WWJL: What Would Jesus Learn?

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” – Luke 2:52

By Frank King

I looked around the old dilapidated living room furnished with musty smelling furniture and metal folding chairs.

All of the seats and most of the floor space were occupied by young couples.

The scene was an old house behind the church on Veterans Boulevard, and the occasion was Pastor Warner’s first marriage class.

As very young converts, we thought the Bible was mostly poetry and platitudes.

We were not accustomed to hearing scripture quoted as a guide for our lives.

Pastor Warner was speaking words that he said could change our marriage.

I could feel my wife Susan stiffen next to me as the words were spoken.

We had been married five years, and I could tell when she was giving off vibes of discomfort.

I personally liked the part about the marriage bed being undefiled, but Susan had just heard: Wives, submit… and was not thrilled.

She was married to a very imperfect man, and couldn’t see how submitting to him would help her life.

Surely this teacher was a little off in his doctrine.

That scene took place 34 years ago, and Susan and I can look back to it as a turning point in our Christian walk.

It was not the marriage bed nor the submitting that was the catalyst, but the decision we made to allow the word of God to be the guiding light in our marriage and family.

Over the years, I have met many husbands and wives who differ on how their children should be taught, counseled and disciplined.

Each of us received a unique upbringing with different standards for our family dynamic.

A large portion of the grief we experience as spouses and parents results from our differing backgrounds.

We need to get on the same page, and the secret is convergence.

Each of us can study the Word and learn what God has planned for us and our children; and as each of us draws closer to God, we draw closer to each other.

If we as a couple (and also with our families) meditate and study the Word, we will find common ground for instructing our families.

Early in our Christian walk, Susan and I discovered one common ground: the final line in the fascinating story of Jesus being left in Jerusalem as his parents returned to Nazareth after a visit to the Temple. Luke 2:52 says: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man.”  

The whole story is great, but this last line caught our attention as it is the only biblical history we have of Jesus from the time He was adolescent to the time He turned 30.

God put an awful lot of information in one sentence here, describing the entire time that Joseph and Mary raised this young boy to be a man.

What was their old skool focus?

Read along with me as we look at some aspects of raising a child to be a godly adult.

Jesus increased. The word actually means to be driven forward.

Jesus’ parents didn’t just let Him “go with the flow,” but knew how He should grow and pushed Him in the direction of maturity.

This is not necessarily a dictatorial method of parenting so much as a parent’s recognition of the godly destination coupled with a prodding to make the right turns at intersections in the child’s journey to maturity.

If a child is never allowed to make decisions, he will grow into a meandering adult.

If a child makes a decision, right or wrong, his parents can scripturally guide him to the correct destination from that point.

Enough of these proddings will guide the child to make correct decisions, and lead to maturity. That maturity consists of three elements:

Wisdom. The Bible says Jesus increased in wisdom.

This tells us that his parents were interested in his education. It is obvious from the preceding story, which depicts Jesus in the temple conversing with the learned men about scriptures, that Jesus read His Bible and knew what was in it.

But wisdom (education) represents more than knowledge. Wisdom is a convergence of knowledge and experience.

It tells us that Jesus’ parents allowed Him the freedom of experience, and then taught Him how to apply God’s word to life’s realities.

The Hebrew word used here indicates not just spiritual acumen, but understanding of worldly aspects as well.

Jesus knew the word, but could also apply it to everyday life.

In the years He taught, we are continually amazed at the practical application He gives the Word. It is probable that He was able to do this because that is how His parents taught Him.

If we are to raise our children to be Godly adults, we must give them a practical understanding of the scriptures.

Next we hear that Jesus grew in stature.

The Greek word here means maturity, and encompasses both physicality and personality.

Jesus’ parents made sure He had the sufficient food, exercise and stimulus to stay vigorous.

Both His physical body and mental abilities were stimulated to be healthy and growing. Somehow I cannot imagine Joseph and Mary allowing Jesus to sit around playing video games all day.

His day was structured so He would be mentally and physically active, and balanced between creation and recreation.

Finally the scriptures tell us that Jesus grew in favor.

Again, if we go to the Greek, we see that this word means Jesus had a graciousness that grew out of gratitude.

He was easy to be around because he was grateful for those around Him.

This gracious attitude began with his relationship with God, from whom all things come, and extended to God’s created friend: mankind.

Jesus, conceived by God and divinely molded in partnership with His earthly parents, learned to be thankful to God for all things, including the people of his family, village and nation.

This thankfulness gave Him favored status that He enjoyed with his heavenly father and with people.

As parents, we need to instill gratitude in our children, beginning with thanks for the work God has done, but extending to gratitude for family, church and neighbors.

This grace will be seen by others and become a touchstone to draw men and women into the kingdom of God.

So, Susan and I sat in that musty living room and listened as Pastor Warner taught the Word.

We began to apply that word to our lives and to our son, Sean. And then, as they arrived, to his sister Kristin and brother Garett.

Now we apply it to our eight grandchildren.

The good news is that the same truth that we learned from our pastor 34 years ago is true today. It is true today because it is the Old School wisdom of the Bible, which was true when it was written thousands of years ago.

It was true then because it came from the Creator Himself.

Apply God’s word to your parenting and help your kids grow in wisdom, stature and favor with God and Man.