| “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). |
| In today’s verse we have the Lord Jesus Himself as the perfect example for us as young Christians. There is not much said about the growing years of the Lord Jesus. The circumstances surrounding his birth are mentioned, and then the incident at the time he was twelve years old, when his parents took him up to the temple at the time of the feast of the Passover. After this, we do not hear anything more until He sets out on His earthly ministry at the age of thirty. However, what is said when He was twelve is really important. |
| We notice several things in the growing years of the Lord Jesus, after he reached the age of twelve. First of all, it is said that “He went down with them … and was subject unto them” (Luke 2:51). Think of it — the Creator of the universe being obedient to human parents! Yet He was, and we too should respect and obey our parents. No doubt the Lord’s earthly parents made mistakes, but He obeyed them. |
| Secondly, we notice that he increased in wisdom. We might wonder how the Son of God could increase in wisdom, but I believe that in every way He was perfect, at whatever age He was. When He was twelve, He did not act as if He were twenty. Rather, He acted with the wisdom of a twelve-year-old, and this increased as he got older. There was a natural progression, as there would be with any other growing child, yet without sin. |
| Finally, He increased in favor “with God and man.” How could the Son of God increase in favor with God? It was because He was doing something He had never done before — He was finding out what it cost to obey His Father’s will, and humbling Himself to do so. If we could say it this way, God the Father now had a fresh reason to be pleased with His Son. He also increased in favor with men, for His ways were pleasing to them as well as to God. He is our example in doing all this, and we read this in Philippians 2:5-8. Perhaps you can find these verses and read them for yourself. |
