And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
The word for stature is helikia, a word that implies maturity...growth in more than physical ways. It implies formation of character, principles, values that serve to guide a person in living.
In a recent message surrounding this passage I mentioned that for some Jesus' growing up was not equal to our own - he was God. But that is the fateful error (sorry to say, but heresy) of those who refused to believe Jesus was fully human, as well as fully divine. In other words, we must not diminish his humanity in order to understand all that he is.
Being "fully human" is not just a way of describing Jesus; it is also an objective for each of our own lives.
Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV)
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
God has made us in his image - that includes our physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual,and social dimensions. Interestingly, scripture says that God has no physical form - he is a Spirit, not a physical body - thus we are told not to make a physical representation of him in the form of an idol.
So, our image-bearing is more those aspects of the spiritual, emotional, intellectual and social dimensions.
To be fully human is to know that God has made us with these. To pay attention to those aspects of our being is simply "watching over our soul".
Jesus said, "... I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 (NIV)
I am a man, a husband, a father, a pastor, a professor, among many things. Yet my identity is mainly as a follower of Jesus, a disciple - "a learner" - which is what discipleship means. I am learning how to live my life the way the Jesus would live my life if he were me. God has been faithful to me for my 62 years to develop and "grow" me.
OH, there is so much more to go; but this one thing I do, I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus has taken hold of me (that's Paul's words - Phil 3:12).
Fully Human...that's God's gift to us.
Peace
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