I. Jesus’ Growth in Nazareth (Luke 2:39–40)  

There is a kind of mystery in the years that pass between Jesus’ infancy and His public ministry. The Gospels give us snapshots of His birth, then again when He’s twelve, and then the curtain lifts in full in His thirties. We might be tempted to call those intervening years “silent,” but as we read Luke 2:39–40, we find they were not empty or fruitless years.

“And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:39-40, ESV)

Luke 2:39–40 serves as a literary hinge. It closes the infancy narrative and gently opens the door toward the ministry of Christ. This moment in Scripture parallels Luke 1:80, where it says of John the Baptist, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit.” And it anticipates what we will later read in verse 52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

Luke is deliberately echoing Old Testament cadences. We hear the footsteps of Samuel in the background. First Samuel 2:26 says, “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.” It is not accidental. Luke is showing us that Jesus, the true prophet, priest, and king, is fulfilling a pattern, but in a way that far surpasses the one who came before.

But this is more than literary design, it’s a theological signal. Luke is telling us to pay attention. Something more than ordinary is unfolding in the life of this boy in Nazareth.

The verse begins plainly: “And the child grew and became strong.” This is not metaphor. Jesus Christ physically grew. His legs lengthened. His appetite increased. His muscles strengthened. His voice deepened. His vocabulary expanded. He learned to walk, to talk, to read, to work.

Origen, one of the early church fathers, reflects on this and says that Jesus was “filled with wisdom,” not in the way a human child picks up wisdom little by little, but as one who participates in the wisdom of God, yet who, for our sake, chooses to grow into it as we do.

Paul tells us in Philippians 2:7 that the Son of God “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Christ, in His humanity, did not cheat the system. He submitted Himself to the natural rhythms of human life.

The Reformer Huldrych Zwingli helps us here. He emphasizes that while Christ was always divine, His human intellect, His created soul, developed day by day. Zwingli writes, “His spirit, which was perfect from eternity, grew up more and more within the human Christ.” In other words, His divine nature did not override His human nature. They were not confused or mingled but united in one person. This is the beautiful mystery of the incarnation.

The boy Jesus really grew. Not only in body but in mind. And that matters. Because it means He knows what it means to grow tired, to feel hunger, to be taught, to memorize, to struggle and learn and develop. That is a Savior who truly knows our frame.

But now the text deepens: “filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” This is not ordinary learning. This is divine wisdom manifesting in a boy. Cyril of Alexandria reminds us that Jesus did not increase in wisdom because He lacked it. Rather, “God the Word gradually manifested his wisdom proportionally to the age which the body had attained.” His wisdom was always present, He simply revealed it in measure suited to His human development. It’s like watching the dawn before the full blaze of midday. He was never less than God, but He chose to show that glory slowly.

Luke’s phrasing, “the favor of God was upon Him” echoes that famous declaration in Luke 1:30, when the angel told Mary, “you have found favor with God.” Now, that same divine favor rests upon the child she bore. It is a grace that is both divine approval and divine delight. God the Father looks upon His incarnate Son and says, “This is good.”

Let’s also notice that Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph “performed everything according to the Law of the Lord.” They weren’t raising Jesus casually. They were careful. Intentional. Devoted. It is natural for a child to grow in stature, but it takes intentionality for them to grow strong in the Lord? 

It is primarily the responsibility of the parents to teach their children how to pray, how to repent, how to walk in favor with God. But, it is also the responsibility of their church family to come alongside them, to encourage them, and to assist them in this effort. Sometimes that effort can be frustrating when children are loud, unruly, or just unwilling to cooperate. However, if Christ, the Son of God, did not skip the slow, faithful, hidden process of growth, then neither should we despise it.

II. A Family of Faith( Luke 2:41–45)  

The next time we see Jesus he is a young boy, once again visiting the Temple. Verse 41-42 says, “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.” Since we know Jesus was twelve years old when this was written, we can naturally assume that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus had grown accustomed to taking this annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It’s also worth emphasizing that for a poor family to take this trip every year, it would have taken a lot of planning, preparation, and sacrifice. I believe this was first and foremost an act of obedience, but more than that, it was also an act of devotion and love. They were devoted to the God who had entrusted them with His Son. They kept the law not out of dry legalism but out of joy and reverence.

Again, Richard Taverner reminds us, “Christ subjected himself to the Law not because he was unrighteous, but because by his obedience, he would redeem those under the Law.” Jesus didn’t need the Passover. But He went. And He went with His parents. He walked alongside them, year after year, not just as their child but also as the redeemer who would one day become the true and greater Passover lamb. 

It is also worth noting that his age was not an insignificant detail. In Jewish thought, twelve marked the beginning of the transition into adulthood. This is the age when a boy began to bear responsibility under the law. It’s also the age when vows could become binding and when discipline could become more serious. It was not full adulthood, but it was the threshold.

Twelve is also an important number in the scriptures. There are twelve tribes in Israel, and Jesus would later call twelve disciples. At the age of twelve, Samuel began to serve in the tabernacle. At twelve, Solomon began to speak in wisdom. And here, at twelve, Jesus is about to show us that He knows exactly who He is.

Verse 43 is the turning action of this account: “And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it.” For eleven years this family had journeyed to Jerusalem for the Passover without incident, but suddenly in year twelve we had a crisis. The festival is over. The family is heading home. The roads out of Jerusalem are busy. The people travel in caravans, large extended family groups walking together for safety and community. Mary and Joseph likely assumed Jesus is with the group. And why wouldn’t they? He had never given them reason to worry before. He was probably with his cousins, his uncles, or some other relative. They trust Jesus. They trust their family. They trust the routine. 

But this year was different. Jesus stayed behind, and they didn’t know. And it wasn’t until a day’s journey later that they realized He was gone. They had walked a full day, morning to night, without their son.This is not neglect or irresponsibility on the part of Mary and Joseph. This is simply the risk of routine. Each of us probably do at least a few things on autopilot, we assume everything is in order, and unless something goes wrong we don’t think twice about it.

Then, we read in verse 44 and 44, “They began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances. And when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.” I can’t imagine the panic they must have felt. If you have ever gotten accidentally separated from your child you know that one minute of not knowing where your child is can  feel like eternity. Mary and Joseph felt that anguish for three days.

Now this account is not a parable. It was a real historical event that took place in the life of Jesus. However, I think it does have a double meaning if we look at it from a spiritual perspective.  

It is possible to go to the temple, you can keep the feast, you can do all the right things, and still lose sight of Jesus. The Reformation theologian Johann Baumgart says this story is a warning: “Many leave Christ behind at church and do not worry.” They go through the motions. They say the prayers. They attend the services. But when they go home, they forget to ask, did I take Christ with me?

II. The Boy Among the Teachers (Luke 2:46–50)  

We are told that they searched for him for three days. I can only imagine how anxious Mary and Joseph must have been to be separated from their son for three days. Thankfully, we are told that they found him on the third day, not in the street, not lost in the market, but in the temple, sitting among the teachers.

One of the early Christian theologians, Ambrose of Milan, saw something prophetic here. He saw a foreshadow of the resurrection, another time when Jesus would be lost to those who loved Him, and another time He would be found in a place they didn’t expect. 

Verse 46 and 47 tell us: “They found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”

Jesus appears to the eye to be a young man just beginning to leave the age of childhood, but he sits among the leaders of the Sanhedrin and yet, even they are astonished by Him. They do not realize it but they are discussing scripture with its author. They are talking wisdom with Wisdom incarnate. 

Then Mary speaks. And for one of the first times we see Mary’s true humanity. So far Mary has been a woman of almost supernatural faith, but here we see that she is also a woman with fears and frustration and anxieties. She says: “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress” (v. 48).

We can sympathize. Every parent knows that panic.  But Jesus answers “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (v. 49). 

Here, we arrive at another turning point. These are the earliest recorded words of Jesus in all the Gospels. He speaks of “His Father.” He is obviously referring to His Heavenly Father, not Joseph, though Joseph raised Him and was His earthly father. At the time I do not think Mary and Joseph were in the right mindset to hear these words for what they are, but this was the first time we have a record of Jesus hinting at His identity as the Son of God. 

Mary says, “Your father and I have been searching for you.” Jesus replies, “My Father’s house.” Jesus is not disrespecting or shaming Mary. He was pointing back to what the angel had told her, what the shepherds had said, what Simeon had prophesied. 

He says plainly: “I must be in my Father’s house.” The Greek phrase could also be translated: “about my Father’s business.” Either way, the meaning is unmistakable: Jesus was never lost, He was exactly where He belongs. And yet, what does He do next? He goes with them. He submits to them. He honors them. Jesus is the Son of the Most High and yet He walks home obediently with His earthly parents.

This moment holds some parallels to our own lives. Sometimes we expect Jesus to move where we move. We assume He’s in our caravan, right alongside our plans, our traditions, our expectations. And when He’s not, we panic. We search for Him frantically and perhaps the answer echoes back: “Why were you looking for me there?”

He tells us where He can be found in His Father’s house, in the Word, in prayer, in worship, in the business of the Kingdom.

As we said earlier, Joseph and Mary were not in the right mindset to hear these words for what they were. Verse 50 tells us plainly, “ they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.”  This is a pattern we will see, not only with Mary and Joseph, but with many of Christ’s followers and disciples. They believed, but they didn’t fully grasp. They didn’t need to know everything. It was enough to know that Christ was with them. And isn’t that enough for us?

You may not always understand what Jesus is doing in your life. But if you know that He is with you. Is it enough that He is your Savior, your Shepherd, your Brother and Lord. If that is enough then trust is still possible, even in the mystery.

IV. Obedience, Reflection, and Maturity (Luke 2:51-52, ESV) 

Luke tells us in verse 51: “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.” Just think of that. The Son of God,, the one by whom all things were made, submitted to two human beings He Himself had created. And Joseph, sensing the mystery of this child, did not rule over Jesus harshly. Out of reverence, he restrained his authority.

I think the theologian John Boys was correct when he wrote that: “Every action of Christ is a lesson for the Christian.” Jesus’ obedience was not weakness. It was strength wrapped in submission. I don’t believe the command “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12, ESV) is always applicable. Now, of course, Scripture always draws a boundary. If obedience to earthly parents conflicts with obedience to our heavenly Father, the Word is clear: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). But outside of that tension, we are called to honor father and mother, as Christ did. If the Lord of all could humble Himself under His parents’ roof, what excuse do we have for rebellion?

And then we read this beautiful phrase in the same verse: “And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” This is a pattern we see over and over with Mary. She did not grasp the fullness of the mystery, but she held it close, pondered it, let it work in her heart like seed in the soil.

Then we come to the last verse in this account, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52, ESV). This one verse is the summary of eighteen hidden years. From age twelve to thirty, the Gospels are silent, except for this.

Jesus grows in wisdom; intellectually, spiritually. He grows in stature; physically, in body and strength. And He grows in favor with God and with people. This verse echoes 1 Samuel 2:26: “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.” An old testament figure who, as we stated earlier, also began his work in the Temple at age twelve. I think Luke wants us to see the connection. Samuel was a prophet. Jesus is more. Samuel grew into a ministry of the Word. Jesus is the Word, maturing into His public mission.

But here’s the question that makes theologians wrestle: how can the Son of God increase in wisdom? Clearly His divine nature did not grow. God cannot learn, grow, or change. But His human nature matured. What was perfect in essence was progressively revealed in form.

Jesus’ growth was not a flaw in His divinity. It was the unfolding of His humanity. The hypostatic union (God and man in one person) means that Jesus could be both all-knowing in His divine nature and yet grow in understanding through His human experience. He never ceased to be God. But in love, He humbled Himself with human limitations to walk the road of human development. And in that, He dignified our process of growth.

Again, everything Jesus says or does gives us a lesson to apply. Like our Savior and Lord, we are called to grow. So we should be asking ourselves: 

Are we growing in Wisdom? This does not just mean knowledge, but discernment, compassion, and wisdom rooted in God’s Word?

Are we growing in favor with God? Are we being obedient to His commands? If so, are we just in obedience for obedience sake, or are we being obedient in order to grow deeper communion with Him?

Are we growing in favor with others? Are learning more and more to relate to people with grace, patience, and integrity?

All of us reach an age where our bodies stop growing. If we live long enough our bodes may even begin to shrink. But as long as we have life we should be continually about the work of growing our soul. Spiritual maturity is not automatic. It is cultivated, prayed over, disciplined. We will not grow by accident. But by grace, we can grow intentionally.