PASTOR DENIS KALUNGI

KIREKA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP PRAYER ALTAR

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY NEEDS INTERNATIONAL UGANDA

Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, favor with God and with men

Luke 2:40 says, “There Jesus grew up, maturing in physical strength and increasing in wisdom, and the grace of God rested on Him.” Verse 52 of (Luke) says, “And Jesus kept on growing—in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with others.”

Notice the “ing” in Jesus’ growth. It’s a present perfect progressive tense, describing an action with past, present, and future implications. Jesus exhibits an active posture of continual growth.

What is the secret about Jesus in this chapter?

The four gospels focus primarily on the public ministry of Jesus leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection – a period of approximately three years. In addition to this, Matthew and Luke include some information about His birth and infancy. Luke also briefly records one event in Jesus’ childhood – the time when He was “lost” in the temple at twelve years old (Luke 2:41-51).

We may be curious about what happened as Jesus grew up, but the Scriptures are mostly silent about this. However, the Holy Spirit did see fit to include a statement about the growth of Jesus: “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).

This may seem somewhat obvious and, therefore, almost insignificant. Yet this statement was given for a reason. If Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor, then it should be expected for us to do the same. In this article, we are going to consider how we can grow in each of these areas:

Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus kept on growing—in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with others.” Notice the four areas in which Jesus grew, according to Jesus’s ministry he had to concentrate on the following areas:

Mentally (wisdom)

Physically (stature)

Spiritually (favor with God)

Socially (favor with others)

This is a good reminder that our growth must reach into the critical areas of life. If you grow mentally but ignore your physical growth, your life may have an early expiration date.

If you grow socially but neglect your relationship with God, you’re walking on thin ice. See it herein, Mathew 14:29-31, When Peter was overwhelmed by what surrounded him, instead of the one who had called him, the one who had spoken to him, the one whom  he had placed his faith in he started thinking.

Wisdom is got from knowledge, Knowledge is the information you have learned, while wisdom is the ability to use that knowledge in a profound way. So, knowledge is a part and wisdom is the whole. Wisdom goes beyond learning facts and includes making sense of those facts.

Which areas did Jesus embrace to achieve, wisdom, knowledge, favor in God and in man & stature?

Luke 2:46-47 says, “After three days of separation, they finally found Him—sitting among a group of religious teachers in the temple—asking them questions, listening to their answers. Everyone was surprised and impressed that a 12-year-old boy could have such deep understanding and could answer questions with such wisdom.”

I want you to notice something about these two verses: Jesus had a place to grow (the temple) Jesus had people to grow (the religious teachers) Jesus had a process to grow (questions and listening)

Sometimes the reason we fail to grow is because we haven’t placed ourselves in a growth environment. If you’re always the smartest person in the room, one day you’ll no longer be the smartest person in the room. Put yourself in environments where you’re asking questions rather than giving answers.

When you surround yourself with growing people, you improve the speed and direction of your life. Doug Larson observed, “Knowledge is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have preferred to talk.”

What was different with Jesus?

Jesus knew the mission of his stay on earth we see it herein, while Jesus is asking questions and listening in the temple, his parents show up. Look at how his mom replies: “Son, why have you treated us this way? Listen, Your father and I have been sick with worry for the last three days, wondering where You had gone and we were looking everywhere for You.

Jesus replied: Why did you need to look for me? Didn’t you know that I must be working for My Father? Neither Mary nor Joseph really understood what He meant by this” (Luke 2:48-50).

This entire passage of Scripture (Luke 2:40-52) is a picture of Jesus’ growth. The hinge in the middle of this passage is verse 49 where Jesus leans into His purpose. At the core of Jesus’s growth was an understanding of His purpose in life. Jesus knew that his growth was ultimately preparation for the fulfillment of His mission. “Most importantly the Scriptures are predominantly silent on his life”.

We have lots of details about Jesus’ birth, and we have great detail about His ministry, death, and resurrection. But the 30 years, Luke 3:23, we have lots of details about Jesus’ birth, and we have great detail about His ministry, death, and resurrection. But the 30 years between his birth and his public ministry are almost silent. All we know about those years is what we read in Luke

That’s where we discover Jesus growing toward His purpose. Personal growth in the hidden years is what God used to prepare him for the public years. “Victory is a child of preparation “therefore preparation is everything.

Don’t lose sight of God’s purpose for your life when it doesn’t seem like things are going as fast as you think they should. Keep your eye on your purpose, and

Keep growing toward your purpose. Jesus’s growth was intentional such that he could be impactful for His purpose.

We discover Jesus growing toward His purpose in the hidden years. Like Jesus, everyone in life needs hidden years because it’s what God uses to prepare you for public years.” The secrets of your future is hidden in your daily routine.

Therefore, let everyone come to this knowledge “Everything on this earth has its own time and season {Ecclesiastes 3:1}. I am sure that God who began a good work in you will soon finish it. {Philippians 1:6}

Growth is a process and for more information, there is no shortcut to growth so relax {2 Corinthians 3:18,} " But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

If it took Jesus years to grow from childhood to adulthood, it takes a full season for the fruit to ripen then it will be the same with you. “Our only security is our ability to succumb.” While worrying about how fast we can grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow.

How did Jesus grow in Stature?

Jesus' adoptive father, Joseph, was a carpenter and taught his eldest son the same trade. (Mark 6:3) This was a physically demanding job. So naturally, Jesus' physical body would begin to manifest the build for being able to handle this kind of work. “Physical growth is never by a mere chance but results of forces working together”.

So Jesus became physically stronger and the fact that Jesus put on a human body which fed on food like any other child Jesus ate food to grow physically.

Note this although, “Flesh is a trap, because if we succumb to the desires of the flesh is death, Jesus overcame it.  See it herein, “Luke 4:2-3” after fasting for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.

The time period that Luke covers in this scripture is through Jesus's youth until his ministry in his thirties Jesus knew it was important for himself to not only take care of his spiritual self but to have a healthy body, eat healthy food, have a healthy heart through work.

Our version of how we build a healthy body is very different than in Jesus's time but the importance of taking care of our body is still important.  Without a body that has energy, Jesus and you cannot do God's work.

Nutritionally – We need to make sure we eat and drink things that encourage our body’s health. This is about taking in those foods that can sustain us and provide the energy we need for our daily activities.

Exercise – Doing some type of physical activity with our body helps to strengthen and condition it. This means being active in some way.

Rest – Our body also needs time to recharge and heal. Even when we are engaged in activities that are good and beneficial, we still need some quiet time away so that we do not become burned out. See herein, When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” Matthew 14:13

How did Jesus increase in wisdom?

Some wisdom will be gained naturally through age and experience. Yet there are things we can do to ensure that we are gaining as much wisdom as possible.

Feed on God’s word – In listing reasons why the word of God was to be desired, the psalmist wrote, “The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). This “wisdom” gained from the word of God “leads to salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). Therefore, His word is both necessary and desirable.

Fear the Lord avoid evil influences – Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding

The word of God is able to show us the way that is right, but there are many around us who will try to steer us toward what is wrong. Therefore, we need to choose our companions wisely.

The wise man said, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20). Paul plainly stated, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Practice God’s word – James wrote, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22). After we feed on the word of God, we need to follow it in our everyday lives and do what the Lord has instructed us to do.

Spend time in prayer – James explained that if we “[lack] wisdom,” we can “ask of God and it will be given,” provided that we “ask in faith without any doubting” (James 1:5-7). However, we also need to recognize how this is connected with the last point. Just as resting without exercise will not promote physical health, praying without practicing God’s word will not lead to wisdom.

Note this, knowledge can be achieved through gathering information while wisdom is acquired through putting in practice information gathered. Since wisdom is the application of knowledge (a simple definition), then we must know the word of God to gain wisdom from Him. 

This is why James wrote later in this chapter about how we are to “receive the word implanted” and be “doers of the word” (James 1:21-22).

How did Jesus grow in favor?

Worship God – Knowing about God and recognizing His greatness is good, but we must also demonstrate that reverence by worshiping Him. Jesus said that “the Father seeks [people] to be His worshipers” (John 4:23). 

As we offer worship to Him, we must not do it according to our will but His will. As Jesus said, we are to “worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

Avoid idols – The apostle John concluded his first epistle with this admonition: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). An idol does not necessarily have to be a graven image of stone or wood; rather, an idol is anything that is equal to or greater than God in our hearts. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24). He specifically mentioned one potential idol (wealth), but this principle applies to any object of our devotion. We must be wholly devoted to the Lord.

Well, one overlooked aspect of the life of Jesus is that, while he was always sinless, he nevertheless had to learn obedience to be perfected as a source of eternal salvation to those who obey him. See herein Hebrews 5:8-10, although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him

Meditate on Him – There are two ways in which we can do this. We can meditate on His word and on His works. Regarding the former, the psalmist wrote, “O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). Elsewhere he said that because the Lord is “great…and highly to be praised,” He would meditate “on [His] wonderful works” (Psalm 145:3-5).

Obedience, he was obedience to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, Philippians 2:8-9 "Therefore" verse 9 above relates the reason for why God so highly exalted Jesus specifically to the obedience that Jesus committed himself to from the point he found himself in human form to the point of his death on the cross.

From the moment Jesus found himself in human form till the moment of his death, he had continually increased in favor with God, by progressively doing God's will in total obedience, until he was ultimately perfected as the source of salvation for all who obey him.

So the efficiency of a blemished sinful person's obedience to Christ for the purpose of their own salvation depends ultimately on the progressive obedience of Christ to the Father demonstrated during his earthly life that resulted in him becoming the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.

So while it may still seem odd to some, the amount of favor Christ had with God depended upon Christ's obedience to the Father, it should be noted and meditated upon that Christ himself revealed during his time on Earth, that his own relationship with God, the Father, itself depended upon his obedience to the will of the Father who sent him. 

See herein, John 4:34 “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

This is fundamental see herein, John 15:10 if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. See here 1 Samuel 2:26 now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and also with man. God gives favor to those who honor his word and those who does his will.

The family traveled to Jerusalem to observe Passover every year, but it was not until Jesus was 12-years old that He took the initiative to be about My Father's business and remain in Jerusalem. Prior to that year, under the law, Jesus was not old enough to be accountable for His own actions.

Thus, Luke shows that as soon as Jesus reached the age of accountability, He remained in Jerusalem to begin to be about His Father's business. At the same time, His earthly parents sought Him; wanting Him to remain with them. When faced with this choice, Jesus submitted to the will of Mary and Joseph.

Despite reaching the age of accountability, and having the legal right to be about My Father's business, Jesus submitted Himself to His parents. In doing so He grew in favor with God.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)

How did Jesus’s favor increase with man?

Some people will extend their goodwill toward us simply out of the kindness of their hearts. Yet there are certainly things we can do to increase the likelihood that others will look favorably upon us.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, see herein John 11:33,” and Jesus wept with those who wept. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

Spend time together – While this would apply to any relationship, I want to focus – at least for this point – on our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord expects the church to be a self-edifying body in which “each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). To do this well, we need to build relationships with one another.

From the beginning, the early church did this. They were “breaking bread from house to house [and] taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart” (Acts 2:46). This closeness led to their willingness to sell houses and lands in order to provide for the needy among them (Acts 4:32-35).

The goodwill that was shown toward one another began with a relationship rooted in their common faith and strengthened by the time they spent together.

Do no harm to others – We are to act in love which, as Paul explained, is the fulfillment of the law: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8, 10). We must avoid doing those things that are harmful to others.

Do well to others – Just as we are not to harm others, we are also to actively do well. “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). We need to be looking for these opportunities in which we can show kindness and offer help to those who need it.

Respect others’ space and time – It is possible to exercise in excess and harm ourselves; therefore, we need periods of rest so we can recharge. In the same way, if we are constantly in the company of others and actively trying to be involved in their lives, this could eventually do more harm than good.

We need to spend time with others and do well to those around us, but there is a limit to this. The wise man said, “Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house, or he will become weary of you and hate you” (Proverbs 25:17). Let us seek to build relationships and do good to others without overstaying our welcome and causing them to resent us.

In conclusion, for us to accomplish our mission or purpose. We have got to grow mentally, physically, favor with God and with Man through positioning ourselves to people who will help us to grow mentally.

Favor with God, kindly let us embark on our fathers work or purpose in whatever we do. Jesus embraced people as his social capital for the accomplishment of his mission thus it’s very important to build our social capital. Everyone needs favor with people.

Wisdom, acquire knowledge through reading the bible, devote to prayers and put it into practice through meditations. And if you lack knowledge ask! 

Lastly, keep a healthy body that will accomplish God’s purpose by feeding on good food and taking medication.