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And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with
wisdom;
and the grace of God was upon Him.
Luke 2: 40
Plants are
made of roots, stems, leaves and fruits. The plant grows with the food produced
by the leaves and the nutrients supplied by the roots.
Human beings are made of spirit, soul and body.
A baby's body grows with milk and other nourishment.
Luke writes, "the Child (Jesus) grew and became strong in spirit.".
The Spirit
of a person is the inner man. Our
natural food, like milk, meat, and fruit makes our body grow, but does nothing
to our spirit. The Bible says that the Word of God is like milk and honey.
God the Father said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word of God (Deut 8:3). So
the Child Jesus began to read and memorize the books of Moses, the writings of
the Holy prophets, and the Psalms. The prophet Isaiah writes this about Jesus,
the Christ Child: "Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the
evil and choose the good (Isaiah 7:15).
Jesus
studied and hid the scriptures in His spirit, so that He would not sin.
Just as a plant begins to grow after the rain, Jesus' spirit
began to grow with all the scriptures He studied. When we eat food and
exercise, our muscles grow strong.
Similarly, the Child Jesus' spirit began to grow strong by the constant study
of the scriptures.
The Christ
Child delighted in the law of the Lord and He meditated on the law day and
night. The Christ Child’s spirit
became like a tree planted by the rivers of waters.
The Bible
teaches that the word of God is the wisdom of God.
When Jesus was twelve, he was so wise that He listened to the Bible
scholars and asked them questions.
We read that they were astonished at His answers and understanding.
The Bible does not say that as a twelve year old He taught the
teachers in the temple, but listened to them and asked them
questions.
A good
learner must always be a good listener and ask questions when in doubt.
Jesus was the wisest person because He knew the scriptures.
Beloved children, God the Father wants us to desire the pure milk of the
Word so that we may grow strong in the spirit like Child Jesus.