June 06, 2022 – Monday
Luke 2:40 NIV
40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Comment.
Whether you are in the NIV or the KJV, this verse reads the same and it is the first occurrence of the word grace in the New Testament. The prior verse reads, When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And of course, they returned with their son Jesus, the child in our verse for today.
What this verse tells us about Jesus is that physically He, like any human being in good health, grew and became strong. In other words, He passed through the same usual stages of physical growth of all of us, learning to walk, talk, play, and work. As a result of this He can and does sympathize with us in every stage of our growth.
The verse does not end there, as mentally and spiritually He was filled with wisdom. He not only learned the alphabet of His time, but His numbers as well – after all He was the son of a carpenter, and all the common cultural knowledge of His time. Surely, He also grew in wisdom, the practical application of the knowledge He had received to the problems of life, physically and spiritually all around Him. This became obvious when He was twelve years old and as noted in Luke 2:46-47, his parents, After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
At the end of this verse we find, the grace of God was on Him or as in many versions, the favor of God was on Him. Both clearly fit as the Father would favor His Son. Even the free gift of Grace we receive when we repent and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the favor of God. Here Ellicott’s Commentary believes, Here there was more than guidance, more than strength, a manifest outflowing of the divine favour in the moral beauty of a perfectly holy childhood. This is a description I can easily concur with.
Bottom Line: We are given information showing us Jesus was fully human, growing just like us, and also much more as He was also fully God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Thank You for sending us Your Son in such a way that it would be undeniable that He knew us and our feelings and trials. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek