Growing Up
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. – Luke 2:52.
The Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a study by Harvard University, has found that “religiously active people are more likely to be viewed as good citizens and have a more diverse circle of friends than their non-religious neighbors.” Seventy-one percent of those surveyed were found to trust people at church, which compares to 52 percent, who would trust their co-workers.
As we look at the life of Jesus we see the good citizenship, the trustworthiness in his development. From age 12 to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry there is silence about the events of His life. However, Luke 2:52 really is a summary of what we can surmise about this time period. Jesus was trained to be a carpenter by his stepfather, Joseph. Most likely Joseph died during this time and Jesus became the head of the household being the oldest of the children. Humanly, Jesus was a hardworking, responsible, trustworthy and wise individual and was growing more so all the time.
If we are to follow the example of our Lord, we too will be hardworking, responsible, trustworthy, and wise. Let us as Jesus did “increase (increased) in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
(To grow up spiritually we should follow the example that Jesus has given us.)