Jesus the Friend of Children
Luke 2:40
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was on him.


Once there was carried into a great hospital a poor little ragged miserable boy, who had been run over in the streets and dreadfully hurt. And all night he kept crying and groaning in his great pain? and at last a good youth, who lay in the bed next to him, said, "My poor little fellow, won't you pray to Jesus to ease your pain? "But the little wretched sufferer had never heard anything at all about Jesus, and asked who Jesus was. And the youth gently told him that Jesus was Lord of all, and that He had come down to die for us. And the boy answered, "Oh, I can't pray to Him, He's so great and grand, and He would never hear a poor street-boy like me; and I don't know how to speak to Him." "Then," said the youth, "won't you just lift your hand to Him out of bed, and when He passes by He will see it, and will know that you want Him to be kind to you, and to ease your pain?" And the poor, crushed, suffering boy lifted out of the bed his little brown hand, and soon afterwards he ceased to groan; and when they came to him in the morning the hand and the poor thin arm. were still uplifted, but they were stiff and cold; for Jesus had indeed seen it, and heard that mute prayer of the agony of that strayed lamb of His fold, and He had grasped the little, soiled, trembling hand of the sufferer, and had taken him away to that better, happier home, where He will love also to make room for you and me, if we seek Him with all our hearts, and try to do His will.

(Archdeacon Farrar.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

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




Jerome's Love for the Child Jesus
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