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Luke

Luke 
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Day 36

Luke 2 :25-38 "AND THE CHILD GREW..." Luke 2:40, 52"

Day 36 – Luke 2

Text: Luke 2 :25-38

“AND THE CHILD GREW…” Luke 2:40, 52

The Birth of Jesus had been announced. The words of the Angel Gabriel could scarcely be forgotten!

“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest;
And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
And of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:32-33

How would such a Child grow up? Though we do not have many details about the early life of the Lord Jesus, Luke did provide us with a thumbnail sketch of His boyhood.

“AND THE CHILD GREW AND BECAME STRONG IN SPIRIT…” Luke 2:40

Of course, we would expect that Jesus grew up well, physically. However, Luke noted that his research on the boyhood of Jesus showed that even as he was growing up, “he became strong in spirit”. We are reminded of how John was also described as one who “became strong in spirit”. (Luke 1:80).

“FILLED WITH WISDOM” Luke 2:40

Another aspect of the growth of Jesus was also noted. Jesus did not just become smart. The description was that he was “filled with wisdom” . The idea is that He was wise beyond His years. This was so remarkable a feature that Luke could not but note it.

“AND THE GRACE OF GOD WAS UPON HIM…” Luke 2:40

Obviously, Luke was trying to describe the fact that Jesus was growing up very well! What contributed to such good growth in His life? He summed it up well, when he wrote, “And the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40).

“AND JESUS INCREASED IN WISDOM AND STATURE, AND IN FAVOUR WITH GOD AND MEN” Luke 2:52

To round up the observation concerning the life of Jesus as He was growing up, Luke made another observation.

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
And in favour with God and men.” Luke 2:52

God was obviously pleased with His Son, as He grew up. He had to live a hard life, working as the eldest Son of a carpenter. He went to a local village school. He understood poverty. He never had many “of the best things in life”.

However, what really were the important things in life? Surely, the important things in life would be wisdom, having God’s favour, and be well-liked by people because of an all-round good growth development! Luke noted the outstanding qualities of Jesus in his boyhood. These same qualities would stay with Him when He became an adult.

HAVE WE MISSED THE POINT IN OUR ATTEMPT TO BRING UP OUR CHILDREN?

It would not be impertinent to pause and raise a question about parenting at this juncture. How are we bringing up our children? What qualities are we seeking to develop in them?

Are our children growing in wisdom and in stature? Are they growing up with God’s grace and favour place upon them? Are they growing up in favour with men?

Let us re-examine our approach and our goals! We tend to desire to give our children “the best things in life”. We want to give them things that we were deprived of when we were young. However, is giving the best of things, the best thing we should be doing?

Jesus had very little of the things of this world. What He did not have, He more than made up for, as He “grew in stature, in wisdom, and in favour with God and men” . (Luke 2:52). Should not this model of growth in the boyhood of Jesus be the model for our efforts in bringing up our children?