Luke 2:40 (WEB)

Passage

The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Nearby Context

Luke 2:38 Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.

Luke 2:39 When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.

Luke 2:40 The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Luke 2:41 His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.

Luke 2:42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "grace", "child", "growing", "becoming", "strong", "filled", and "wisdom". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "grace", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "When they had accomplished all things that..." into verse 41's "His parents went every year to Jerusalem...", so "Spirit" and "grace" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "grace" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.