Growing in Wisdom and Stature: The Path to Spiritual Maturity – Luke 2:51-52

Commentary

Mark Fletcher: The goal of all of this is maturity. Verse 52. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man. And I love those things. Those are the things that we should aspire to in ourselves. I don’t know what your New Year’s resolutions are. I don’t know what you are aspiring to this year. Can I suggest that wisdom and stature are as good as anything to grow as a person?

Wisdom is knowledge that is rooted and earthed and applied. Knowledge is a wonderful thing, of course, but by itself it can make us proud and supercilious. But wisdom is about the ability to live well, to relate well. It’s how we grow as people, how we come to maturity. And stature isn’t about outward size, it’s about inward strength.

It is about character. It’s resilience, the ability to manage uncomfortable situations without breaking down. It’s patience. It’s the ability to respond appropriately rather than always reacting. It’s the ability to put the needs of others before ourselves to be empathetic and understand how others think. To speak the truth at the right time, even when it is uncomfortable. To manage our tongues.

To manage our egos. The world needs grownups more than ever. It needs people of wisdom and stature, and so that is the goal. That is my prayer and my hope for myself and for each of you. How are you growing this year? How are you growing in wisdom and stature? Like Jesus did find safe places to ask good questions and be humble enough to sit at the feet of the wise, to search out good teachers and good role models.

Root yourself in the scriptures, value and respect tradition, and learn from it without being limited by it. And so that’s what we’re doing together. That’s the project here. That’s what church is for, to teach and encourage and challenge and inspire one another until, as Paul says to the Ephesians, we all reach unity and the faith and the full measure of the stature of Christ.

Amen.