Jesus Grew In Wisdom

“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” – Luke 2:52

 We all want to grow, but how often do we actually take steps in the right direction? Today, everyone seems to have an opinion about the best way to better ourselves and develop into the people we want to be. But as believers, we only need to look to Jesus as our ultimate example. 

The Bible interestingly only gives us one verse, to sum up, this season of Jesus’s life. What was Jesus doing during these years, and how was He preparing himself for a life of ministry? The Bible tells us that Jesus grew. And one of the areas in which He grew was wisdom. That seems odd. How could Jesus Christ, the very epitome of wisdom, “grow in wisdom?” But that is what the Bible, the Word of God tells us. There is nothing more valuable to our personal growth than wisdom. Proverbs 4:7 reminds us that “Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.”

Gaining wisdom is continuous. We never stop learning. Proverbs 9:9 (NIV) says, “Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.” The wise person is not a know-it-all but a learn-it-all. Wisdom also brings blessing. Proverbs 3:13 says, “Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.”

Spending time reading and studying God’s Word is also crucial to cultivating wisdom. If we want to become wise we must see the Bible as our manual for living. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 tells us about the wisdom that the Bible offers for all areas of our life: “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”

Wisdom is in biblical terms, is then putting biblical principles into practice. God will give me this wisdom, but only if I am prepared to act on it. If I am not convinced His wise way is the best, then He will not give me wisdom.  

Too often, we’re satisfied with what we already know. We become complacent and stunt our own growth. Wisdom is one of the fruits of growing in our faith. One of the easiest ways to stimulate growth toward wisdom is to learn from the wisdom of others. Being curious about people, observing them, respecting their different ways of doing things and their different perspectives — all of these help us stretch ourselves.  

Discussion Questions

1. What is the wisdom that comes from God like?
2. Do you see God as the One to whom you can go for wisdom? Why or why not?