As Jesus is about to enter into eighteen years of obscurity, Luke gives us only one clue as to His preoccupation during those years, informing us: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52)
The temptation is to think that Jesus grew ‘naturally’ in those areas, but the verse implies that Jesus grew intentionally and deliberately. In short, Jesus grew on purpose.
When it comes to Jesus we often want to get to His miracle-laden ministry, His teaching on the Kingdom and His death and resurrection. Our natural inclination is to look forward to what is about to happen, not look back at what has been. For approximately three years Jesus impacted His world, but these three years represent only 9% of His life on earth. So what about the other 91%?
These silent years of Jesus undoubtedly form the foundation for the 9%, for which Jesus is most famously remembered. It’s in these years that Jesus grew! Every follower of Jesus and any person who seriously desires to take up the mantle of leading others must also learn to lead themselves. Even though Jesus was God in flesh, He intentionally grew intellectually, physically, spiritually and relationally. If Jesus grew, so should we. Contained within 2:52 lies the blueprint of learning to grow on purpose.
168 pages