Monday after the First Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 11, 2021 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 2:39-40 (NKJV)
2:39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Devotion
The events that precede that of today’s reading are our Lord’s birth, His circumcision on the eighth day, and then Jesus being brought to the Temple on the fortieth day to be presented to the Lord. What follows today’s reading is Jesus appearing once again in the Temple. However, this time He is twelve years old, and we are told that “all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers” (Luke 2:47).
Jesus’ birth, eight days later…, 40 days later…, 12 years later…; in just one chapter of Luke we are taken from our Lord’s birth to age 12. And then, nothing. We hear nothing more about Jesus’ life until about half way through Luke 3, where we are told Jesus is 30 years old.
What are we to make of this? Rather than raising questions about those intervening years, we do better when we remember that Scripture tells all that we need to know about Him. As Jesus told Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). What we need is Jesus and His forgiveness.
Prayer: O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to receive the prayers of Thy people who call upon Thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
