Jesus among the Doctors, by Max Liebermann.
‘Jesus among the Doctors, or, the Twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple’ by German artist and printmaker Max Liebermann (1847-1935), painted in 1879. It depicts the scene in the Temple of Jerusalem when Jesus, then aged twelve, had gone missing and was found by his anxious parents debating the Hebrew Scriptures with the learned men of the day, telling Israel’s story in a manner that left them speechless at his ready answers and understanding. See Luke 2:42-52. As Luke tells the story, this would seem to be the first time that Mary was confronted with Jesus’s awareness that Joseph was his childhood guardian and not ‘my father’.
Tell Me the Old, Old Story
In 1866, Katherine Hankey (1834-1911), daughter of an English banker, was recovering from a long and debilitating illness. Thankful for this answer to her prayers, she composed a long poem reflecting on the story of redemption. Within a year, the handful of verses given below had became a popular hymn, helped by a memorable musical setting by American inventor and choirmaster William Howard Doane.
TELL me the old, old story,
Of unseen things above —
Of Jesus and his glory,
Of Jesus and his love.
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Of Jesus and his love.
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless, and defiled.
Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in —
That wonderful Redemption,
God’s remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often,
For I forget so soon —
The early dew of morning
Has passed away at noon.
Tell me the story softly,
With earnest tones and grave
Remember, I’m the sinner
Whom Jesus came to save.
Tell me the story always,
If you would really be,
In any time of trouble,
A comforter to me.
Tell me the same old story
When you have cause to fear
That this world’s empty glory
Is costing me too dear.
Yes, and when that world’s glory
Shall dawn upon my soul,
Tell me the old, old story,
“Christ Jesus makes thee whole!”
Katherine Hankey (1834-1911)
Read the whole poem at The Internet Archive.