The Boy Jesus Seated in a Market CourtyardBible World
2:40Luke 2:40
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
The verse describes the childhood of Jesus in obscure Nazareth, where He truly grew in body and in spiritual strength, filled with wisdom and with God's grace and favor upon Him. His development followed the divine order of gradual human growth, mind and body unfolding step by step in harmony with the laws of childhood as a plant grows from blade to ear to full grain. At every stage He was perfect and sinless, with no stain marring God's image in Him, living in obedience to His parents and to God's law from infancy to manhood. That wisdom and strength were formed through God's appointed means of education, His mother's teaching, the Scriptures, useful labor with His hands, prayer amid poverty and hardship, and study of nature and daily life. His early years thus stand as the pattern all children and youth are to follow, showing that faithful obedience, resistance to temptation, and growth in grace are the true education and the life God intends.
Nazareth Childhood Setting
The verse places the child's growth in Nazareth, an obscure mountain village, rather than among the wealthy, the royal, or the learned. He was born to humble parents in a wicked world, brought up obscurely, and began His work in poverty without worldly rank. God thus introduced the gospel in a way unlike the wisdom the world would choose.
He made His home there for thirty years, living unhonored and unknown among a people proverbial for wickedness and regarded as the worst in Palestine. Though He was the mighty Worker to uplift and regenerate the whole soul and the Light of the world, He began His great work in that place of bad reputation and moral darkness by becoming its citizen and setting His feet on the paths the poor and neglected must tread. By living out a pure human character there instead of in places of renown, He pours contempt on human pride of place, station, honor, and fame. He thereby removes any excuse for sin and for rough, hard character from followers compelled to live in lowly places, and shows that any hard and lowly place can be made honorable by fidelity when it is the post of duty.
The same growth took place in obedience to Jewish law, which He observed from childhood while manifesting great wisdom in youth. The grace and power of God were upon Him in that observant, wise youth.
Gradual Human Growth
He truly grew as other children do, in body and in spiritual strength, with mind and body developing gradually in harmony with the laws of childhood and nature. That physical and mental development was supported by healthy, purposeful exercise through useful work in childhood and youth, which kept His powers sound and fitted Him to do His work well. His growth and preparation came through Scripture, nature, and the experiences and lessons of daily life as God's appointed sources of education.
In both physical and spiritual nature He followed the divine order of gradual growth illustrated by the growing plant, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn. At each stage of development He was perfect, with the simple, natural grace of a sinless life. As a babe He could only represent the babe in His mother's arms, a helpless infant in His mother's care. In childhood He spoke and acted with a child's wisdom and not with that of a man, honoring His parents and helping them and carrying out their wishes within a child's ability.
Though He was the Majesty of heaven and the King of glory, the Son of the infinite God equal with God, He hid His divinity, laid off His costly robe and crown, became a babe in Bethlehem and for a time a helpless infant. He grew up with a child's education in order to give an example as a child. In childhood He simply did the works of an obedient child, subject to His parents and obeying their will, and this right course in home life was His missionary work by which His wisdom and ability constantly increased.
Wisdom and Divine Favor
The child became strong in spirit, was filled with wisdom, and the grace and favor of God rested upon Him, and that same growth continued as He increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with people. From the first dawning of intelligence He continually grew in heavenly grace and knowledge of truth, with understanding unfolding gradually as He sought to learn the reasons for things. By the age of twelve His mind was developing along spiritual lines, and this was shown when He later astonished the teachers in the temple with His understanding and answers.
Sitting among the doctors hearing them and asking questions as a learner, each question held light about the Messiah and the plan of salvation that they had never had, so that all who heard Him were astonished, and His answer to His mother that He must be about His Father's business showed He was already engaged in the work He had come into the world to do. His spiritual nature grew strong so that His life displayed God's wisdom and grace. His youth was marked by holy thoughts and communion with God with a heart open to heaven, as He diligently studied Scripture and learned from nature and daily life, with understanding unfolding gradually as He sought to learn.
He grew in physical height and strength as well as in knowledge and wisdom by studying the things God had made on the hillsides of Nazareth as an unfailing lesson-book for learning about God. He discerned God's handwriting with a heart quick to recognize the Presence pervading all created things and an ear attentive to the Voice speaking through nature's utterances, seeing the unseen illustrated by the seen and the image and superscription of God on everything from the loftiest tree of the forest to the lichen on the rock and from the boundless ocean to the tiniest shell on the shore. Holy angels helped Him understand these things, as He learned of God from nature as the dwellers in Eden learned and as Moses discerned God's handwriting on the plains and mountains.
Sinless Obedient Character
At each stage of development He was perfect, with the simple, natural grace of a sinless life. Though He thought and spoke as a child, no sin marred God's image in Him, and from the first dawning of intelligence He continually grew in heavenly grace and knowledge of truth. His whole being belonged to God pure and undefiled, and His work for afflicted bodies and souls already began in childhood. He went from infancy to manhood without committing sin, remaining loyal to God and free from sin throughout His earthly life, though tempted in all points according to His strength. In childhood He did everything with all faithfulness and took great pains in His tasks, so that growing in grace meant faithful work, a pleasant voice, and salvation every day.
From His earliest years He obeyed His parents and the laws of nature and was subject to His parents. As a babe He could only represent the babe in His mother's arms, and in childhood He simply did the works of an obedient child, with works corresponding to the ability of a child. He shared ordinary household life at Nazareth, submitting to its discipline, doing its duties and bearing its burdens. This right course in home life was His missionary work, by which His wisdom and ability constantly increased.
His mind was active and thoughtful with wisdom beyond His years, while mind and body developed gradually in harmony with the laws of childhood. His character showed a lovely disposition, readiness to serve, undisturbed patience, truthfulness, firm principle, and unselfish courtesy. That wisdom and grace appeared in His words and actions as compassion and tender sympathy, and His companionship was a healing, soothing balm to the disheartened and oppressed. From childhood He served others through sympathy, helpfulness, unselfishness, patience, courage, faithfulness, and resistance to temptation.
His growth and character displayed God's image, and Satan recognized Him as the divinely commissioned Son whose victory would end Satan's authority. From childhood His life was a continual conflict with Satan, who sought to tempt and overthrow Him. His development was guided by the Holy Spirit, so that He knew His work as the Son of God, yet He still lived as an obedient son and worked at the carpenter's trade. Knowing He was the Son of God did not lead Him to avoid ordinary responsibilities or obedience, and He did not exalt His divine character or use His divine origin to avoid temporal care. Though Lord of the commandments, He was obedient to all their requirements, leaving an example of obedience for childhood, youth, and manhood.
Education and Preparation
The growth described in the verse was prepared through God-appointed means of education rather than the showy schools of the time. Those means were a mother's teaching, the Scriptures and the prophets, useful work, nature, and the experiences and lessons of daily life. His early life at Nazareth shared in the home training by which godly parents taught children God's truth through daily life, Scripture, and accounts of God's dealings. That training prepared a child to grow vigorous in body and mind, to understand God's revelation, and to respond to nature and the prophets.
Childhood and youth included useful work that exercised physical powers in healthful ways and developed mind and body. He learned to handle tools skillfully and became as perfect as a workman as He was in character, with skill as a carpenter joined to growth in character. He used His physical powers carefully to preserve health and to do His best work well, working without recklessness and using His abilities in ways that kept them healthy and enabled Him to do His work well. His example shows that useful labor has dignity and can develop the whole person for effective service.
Strength of character was formed amid poverty, hardship, privation, and reproach, not in freedom from trials. Endurance and firmness of principle maintained through adversity strengthen fortitude and the power to endure. Daily prayer brings wisdom and grace to resist temptation and to meet life's conflicts. This preparation preceded His mission, in which His contact with people brought blessing and a transforming influence.
Example for Others Today
The earliest years were a perfect example, representing the childhood and youth of others and standing as the brightest example and standard for students, above the greatest and most learned who do not know God. All children may strive to follow that growth in strength of spirit, wisdom, and divine grace if parents seek the Lord most earnestly and children cooperate with their parents. Youth are to study the life from the manger to Calvary, follow in the footsteps, act as was acted, maintain the great principles maintained, and make the pure, holy, undefiled character their standard, so that all study makes them most successful in the service of God. That wisdom and grace appeared in words and actions as compassion and tender sympathy, and the companionship was a healing, soothing balm to the disheartened and oppressed. The childhood growth belongs to a perfect example for every stage of life, for the life went from infancy to manhood loyal to God and free from sin, though tempted in all points according to strength, and the call is to seek with all the powers of being to be Christlike.
That growth is the pattern all youth are to follow and the example of the life God intends children and young people to develop through obedience, resistance to temptation, and growth in Christ. At each stage of development there was perfection, with the simple, natural grace of a sinless life, doing in childhood the works of an obedient child, speaking and acting with a child's wisdom and not a man's, honoring parents and carrying out their wishes in helpful ways according to a child's ability. Although the Holy Spirit worked the mind so that the work as the Son of God was known and the necessity of being about the Father's business was understood, there was still work at the carpenter's trade as an obedient son, subject to parents. Divine character was not exalted and divine origin was not used as a reason to avoid the burden of temporal care, but though Lord of the commandments there was obedience to all their requirements, leaving an example of obedience for childhood, youth, and manhood. To learn and to do the works of Christ is to obtain a true education, and a knowledge of God like that is knowledge as enduring as eternity.
Because there was once life as a little child, for that sake children are to be honored. Little ones are to be dealt with gently as a sacred charge, as God's property loved by Him, not to be indulged, petted, and idolized, but to be taught to live a pure, noble life. Mothers are to cooperate with God in helping them form perfect characters. As a babe only the babe in its mother's arms could be represented, and in childhood simply the works of an obedient child were done, obeying the will and wishes of parents with works corresponding to a child's ability. Subjection to parents and this right course of action in home life was the missionary work in the home, by which wisdom and ability constantly increased, and this teaches that this is all children can do, and they should be educated to obey in a manner that makes them a blessing in the home.
Growing in grace means faithful work done with all faithfulness and taking great pains in tasks, protection through life from infancy to manhood without committing sin being by the God of salvation. It means a pleasant voice with pleasurable notes, such as singing songs of heaven until others who ask why so much pains is taken are all singing too. It means salvation every day instead of unjust ruling with an iron rod.
The spiritual strength, wisdom, and grace of God described also mark the growth expected of people entrusted with sacred work and leading positions. To grow and become strong in spirit, full of wisdom with the grace of God upon them means to stay in touch with the all-wise and unerring Counsellor and to grow with the advance and development of the truth. Leaders who lack this have not grown with the advance of truth and have lost a sense of the work's sacredness. Without this growth they become selfish and opinionated, treat their positions in the cause of God like common business transactions, and lose a sense of the sacredness of the work.
Children today may learn of the Creator in the same way, by learning from nature as an unfailing lesson-book. From earliest years they may be placed where this lesson-book is open before them to behold the glorious scenes of the heavens and the wonders of earth and sea and the unfolding mysteries of the changing seasons, and in all His works to learn of the Creator. So it was on the hillsides of Nazareth, discerning God's handwriting with a heart quick to recognize the Presence pervading all created things and an ear attentive to the Voice speaking through nature's utterances, seeing the unseen illustrated by the seen and the image and superscription of God on everything from the loftiest tree of the forest to the lichen on the rock and from the boundless ocean to the tiniest shell on the shore. In this they learn as the dwellers in Eden learned from nature's pages and as Moses discerned God's handwriting on the Arabian plains and mountains.
The verse describes the childhood of Jesus in obscure Nazareth, where He truly grew in body and in spiritual strength, filled with wisdom and with God's grace and favor upon Him. His development followed the divine order of gradual human growth, mind and body unfolding step by step in harmony with the laws of childhood as a plant grows from blade to ear to full grain. At every stage He was perfect and sinless, with no stain marring God's image in Him, living in obedience to His parents and to God's law from infancy to manhood. That wisdom and strength were formed through God's appointed means of education, His mother's teaching, the Scriptures, useful labor with His hands, prayer amid poverty and hardship, and study of nature and daily life. His early years thus stand as the pattern all children and youth are to follow, showing that faithful obedience, resistance to temptation, and growth in grace are the true education and the life God intends.
Nazareth Childhood Setting
The verse places the child's growth in Nazareth, an obscure mountain village, rather than among the wealthy, the royal, or the learned. He was born to humble parents in a wicked world, brought up obscurely, and began His work in poverty without worldly rank. God thus introduced the gospel in a way unlike the wisdom the world would choose.
He made His home there for thirty years, living unhonored and unknown among a people proverbial for wickedness and regarded as the worst in Palestine. Though He was the mighty Worker to uplift and regenerate the whole soul and the Light of the world, He began His great work in that place of bad reputation and moral darkness by becoming its citizen and setting His feet on the paths the poor and neglected must tread. By living out a pure human character there instead of in places of renown, He pours contempt on human pride of place, station, honor, and fame. He thereby removes any excuse for sin and for rough, hard character from followers compelled to live in lowly places, and shows that any hard and lowly place can be made honorable by fidelity when it is the post of duty.
The same growth took place in obedience to Jewish law, which He observed from childhood while manifesting great wisdom in youth. The grace and power of God were upon Him in that observant, wise youth.
Gradual Human Growth
He truly grew as other children do, in body and in spiritual strength, with mind and body developing gradually in harmony with the laws of childhood and nature. That physical and mental development was supported by healthy, purposeful exercise through useful work in childhood and youth, which kept His powers sound and fitted Him to do His work well. His growth and preparation came through Scripture, nature, and the experiences and lessons of daily life as God's appointed sources of education.
In both physical and spiritual nature He followed the divine order of gradual growth illustrated by the growing plant, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn. At each stage of development He was perfect, with the simple, natural grace of a sinless life. As a babe He could only represent the babe in His mother's arms, a helpless infant in His mother's care. In childhood He spoke and acted with a child's wisdom and not with that of a man, honoring His parents and helping them and carrying out their wishes within a child's ability.
Though He was the Majesty of heaven and the King of glory, the Son of the infinite God equal with God, He hid His divinity, laid off His costly robe and crown, became a babe in Bethlehem and for a time a helpless infant. He grew up with a child's education in order to give an example as a child. In childhood He simply did the works of an obedient child, subject to His parents and obeying their will, and this right course in home life was His missionary work by which His wisdom and ability constantly increased.
Wisdom and Divine Favor
The child became strong in spirit, was filled with wisdom, and the grace and favor of God rested upon Him, and that same growth continued as He increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with people. From the first dawning of intelligence He continually grew in heavenly grace and knowledge of truth, with understanding unfolding gradually as He sought to learn the reasons for things. By the age of twelve His mind was developing along spiritual lines, and this was shown when He later astonished the teachers in the temple with His understanding and answers.
Sitting among the doctors hearing them and asking questions as a learner, each question held light about the Messiah and the plan of salvation that they had never had, so that all who heard Him were astonished, and His answer to His mother that He must be about His Father's business showed He was already engaged in the work He had come into the world to do. His spiritual nature grew strong so that His life displayed God's wisdom and grace. His youth was marked by holy thoughts and communion with God with a heart open to heaven, as He diligently studied Scripture and learned from nature and daily life, with understanding unfolding gradually as He sought to learn.
He grew in physical height and strength as well as in knowledge and wisdom by studying the things God had made on the hillsides of Nazareth as an unfailing lesson-book for learning about God. He discerned God's handwriting with a heart quick to recognize the Presence pervading all created things and an ear attentive to the Voice speaking through nature's utterances, seeing the unseen illustrated by the seen and the image and superscription of God on everything from the loftiest tree of the forest to the lichen on the rock and from the boundless ocean to the tiniest shell on the shore. Holy angels helped Him understand these things, as He learned of God from nature as the dwellers in Eden learned and as Moses discerned God's handwriting on the plains and mountains.
Sinless Obedient Character
At each stage of development He was perfect, with the simple, natural grace of a sinless life. Though He thought and spoke as a child, no sin marred God's image in Him, and from the first dawning of intelligence He continually grew in heavenly grace and knowledge of truth. His whole being belonged to God pure and undefiled, and His work for afflicted bodies and souls already began in childhood. He went from infancy to manhood without committing sin, remaining loyal to God and free from sin throughout His earthly life, though tempted in all points according to His strength. In childhood He did everything with all faithfulness and took great pains in His tasks, so that growing in grace meant faithful work, a pleasant voice, and salvation every day.
From His earliest years He obeyed His parents and the laws of nature and was subject to His parents. As a babe He could only represent the babe in His mother's arms, and in childhood He simply did the works of an obedient child, with works corresponding to the ability of a child. He shared ordinary household life at Nazareth, submitting to its discipline, doing its duties and bearing its burdens. This right course in home life was His missionary work, by which His wisdom and ability constantly increased.
His mind was active and thoughtful with wisdom beyond His years, while mind and body developed gradually in harmony with the laws of childhood. His character showed a lovely disposition, readiness to serve, undisturbed patience, truthfulness, firm principle, and unselfish courtesy. That wisdom and grace appeared in His words and actions as compassion and tender sympathy, and His companionship was a healing, soothing balm to the disheartened and oppressed. From childhood He served others through sympathy, helpfulness, unselfishness, patience, courage, faithfulness, and resistance to temptation.
His growth and character displayed God's image, and Satan recognized Him as the divinely commissioned Son whose victory would end Satan's authority. From childhood His life was a continual conflict with Satan, who sought to tempt and overthrow Him. His development was guided by the Holy Spirit, so that He knew His work as the Son of God, yet He still lived as an obedient son and worked at the carpenter's trade. Knowing He was the Son of God did not lead Him to avoid ordinary responsibilities or obedience, and He did not exalt His divine character or use His divine origin to avoid temporal care. Though Lord of the commandments, He was obedient to all their requirements, leaving an example of obedience for childhood, youth, and manhood.
Education and Preparation
The growth described in the verse was prepared through God-appointed means of education rather than the showy schools of the time. Those means were a mother's teaching, the Scriptures and the prophets, useful work, nature, and the experiences and lessons of daily life. His early life at Nazareth shared in the home training by which godly parents taught children God's truth through daily life, Scripture, and accounts of God's dealings. That training prepared a child to grow vigorous in body and mind, to understand God's revelation, and to respond to nature and the prophets.
Childhood and youth included useful work that exercised physical powers in healthful ways and developed mind and body. He learned to handle tools skillfully and became as perfect as a workman as He was in character, with skill as a carpenter joined to growth in character. He used His physical powers carefully to preserve health and to do His best work well, working without recklessness and using His abilities in ways that kept them healthy and enabled Him to do His work well. His example shows that useful labor has dignity and can develop the whole person for effective service.
Strength of character was formed amid poverty, hardship, privation, and reproach, not in freedom from trials. Endurance and firmness of principle maintained through adversity strengthen fortitude and the power to endure. Daily prayer brings wisdom and grace to resist temptation and to meet life's conflicts. This preparation preceded His mission, in which His contact with people brought blessing and a transforming influence.
Example for Others Today
The earliest years were a perfect example, representing the childhood and youth of others and standing as the brightest example and standard for students, above the greatest and most learned who do not know God. All children may strive to follow that growth in strength of spirit, wisdom, and divine grace if parents seek the Lord most earnestly and children cooperate with their parents. Youth are to study the life from the manger to Calvary, follow in the footsteps, act as was acted, maintain the great principles maintained, and make the pure, holy, undefiled character their standard, so that all study makes them most successful in the service of God. That wisdom and grace appeared in words and actions as compassion and tender sympathy, and the companionship was a healing, soothing balm to the disheartened and oppressed. The childhood growth belongs to a perfect example for every stage of life, for the life went from infancy to manhood loyal to God and free from sin, though tempted in all points according to strength, and the call is to seek with all the powers of being to be Christlike.
That growth is the pattern all youth are to follow and the example of the life God intends children and young people to develop through obedience, resistance to temptation, and growth in Christ. At each stage of development there was perfection, with the simple, natural grace of a sinless life, doing in childhood the works of an obedient child, speaking and acting with a child's wisdom and not a man's, honoring parents and carrying out their wishes in helpful ways according to a child's ability. Although the Holy Spirit worked the mind so that the work as the Son of God was known and the necessity of being about the Father's business was understood, there was still work at the carpenter's trade as an obedient son, subject to parents. Divine character was not exalted and divine origin was not used as a reason to avoid the burden of temporal care, but though Lord of the commandments there was obedience to all their requirements, leaving an example of obedience for childhood, youth, and manhood. To learn and to do the works of Christ is to obtain a true education, and a knowledge of God like that is knowledge as enduring as eternity.
Because there was once life as a little child, for that sake children are to be honored. Little ones are to be dealt with gently as a sacred charge, as God's property loved by Him, not to be indulged, petted, and idolized, but to be taught to live a pure, noble life. Mothers are to cooperate with God in helping them form perfect characters. As a babe only the babe in its mother's arms could be represented, and in childhood simply the works of an obedient child were done, obeying the will and wishes of parents with works corresponding to a child's ability. Subjection to parents and this right course of action in home life was the missionary work in the home, by which wisdom and ability constantly increased, and this teaches that this is all children can do, and they should be educated to obey in a manner that makes them a blessing in the home.
Growing in grace means faithful work done with all faithfulness and taking great pains in tasks, protection through life from infancy to manhood without committing sin being by the God of salvation. It means a pleasant voice with pleasurable notes, such as singing songs of heaven until others who ask why so much pains is taken are all singing too. It means salvation every day instead of unjust ruling with an iron rod.
The spiritual strength, wisdom, and grace of God described also mark the growth expected of people entrusted with sacred work and leading positions. To grow and become strong in spirit, full of wisdom with the grace of God upon them means to stay in touch with the all-wise and unerring Counsellor and to grow with the advance and development of the truth. Leaders who lack this have not grown with the advance of truth and have lost a sense of the work's sacredness. Without this growth they become selfish and opinionated, treat their positions in the cause of God like common business transactions, and lose a sense of the sacredness of the work.
Children today may learn of the Creator in the same way, by learning from nature as an unfailing lesson-book. From earliest years they may be placed where this lesson-book is open before them to behold the glorious scenes of the heavens and the wonders of earth and sea and the unfolding mysteries of the changing seasons, and in all His works to learn of the Creator. So it was on the hillsides of Nazareth, discerning God's handwriting with a heart quick to recognize the Presence pervading all created things and an ear attentive to the Voice speaking through nature's utterances, seeing the unseen illustrated by the seen and the image and superscription of God on everything from the loftiest tree of the forest to the lichen on the rock and from the boundless ocean to the tiniest shell on the shore. In this they learn as the dwellers in Eden learned from nature's pages and as Moses discerned God's handwriting on the Arabian plains and mountains.