And Jesus Grew
“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52
This is how Luke chapter two ends. It is also the last thing we hear about Jesus between the age of 12 and the age of 30, as the next thing we hear about Him is His entry into public ministry. But the statement provides a glimpse of how God defines health. Being healty is based on God’s design of the human. Our bodies and minds are designed to work a certain way, according to God’s original plan.
Luke 2:52 talks of health as growth in four primary ways:
WISDOM - intellectual growth, obtaining knowledge, combined with the application of God’s revealed Word, the Bible.
STATURE - physical growth, maturing into the physical bodies that God gave us, and learning to accept and love what God gave us.
FAVOR WITH GOD - spiritual growth, learning to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to honor Him with our lives.
FAVOR WITH MAN - relational growth, growing healthy friendships with others, respecting those in authority, and solving conflicts well.
