Jesus' Life in Nazareth – Age 6 

Jesus, now in his sixth calendar year (1 BCE) continued to master languages. The family owned a copy of the Hebrew Scriptures written in Greek, the only one of two in Nazareth, which made their home a favorite gathering place for people to visit, see the book, and hear Jesus translate it into Aramaic.

The family enjoyed a visit from Zacharias and Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist. While the parents discussed the possible futures of their sons, Jesus and John played happily together.

This same year, Jesus received the shock of his life when his parents could not answer some of his questions. He had thought they knew everything!

Jesus at six years old was not a fan of being disciplined. His father had to sit down and explain the overall benefit of rules to the smooth running of a family. Once the reasons were understood, Jesus willingly complied.

With Mary’s help, Jesus mastered the Galilean dialect of the Aramaic tongue, and his father began teaching him Greek. Joseph’s home turned into a place to visit because they were given a complete Bible of the Hebrew scriptures in the Greek language when they parted from Alexandria. As Jesus grew up, he met earnest students and sincere truth seekers due to owning this priceless manuscript. And before long, Jesus could easily read it.

In the early summer, Zacharias and Elizabeth and their son John (later to be known as John the Baptist) came to visit the Nazareth family. The parents naturally talked over many things, mostly focused on the future of their sons as each mother had a heavenly visit concerning them. Jesus and John played with blocks in the sand on top of the house and enjoyed themselves gleefully in their play.

After meeting John, there sparked an interest in Jesus of the history of Israel and the meanings behind the Jewish religion and traditions: Sabbath rites, synagogue sermons, and recurring feasts of commemoration. Joseph explained to him the meaning of all these seasons, from the first midwinter festive illumination, to the last of the new year, the day of atonement, and the many in between. Jesus contemplated them all, and although some of these celebrations and observances were beyond a young boy’s understanding, Jesus entered fully in the joyful annual vacation season where everyone camped out in leafy booths and celebrated heartedly. The feast of tabernacles was like a large family reunion with food and good times.

The first great shock of Jesus happened before his birthday. He assumed that his father and mother knew everything. Imagine the surprise when his father failed to explain the cause of earthquakes after a mild one had just occurred. Joseph answered honestly that he did not know. Jesus had to face the fact that his parents were not all-knowing!

Joseph entertained telling Jesus that the earthquake was caused by God, but immediately saw the folly of that path. He knew Jesus would ask numerous and even more embarrassing follow-up questions. Answering Jesus’ difficult questions about physical or social phenomena by good spirits or bad spirits, a prevailing belief of the Jewish people, would also not work. Jesus was willing to accept that as a possible explanation for mental or spiritual aberrations, but hardly for the purely physical happenings of the natural world.

Jesus exhibited strong feelings and vigorous impulses, and this year he succeeded in adjusting these to his parent’s demand of family co-operation and home discipline. At least once, Joseph sat him down and told him the reasons why curtailment of personal desires was necessary for family harmony. Jesus agreed with the explanation, and then he intelligently and willingly followed his parents wishes and family rules. Mary was always a loving mother, but stuck by the rules.

Another point of contention was praying. Jesus insisted on conversing with his heavenly Father in the same way he did with his earthly father, Joseph. This departure from more solemn and reverent modes of communication with God was unsettling to his parents, particularly his mother, but there was no convincing him to change; he would say his prayers exactly as he had been taught, followed by "just a little talk with my Father in heaven."

In June of this year, Joseph transitioned from his shop in Nazareth to become a full-time builder. The family's income significantly increased, and they no longer faced poverty. Over the next few years, Joseph worked on various construction projects in different towns and villages, and Jesus often accompanied him. Jesus was a keen observer and gained a lot of practical knowledge from his trips away from home; he was continually storing up knowledge about people and how they lived on earth.

Jesus, when not helping Mary about the house, would study the flowers and plants and the stars at night. He would miss his bedtime curfew and look up at the starry night with wonder.