this family into which he was born was, on both sides, of royal stock, both Joseph and Mary being descendants of King David.” (The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 2, p. 1017, under, “Kenosis.”)
The condescension of our Lord in coming to fulfil his mission in mortality was also the condescension of God, the Eternal Father, in sending him forth on this mission.
The Virgin. That is the title given to the Mother of Jesus in the prophecy of his birth. (Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:23) There is very little information in the New Testament concerning Mary. But from what is written about her, it is evident that she was a woman of the highest mental and spiritual culture. That she was a regular visitor in the temple, well known by the officials in the sacred edifice, is also indicated by the story of the appearance of her divine Son there at the age of twelve years. A boy of obscure parentage would not have had a chance to remain among the learned doctors for several days, as he did.
Early traditions, recorded in the Protevangelium and some other apocrypha, relate that Mary was born at Nazareth, the daughter of Joachim and his wife, Anna. The father is said to have been a very wealthy citizen, known for his generosity and observance of the law. For many years the worthy couple lived together childless. But, finally, they promised the Lord that a child of theirs would be dedicated to the Lord, i.e. to the temple service. Then, in due time, the baby girl, to whom they gave the name of Mary, came. She was the answer to their prayers, the reward for their faithfulness.
When the little girl was three years old—so the tradition avers—she was taken to the temple and, in accordance with the promise made, dedicated to the service of the Lord. From now on, she was raised and educated under the direction of the authorities of the temple. The summer months, it is said, she spent at Nazareth, the rest of the year she served in the Sanctuary.
Now, it seems to have been customary, as regards the young ladies raised for the temple service, to give them an opportunity, when they arrived at the marriagable age, to choose for themselves whether they would continue to remain the virgins of the Lord for ever, or become wives and mothers. Mary’s choice was to continue the temple service, but, guided by a special revelation, the high priest selected Joseph of Nazareth to be her legal guardian and husband. (Protev. Chapt. 8) She was then twelve years old.
After the wonderful story of the birth of the Savior of the world the evangelists say little of Mary. She is mentioned in the account of the marriage feast at Cana (14)
Tradition has it that she died in Jerusalem in the year 48 A.D., and that her body also was taken to heaven. The latter “assumption” is based on the story that the apostles, three days after her interment, found the tomb empty.
All this, except the accounts given by the evangelists, is tradition. That the story has an historic foundation is not denied. But to separate the historic element from what is mere fiction, is not always possible at this late day.
Before leaving this subject, a word should be said of Anna, the prophetess, mentioned by Luke. She, too, must have been one of the virgins of the Lord, dedicated to the temple service. She was of the tribe of Asher. This may be accounted for by the fact that when Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent a call to Israel, as well as Judah, to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the passover, some people of the tribe of Asher, and also of the tribes of Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulon, humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The forefathers of Anna may have come to Jerusalem at that time. The forebears of Lehi, of the tribe of Manasseh, may also have come at the invitation of Hezekiah. (Luke 2:36-8)
The regular hours of prayer were “the third hour of the day” (Acts 3:1), 3 o’clock p.m.
Fasting seems to have been required twice a week. (Luke 18:12)