“And Jesus increased (grew) in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
We learn a lot about Jesus’ birth from Matthew and Luke, but we know very little about His life until He begins His ministry at thirty years of age. We call these “the silent years.” We do know that when He was twelve, Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem with His parents and talked with the “doctors” there. We also know about His growth from what we read in the text above. The growth process of Jesus can set an example for us in our growth in the Christian faith. Jesus set the example, let’s see what His example tells us. Jesus grew intellectually: “and Jesus increased in wisdom…” Many people today think that to be a Christian you have to be ignorant. This is not true at all. Some of the most intellectual people I know about were and are Christians. I think of C.S. Lewis, who was a brilliant scholar and who knew his way around the “college crowd.” But his fellow intellectuals could not intimidate him when it came to his faith. Jesus' intellectual growth was not just in what we call "head knowledge." He increased in wisdom, meaning that Jesus did not just know things, but that He made wise decisions in His life. Jesus grew spiritually: “And Jesus increased…in favor with God.” Jesus did not just grow intellectually, but He also grew in His relationship with the Father. One of the problems today is that, though people grow intellectually, they do not grow in their relationship with the Lord. Despite the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, and as John wrote, “was God,” He would have studied the Old Testament in the synagogue school. If Jesus came to experience life as we know it, this had to be part of His personal growth. In Luke 2:40, we read that “The child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him.” This is why Jesus was able to discuss spiritual things with the “doctors” in the temple. We are told that Jesus was “sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.” (Luke 2:40) This revealed His intellectual growth and His spiritual growth as well. This tells us that Jesus spent hours in prayer and in developing His relationship with the Father. Surely, if Jesus needed this kind of growth, we need it as well. How are you doing in your spiritual growth? Do you study your Bible? Do you “pray without ceasing”? Do you make an effort to love people? Do you really worship the Lord when you attend your church, or do you just attend and never let it touch your life? These are some questions that we need to ask ourselves, and for which we should seek positive answers. Jesus grew socially: “And Jesus increased….in favor with God and man.” It would be a mistake for us to grow intellectually and spiritually and not grow socially. Jesus learned how to get along with people and not always be at odds with them. This does not mean that everyone always agreed with Jesus and that He never corrected anyone. It means that Jesus loved people and wanted the best for them. He was not afraid of them, or of what harm they could bring into His life. One of the main elements missing in the growth of a lot of Christians is that they do not love people as Jesus did, and they do not get along with other people. This is a problem in churches today. People hear about our arguing and disagreeing over things that do not make any difference to God, and should not make any difference to us, and they are turned off. When you see a church that is growing, you know that its members are growing socially. At least give some thought to these elements of growth in Jesus’ life and apply them to yourself. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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