At His visit to the temple in His boyhood, as the mystery of His lifework opened before Him, Christ had said to Mary, "Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" Luke 2:49. These words 147 struck the keynote of His whole life and ministry. Everything was held in abeyance to His work, the great work of redemption which He had come into the world to accomplish. Now He repeated the lesson. There was danger that Mary would regard her relationship to Jesus as giving her a special claim upon Him, and the right, in some degree, to direct Him in His mission. For thirty years He had been to her a loving and obedient son, and His love was unchanged; but He must now go about His Father's work. As Son of the Most High, and Saviour of the world, no earthly ties must hold Him from His mission, or influence His conduct. He must stand free to do the will of God. This lesson is also for us. The claims of God are paramount even to the ties of human relationship. No earthly attraction should turn our feet from the path in which He bids us walk.

Ved Kristi besøg som dreng i templet, da mysteriet ved hans livskald gik op for ham, havde han sagt til Maria: "Vidste I ikke, at jeg bør være i min Faders gerning?" Luk. 2,49. Disse ord ramte grundtonen i hele hans liv og virksomhed. Alt måtte indrettes efter hans gerning, det store frelsesværk, som han var kommen til verden for at udrette. Nu gentog han sin belæring. Der var fare for, at Maria skulle betragte sit slægtskab med Jesus som noget, der gav hende særlige rettigheder over ham, og til en vis grad retten til at vejlede ham i hans gerning. I tredive år havde han været hende en kærlig og lydig søn, og hans kærlighed var uændret; men nu måtte han tage fat på sin Faders gerning. Som den Allerhøjestes Søn og hele verdens Frelser måtte ingen jordiske bånd hindre ham i hans tjeneste eller påvirke hans optræden. Han måtte stå helt frit for at gøre Guds vilje. Denne lære gælder også os. Guds krav står endog over menneskelige slægtskabsbånd. Ingen jordiske tillokkelser burde vende vore skridt bort fra den vej, som han byder os at vandre.