Increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Luke 2:36-52 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

³⁶ And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷ and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. ³⁸ At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹ When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

⁴¹ Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; ⁴³ and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, ⁴⁴ but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. ⁴⁶ Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” ⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. ⁵¹ And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Today’s text provides a rare scriptural glimpse into the life of Jesus as a child. The gospels speak of His birth, His ministry, His death and His resurrection, but little is shared about the time between His birth and His ministry. In these few verses we see it said:  The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him, and Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Jesus kept increasing in wisdom. Although He probably didn’t attend a formal school, Jesus worked with Joseph as a carpenter. Joseph didn’t only share his knowledge of carpentry with Jesus, but he also would have shared scripture and the stories of God’s goodness, protection and provision for His people. Deuteronomy 6:4-7 says:  “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. As a father, Joseph followed the commandment and shared the wisdom of God with Jesus.

The account of Jesus in the temple, in today’s text, lets us see that even as a boy or young man Jesus was drawn to be with His true Father.      Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” ⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”         Throughout Jesus ministry He repeated that He and the Father were/are one. His understanding of scripture was due to more than the teaching of Joseph it was because:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1,14) Even as a child, Jesus was the incarnate Son of God and the incarnate Word of God. Jesus was and is Immanuel, God with us.

We too are called to have the same unity with Jesus and the Father, that they have with each other. In John 17:13-24 Jesus prays for all believers saying:       But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

²⁰ “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

²² The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; ²³ I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

We have been given the glory of God, but if the world is to see it we, as believers must become perfected in unity. It is important that we recognize that this unity which Jesus prays for here is a unity among: “those who believe in Me.” We are called to love our neighbor, but we are called to unity with believers.  The problem is even those who recognize the need for unity within the church, often go about it the wrong way. We try to find common ground, perhaps even compromising the truth of the word of God for the sake of unity. The true unity we are to have with each other comes not as we compromise and tolerate each other, but rather true unity with our fellow brothers and sisters comes as we each individually become unified with Christ and the Father. Jesus says: “ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”  We are not called to be unified with the world. We are called to be unified with Jesus and the Father. We are called to be in the heavenly kingdom, sanctified in truth, the only truth, the word of God. We don’t find true unity by compromising the truth of the word in order to find common ground, tolerance, acceptance and inclusion. We find true unity when we like John the Baptist say: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) We should not seek unity with the world or the worldliness in others, but rather the Christ in us should seek unity with the Christ in others.

Today’s text ends saying:    Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.    We too are called to keep increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. We don’t though increase in favor with men by becoming like them, we increase in favor with men by becoming like Christ, one with Him and the Father. If our friends and family were looking for us would they know to look for us in the presence of God the Father, becoming unified with Him. Our ministry takes us to the world, but our heart should be to be one with the Father in all we do. Jesus said of His own ministry: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing (John 5:19-20)

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You that as You are unified, three in one, so too can I be unified with You. I ask that You fill me to overflowing, that You so increase in me that I decrease. May I not compromise or lay aside Your truth, but rather may the Christ in me become unified with the Christ in others. Amen.