I love reading about Jesus. I love learning about Jesus’ character, and I believe even the smallest sentences about him in God’s word like this one can teach us so much. Jesus’ knowledge about who he was did not make him a proud or boastful man, but rather a humble man who was hungry to develop in the ways of the Lord. One of the qualities I love most about Jesus is that he always goes first in the things he asks of us. In this verse, the same word translated as “favor” is translated as “grace” every other time it’s used in the rest of the New Testament. It seems as though we can observe that Jesus himself grew in grace and wisdom. Sound familiar? It’s the same instruction that we read about yesterday in 2 Peter 3:17-18. Our Savior, our Redeemer actually went first in the obedience that he calls us to.
God could have chosen any other way to reveal the Messiah, yet He chose to send him as a human… A human that needed to grow, learn, abide, and nourish his walk with his heavenly father through prayer and obedience. We see the perfect Lamb of God grow not only in his relationship with his heavenly father, but also in his human friendships and relationships. What a beautiful mystery that the one who created everything chose to become like us. He chose to take on the form of a lowly son and servant who needed to grow in wisdom and stature before his public ministry even began. He had to be obedient in his earthly responsibilities, and he demonstrated for us what it meant to be faithful in even the smallest of things. I am so comforted by this truth, that Jesus leads by showing us what it means to be obedient in the hidden and quiet places. I encourage you to spend some time with Jesus, and ask him what it would mean to follow his example in growing in wisdom, grace, and stature today.
Thank you Jesus for your ultimate example. Thank you Jesus that you went first in all that you call us to. Would you show us what it means to follow your lead today? We want to know you, we want to love you, and we want to be like you. Lead us Lord, we want to hear your every word. Make us ready to listen. In Jesus name, Amen.