Imitate Him

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52 ESV

The text here can be very challenging for those who struggle to comprehend the divine nature of Jesus: fully God and fully man. Yes, Jesus was incarnated in the flesh. He was born of a virgin, Mary. He lived among humans, served humanity, and forgave the sins of humanity by becoming the perfect propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

Note: if you do not believe this and do not follow Jesus as God and your Savior, you remain under the penalty of your sins, which is horrifying. But if you believe in Christ and follow Him, you are forgiven, not with permissive grace, but with a deep grace that transforms.

Now, the text says that Jesus increased in wisdom, and this can be complicated for the normal human, non-theological mind to digest.

First Defence: Jesus Is God

Jesus is God, and with God all things are possible. The human brain has limitations when it comes to understanding God. We do not need to have every mystery completely figured out before we believe. We need to believe, trust, and surrender to Him.

Second Defence: Jesus Grew in His Human Nature

Jesus, in His human nature, needed to grow in wisdom. He had flesh. He was tempted, challenged, and suffered. He experienced tears, hunger, and perhaps even cold.

The point is the beauty and humility of Jesus becoming flesh. He knows what human suffering and human challenges look like.

Jesus grew through these human experiences, yet He never allowed the weakness of the flesh to rule over Him. He defeated every temptation and challenge through His devotion and obedience to God the Father, who is Spirit.

This is the beauty of Jesus worshipping and obeying the Father in His fully human nature. And this gives us something to imitate. We are called to grow stronger in our calling and purpose.

Do not become puffed up because you are at the top. We are not God. Even in our ultimate growth and maturity, we remain subject to the highest throne of God. We continue to submit, surrender, and live our lives pleasing to the Lord.

Third Defence: Jesus Built Relational Equity

The relational dynamics of Jesus are also unique. There is another powerful principle here.

Jesus did not impose His power to subdue people or constantly frown upon them. Instead, in simple human words, Jesus won the hearts of the crowds, especially sinners, the sick, and the broken.

And He healed them because He was still fully God. He forgave sins, something only God can ultimately do.

Jesus demonstrated both divine authority and human humility. He did not use His divine nature to distance Himself from people. Instead, He came near.

Final Defence: Do Not Become Overly Complex About Christ

Do not become overly complicated when thinking about the Christological reality of Jesus. Believe it.

We need the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, to help us understand and embrace this truth.

We are not denying reason or dismissing the biblical evidence for Jesus being fully God and fully man. There are plenty of passages and episodes throughout Scripture that help unpack this reality, and we must believe what God has revealed.

How can we believe? We believe through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is fully God. Jesus is fully man. He grew in wisdom, stature, and favor. And in His humility, He shows us what it means to grow, surrender, obey, and live fully for the glory of God.

Let’s imitate Christ. Let’s win hearts without frowning upon people. Because we have received His transformative grace, let’s extend that same grace to others.