Get Wiser

Luke 2:40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him… 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

Next to the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, Luke’s is the most eloquent Greek in the New Testament. Every word is intentional, and he adapts many Old Testament Hebrew writing styles and blends them with the most current Greek trends of his day. An example of this is the parallel statements above. They seem to say much the same thing: As Jesus grew up physically, he also grew in wisdom, and, as a result, he increased in “grace” (charis) with God and people.

It is interesting the Luke put these sentences as a sandwich around the story of Jesus staying behind in the temple in Jerusalem and impressing the teachers of the law that a twelve year old would understand more than they did. This certainly serves as an example of Jesus’ growth in wisdom and favor. While these verses give us a lot to think about in the nature of Jesus’ incarnation as one fully God yet still needing to grow in wisdom, they also give us a lot to think about in our own lives.

Note the direct connection between our level of wisdom and our level of favor with God and others. Wisdom (sofia) in the Greek world was not just knowledge, but an understanding of how to apply that knowledge to life and living accordingly. The smartest people are not always the wisest, but wise people are always in huge demand. Just ask any employer. Growing in wisdom helps us in every area of life. How can we grow wiser? James tells us to ask God for it (James 1:5), and Paul prays for God to give wisdom to his readers (Eph 1:17 & Col 1:9). Similarly, Solomon’s wisdom was a gift of God after his own prayer for it (I Kings 4:29). It is my daily prayer that God would grant me wisdom and the courage to use it. May he increase your wisdom and favor today, as well.