January 7 2007 Lectionary Reading

Reading: ““Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and men……….” Luke 2.52 (NIV)

My text this morning is this from Luke’s gospel:

“Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and men……….”

The Gospel of Luke, tells us of a visit to Jerusalem that Mary and Joseph, and Jesus made for the Festival of the Passover. It was a tradition that when a boy reached the age of twelve years he would go with his parents to a first Passover in Jerusalem. Other friends and relatives of Mary and Joseph were also in the city for the festival, as we learn from Luke. At the end of the festival, it was time to leave, and – in a very familiar misunderstanding which we will all recognise - Mary and Joseph started off for home, assuming that Jesus was with the relatives who were starting off later. What a shock they got, after a whole day’s journey, to find out that He was not with the group of relatives. So they had to travel back to Jerusalem, search the city for another day, and eventually, on the third day, they found Jesus in the Temple discussing the deepest things with the teachers of the law. Those listening to what He said were amazed at His answers. When His mother said to Him, don’t you know your father and I have been terribly worried trying to find you ? Jesus replied: Why did you have to look for me ? Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house ?........:

His parents, we are told, did not understand what He meant.

But what is intriguing is the few words that Luke adds to this account, in verse 52, We read: “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature gaining favour with God and men……….”

“Jesus grew in wisdom and stature gaining favour with God and men……….”

What is intriguing about this verse ? Well, it’s this: to read that Jesus grew in wisdom makes us pause to reflect.

Let me try and explain.

You see, we have already heard that the teachers of the law in the Temple were amazed at the answers Jesus gave…..

Now, we could ask - is this not an indication that, as the Son of God, Jesus already knew all things ? Wasn’t Jesus holy and righteous from the moment He was born ? So when we read that “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature gaining favour with God and men……….” what does this mean ?

what is this growing in wisdom that Luke speaks of ?

Does it mean that Jesus was day by day growing in faith……..?

Well, when we speak of someone growing in faith,

We tend to think of someone wrestling with doubt:

Through many a day of darkness

through many a scene of strife

as the old hymn says……….

We tend to think of someone struggling with personal failings, falling away, recovering, and finally coming to the peace of settled faith…….

But we never see struggles of faith in Jesus’ life,

and, in fact the Bible very rarely speaks of faith in the way that we usually do…..

The Bible hardly ever speaks of faith as convictions we have, as religious attitudes. We hardly ever read about “struggles of faith“ in the Bible.

And this is because the overwhelming witness of the Bible is that faith is not a matter of our convictions, or our attitudes.

In the Bible, faith is simple and direct, trust in the living God,

so that we know God for ourselves as our loving Father……..

relying on Him for all things….

Paul writes to the congregation at Ephesus and says: I keep asking in prayer…

that the glorious Father may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know Him better.

So, back to our question: what is this growing in wisdom that we see in the Lord Jesus ?

What we see in Jesus is this:

We see in Jesus perfect trust in the Father,

We see Him relying utterly on His Father for all things.

We see Him moment by moment doing His Father’s will.

And as the life of the Lord unfolds day by day

We see this trust in the Father unfolding out through His life each day, in each new experience, in each new situation.

In some parts of Scotland in the past, in some of the river valleys, there were fields next to the river which were used as ‘water meadows’.

Here, in the old days, water from the river was directed into these fields in the spring time - the dry, arid fields became rich, flourishing, meadows .

As the life of the Lord unfolds day by day in the gospels……..

so we see His trust in the Father unfolding each day, in each new experience, in each new situation, in the richness of flourishing life……….

He speaks with the outcasts, speaks with the teachers of the law, moves among sinful men and women, as He heals the sick, the blind, the lame, we see that trust in God in His patience with the disciples, that trust in everything.

We, we, have seen His glory, writes the apostle John.

And we see that trust in God

supremely at Calvary.

Peter, writing of Jesus, says:

He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth, “when they hurled insults at Him He did not retaliate, when He suffered He made no threats, instead He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

That trust in the Father’s love, and wisdom and will, is to be found right throughout the life of Jesus in the gospels

this is what Luke means, when he records for us that:

“Jesus grew in wisdom “

in the holiness of a perfect life.

In the face of hatred and the rejection and violence of men, we see His perfect love and faithfulness, and His perfect trust in God.

We beheld His glory ! the apostle John tells us……..

But is that all we can do ? simply gaze upon, and wonder – at the perfect human being that we see in Jesus ?

mired as we are in sin ?

But is that all we can do ? simply gaze upon, and wonder – at the perfect human being that we see in Jesus ?

By no means……….

this life He lived He lived for us,

for our sakes.

The life we gaze upon, and wonder at in Jesus,

the perfect human life that we see in Jesus

is a life that He shares with us……….

When we know Christ – this is what we receive -

this life from Him, we share in life with Him……

For as John’s gospel declares:

“everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have everlasting life”

the life we gaze upon, and wonder at in Jesus

the perfect human life that we see in Jesus

is a life that He shares with us……….

and when we know Christ – this is what we receive - life from Him.

Even in our utter weakness,

the Lord gives to us

His own perfect reliance on God, His own reliance on the Father’s strength

and that trust in God that we see in Him

begins to unfold, in all its depth and richness in our own lives

AMEN