“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40, NIV84)

As Luke did the research for his Gospel, who did he go to to get tidbit information like this? We know virtually nothing about Jesus’ childhood. The Scriptures and even external sources are silent. So where did he get this information? Was it just filler? I don’t think so. I think these words came directly from Mary. As Mary looked into the rear-view mirror of her life she wrapped up what life was like with Jesus as a boy by saying that “He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.” Wow! Thinking about what Jesus was like on Earth, I have always assumed He would have been incredibly wise. This is a given. He is the Word (logos) made flesh. He is the very Word of God. He is wisdom. When Solomon described wisdom existing before the creation of the world, that was Jesus. There must have been an incredible depth and rightness about everything He said.

Luke also tells us that “the grace of God was upon Him.” I guess this, too, is a given, because He is the incarnation of God’s love. Remember that John 3:16 says that God sent His Son into the world because He loved it. The grace of God was not just upon Him. It was Him. If you want to know the heart of God, look at Jesus. His countenance was one of humility and grace. His wisdom never came across as arrogance because it was embodied in love. Jesus was everything Adam and Eve were created to be. And all of this was already coming out when Jesus was just a child.

May we be overwhelmed and at awe when we consider the depth God went to to show us that He loves us.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.org