Church Fathers Commentary Luke 2:39-41

"And when they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. And his parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the passover." — Luke 2:39-41 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: Luke has omitted here what he knew Matthew had already sufficiently explained: that the Lord, for fear that he would be discovered and put to death by Herod, was taken by his parents into Egypt. After Herod’s death, he finally returned to Galilee and came to live in his own city, Nazareth.

The Evangelists individually are accustomed to omitting certain things that they either know have been, or in the Spirit foresee will be, related by others. In the connected chain of their narrative, they seem to have omitted nothing, while a careful reader, by examining the writings of another Evangelist, can discover where the omissions are. Thus, after omitting many things, Luke says, And when they had accomplished all things...

Theophylact of Ohrid: Bethlehem was indeed their ancestral city, while Nazareth was the place where they lived.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It may seem strange to you that Matthew says his parents went with the young child into Galilee because they were unwilling to go to Judea for fear of Archelaus, since they seem to have gone to Galilee simply because their city was Nazareth, as Luke explains here.

But we must consider that when the angel said to Joseph in a dream in Egypt, Rise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, Joseph at first understood this as a command to go to Judea, as "the land of Israel" might initially be taken to mean. However, when he later found that Herod’s son Archelaus was king there, he was unwilling to be exposed to that danger. He realized that the "land of Israel" could also be understood to include Galilee, since the people of Israel also lived there.

Greek Expositors: Alternatively, Luke is here describing the time before the journey to Egypt, for Joseph had not taken Mary there before her purification. Before they went down into Egypt, they were not told by God to go to Nazareth. Instead, living more freely in their own country, they went there of their own accord. Since the only reason for going up to Bethlehem was the census, they returned to Nazareth once that was accomplished.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now, our Lord could have emerged from the womb in the full stature of an adult, but this would have seemed like an illusion. Therefore, his growth was gradual, as the text says: And the child grew, and waxed strong.

The Venerable Bede: We must observe the distinction in the words: the Lord Jesus Christ, in that he was a child—that is, had taken on the condition of human weakness—was daily growing and being strengthened.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: But if, as some say, the flesh was changed into a divine nature, how could it grow? For it is impious to attribute growth to an uncreated substance.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: St. Luke rightly connects a growth in age with an increase in wisdom, as he says, And he was strengthened (that is, in spirit). For in proportion to the measure of his physical growth, the divine nature revealed its own wisdom.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For if he had displayed his wisdom while still a little child, he would have seemed like an unnatural spectacle. Instead, along with his advance in age, he gradually revealed himself, so as to fill the whole world. He is said to be strengthened in spirit not in the sense of receiving wisdom, for how can that which is perfect from the beginning become any more perfect? Hence the text says, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was in him.

The Venerable Bede: It says "wisdom," truly, for in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and "grace," because it was by great grace given to the man Christ Jesus that from the moment he began to be man, he would be perfect man and perfect God. This is even more so because he was the Word of God, and God did not need to be strengthened, nor was he in a state of growth.

But while he was still a little child, he had the grace of God so that, just as all things in him were wonderful, his childhood also would be wonderful, filled with the wisdom of God. The text continues: And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the feast of the Passover.

St. John Chrysostom: For the feasts of the Hebrews, the law commanded people to observe not only the time but also the place. Therefore, the Lord’s parents wished to celebrate the feast of the Passover only in Jerusalem.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But it may be asked: How did his parents go up to Jerusalem every year of Christ’s childhood if they were prevented from going there by fear of Archelaus? This question could be easily answered, even if one of the Evangelists had mentioned how long Archelaus reigned. It would have been possible for them to come secretly on the feast day amid such a large crowd and return again quickly. In this way, they would fear to remain there on other days, thereby neither failing in their religious duties by neglecting the feast, nor leaving themselves open to detection by a long stay there.

But since all the Evangelists have been silent about the length of Archelaus’s reign, it is clear that when Luke says they were accustomed to go up to Jerusalem every year, we should understand this to refer to a time when Archelaus was no longer feared.