And the child grew … and the grace of God was upon Him. Luke 2:40 KJV
The Child continued to grow … and the grace of God was upon Him. Luke:40 NASB
Everything about the Lord Jesus was unique, and yet there was normal growth seen in Him. The words of Dr. Luke might be easily passed over when he penned that as the child grew, the grace of God was upon Him. And yet they contain a wealth of truth which prompts our worship.
Every other child coming into the world was different. Growth only brings with it the manifestation of all that is inherent in human nature. In a sense, as we grow, our guilt increases. Growth results in maturity and maturity in responsibility. All the evil traits of our Adamic natures become more and more obvious and blatant. As we grow, so does our sinfulness and guilt.
But He was different, so very different. As He grew, grace upon grace was manifested. Everything was in season. No virtue was premature, and no display of His grace was out of place. Mary must have marveled as she watched His progress. Here was a child Who never needed to be corrected or disciplined; a child Who never displayed selfishness or petty anger. There was not the typical “no” phase that children pass through; no “terrible two’s” in His development. As brothers and sisters were born into the family, He was never part of conflict or strife. No sibling rivalry or jealousy was attached to Him.
He was so different, so unique.
Each fresh stage of life, each new challenge only revealed some fresh grace, so new facet of His moral beauty to eyes that were opened to appreciate Him. He was different, so different!
If given responsibilities and jobs to do, He did them without the need for reminders or urging. And the jobs were all done perfectly. Though Scripture is silent about those years, the summary statements of Luke 2 reveal unmeasured depths of truth which bow our hearts in worship. “The grace of God was upon Him,” and “He increased in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man.” While later man could say, “Never Man spake like this Man,” we can add, “Never child grew like this child!”
Consider
He possessed all knowledge yet grew in wisdom
He possessed all strength yet “waxed strong in spirit”
He pleased God at every moment of His life, yet increased in favor