A Devotion for January 4, 2016

Monday: And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man; (Luke 2:52; NIV).

            I doubt anyone bats an eye at the boy Jesus growing in stature. Of course His body has to grow up. But I wonder how often we think about Him growing in wisdom. Don’t we often assume that because He’s the son of God, He must just know everything?

            We teach, though, that at the time of His incarnation, the Son of God entered into what we call His state of humiliation. That means that He willingly set aside the full use of His divine prerogatives, such as His divine power, majesty, and knowledge. A classic example of that is when Jesus says about His own second coming, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36).

            I find that pondering Jesus’s state of humiliation deepens my appreciation of His accomplishment in two ways. First, it makes me appreciate all the more what He gave up for our salvation. Second, it makes me appreciate all the more how difficult His path really was.