Counsels on Wellness

Counsel #8 — Jesus’ Living Environment

Picture: Counsel #8 — Jesus’ Living Environment CWe 160.1

Jesus' mission on Earth was the most important ever undertaken. But where did the all-powerful God decide to raise His Son? Not in a palace, but in a modest home nestled among the Galilean hills. Jesus' family lived a simple life of hard work and no frills. His days were full of challenges and hardships, but he met them all with selflessness, resourcefulness, and a joyful spirit of service. Jesus grew up surrounded by the wonders of creation, which nourished His relationship with His Father. This was the ordinary yet profound living environment that shaped Jesus' early years.^[170] CWe 160.2

“Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?” Matthew 13:55 NKJV CWe 160.3

“Apart from the unholy ways of the world, [Jesus] gathered stores of scientific knowledge from nature…. The more quiet and simple the life… and the more in harmony with nature,—the more favorable is it to physical and mental vigor and to spiritual strength.” Ellen White in The Desire of Ages, pp. 70, 74 CWe 160.4

Reflect: Why do you think God chose for His Son to be raised in the setting of Nazareth, a modest small-town setting, yet notoriously wicked? How might country life eliminate some temptations and trials for you or your children? CWe 160.5