According to Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Have you ever considered the full implications of these marvelous words concerning our Lord Jesus as a boy growing up in the village of Nazareth?

We know that our Lord Jesus was perfect from eternity past. As a baby born in Bethlehem, Christ Jesus was fully God, possessing all the attributes of the divine Godhead. He was Emmanuel: perfect in holiness, power, truth, and love.

Yet, Christ Jesus was also fully man. Similar to any other baby, He depended upon Mary for sustenance. He was subject to our human weaknesses, sicknesses, sorrows, and temptations. He was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Fully human, Christ Jesus grew as we mortals grow. He matured in the same manner as we mature. He learned as we learn.

How could the perfect God increase in anything? This question is one of the great mysteries of the incarnation, mysteries that are far beyond our comprehension. We must take it by faith when we are told, for example, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

The Gospel of Luke highlights for us four specific ways that Jesus matured. Let’s consider each one.

Jesus increased in wisdom

What more can Jesus know? At the age of twelve, while with His family in Jerusalem, He had gone to the Temple and sat “in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luke 2:46–47).

Eighteen years would pass before Jesus would hang up His carpenter’s apron on a peg in Nazareth and begin His public ministry. During those eighteen years of quiet preparation, Jesus increased in wisdom. He Who was already perfect was slowly and steadily perfected for the work that He was to accomplish.

Similar to our Lord, we should never stop increasing in wisdom. There is always more to learn as we memorize and meditate upon God’s Word. If our Lord, in His humanity, increased in wisdom, surely we also can increase in wisdom.

Jesus increased in stature

Christ was not the long, wavy-haired, passive character that is so often depicted in religious art. Rather, He was strong and manly, and worked by the sweat of his brow as a carpenter in Nazareth. He was no stranger to calloused hands and an aching back. Later in life, Jesus was forceful enough to physically overturn the laden tables of the moneychangers in Jerusalem. Before His crucifixion, He endured a brutal beating that would have killed lesser men. Then afterward, He summoned the strength to carry His heavy, wooden cross on His severely whipped and bleeding back partway to Calvary before being aided by Simon the Cyrene.

By the grace of God, we also should endeavor to be prepared physically for the duties on earth that God has given us. It is proper to be fit in body, as well as in mind and spirit. This strength was a vital part of Christ’s perfection, maturity, and growth.

Jesus increased in favor with God

The object of supreme value in all the universe is gaining God’s favor. How could Jesus, the divine Son, increase in favor with His Heavenly Father? Again, the answer is a great mystery. As our Lord matured, His relationship with His Father deepened. Christ spent many nights on the mountaintops in Galilee in private communion with His Father.

How is your relationship with the Lord? Are you increasing in favor with God the Father? In what areas are you growing in spiritual maturity from year to year? As you endeavor to follow in the steps of Jesus of Nazareth, you will surely increase daily in favor with God.

Jesus increased in favor with man

Jesus also spent time and effort to cultivate friendships and trust among His fellow men. He was certainly the best friend, the kindest neighbor, and the most diligent carpenter in Israel! From His tongue flowed the meekest words. From His eyes radiated the deepest compassion. From His hands came the kindest deeds. From His heart issued the highest character. Even the soldiers who were sent to arrest Him reported back empty-handed. They testified, “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46).

Are you growing in maturity in the way that you cultivate relationships with your spouse, your children, your parents, and your friends? While pursuing God, in what ways might you be neglecting others? Jesus increased in all these areas all at the same time. By His grace, you can mature in your relationship with God and with others as well.

Many common misconceptions of our Lord Jesus in both art and public perception are evident. These inaccurate ideas grow out of an exaggerated view of one of four crucial areas, at the neglect of the other three.

For example, the view of Christ as a philosopher focuses upon His wisdom and neglects all else, picturing Jesus as a wise sage Who sat upon a rock and taught. Christ, seen as a superman, concentrates exclusively upon His strength, portraying Jesus as a mighty hero with strong muscles and mighty form, delivering the oppressed and downtrodden. Christ as a dreamer emphasizes primarily upon favor with God, and views Jesus as a reclusive, weeping, dreamy-eyed monk Who prayed for hours upon end in perpetual devotion. Christ as a philanthropist focuses entirely on our Lord’s works of mercy: healing the sick, cleansing the leper, and ministering to the hungry.

The real Christ is none of those extremes! Rather, He is all of these combined, blended together in one perfect specimen of divine manhood. Fully God, Christ Jesus was also fully human—the only perfect, sinless man and our Redeemer. May we commit to daily follow in His steps.