The Favor of God
Luke 2:40-52
"40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him."
Luke provides us with interesting detail not just in the birth of Christ, but also a brief glimpse into Christ's childhood. Today we see Christ at 12 as the family journeys to the temple. Luke inserts the same comment about Christ growing in body and in wisdom twice, as he notes the favor of God was called upon him.
In my youth, I don't think I was referred to in those words. "David is getting taller," maybe, but wise and being seen in the favor with God? Doubtful. David was invested at the time in Saturday morning cartoons, backyard football, and the Three Stooges which came on in the morning before school.
Jesus, on the other hand, gets away from the family, and they look everywhere and finally find him in the temple. The study notes state that this passage from Luke, spoken twice in v 40 and again in 52, is a direct reference to Isaiah 11:2: "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."
Isaiah is the most referenced prophet in the New Testament as he foretells of the coming Messiah in great detail. Luke referring back to these passages is a sign of God's hand in writing the scripture through his chosen authors.
We are assured Jesus, who is about his Father's business by engaging at the temple, is our Savior. He is the Savior mentioned as a plan of redemption beginning in chapter 3 in Genesis and moving forward through the prophets or in the wisdom literature.
"I know my redeemer lives," we hear Job say in Job 19: "25I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"
Jesus, our redeemer, is growing in wisdom and stature as a child. Pray we grow in God's wisdom and stature as well. Pray we teach our children to grow in God's Word as men of God. Pray we see God's hand at work in our lives. Amen.