Finding Favor with God: A Study of the Boy Jesus and Lady Wisdom
In the Proverbs, Solomon, son of David and king of Israel, provides us with a collection of sayings aimed at developing wisdom, shaping orthopraxy, and directing us to live righteously in God’s created order. Within the first nine chapters of this collection, Solomon personifies wisdom in the picture of a “lady,” one that we are encouraged to pursue. Through careful and emotive language, Solomon reminds us in “Lady Wisdom” of the value of wisdom in life. However, how does this picture of wisdom painted by Solomon in Proverbs connect to the life of the promised Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God? In his Gospel narrative, Paul’s associate Luke examines the wisdom of Jesus at an early age. Between his descriptions of the birth of Jesus and the ministry of Jesus, Luke provides a short and often overlooked account from Jesus’ youth that illustrates His pursuit of and interaction with wisdom. By revisiting this seeming “filler story” within Luke’s Gospel, we can understand much more about Jesus and His connection to wisdom in the Scriptures.
At the very outset of Luke 2:41-52, Luke sets up his intent to observe Jesus’ relationship with wisdom in His childhood. After describing Jesus’ birth and purification in the preceding verses, the author provides a description of the young Jesus in Nazareth:
“The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
— Luke 2:40 (NASB)
This powerful verse sits right before a visit by the young twelve-year-old and His parents to Jerusalem for Passover (Luke 2:41-42). After the visit was complete, Jesus’ party departed; however, He stayed behind to converse with the teachers in the temple (Luke 2:43-46). Once Jesus’ parents realized that He was not in the caravan, they returned in search of their child, finding Him in the temple after three days (Luke 2:45-46). Mary questions Jesus’ actions (Luke 2:48), and the Boy provides an interesting response in verse 49:
“And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?””
— Luke 2:49
Luke records that Jesus’ parents did not understand what He meant by this (Luke 2:50). However, the Boy “went down with them” to Nazareth, and He lived in submission to His parents (Luke 2:51). Closing this text, Luke pens a thought-provoking description of Jesus:
“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
— Luke 2:52
Through this narrative, we observe how Jesus understood this time in His life. First, we learn that Jesus valued wisdom, as seen in Luke 2:46-47. Jesus both listened to the teachers and asked them questions according to Luke 2:46, modeling the learning process. Learning takes a listening ear and asking questions to receive wise counsel. Reflecting on Luke 2:52’s later description, the combination of listening, learning, and receiving wise counsel contributes to knowing wisdom. The book of Proverbs makes this argument in its opening chapter. King Solomon reminds us that “to know wisdom” (Proverbs 1:1), we must “hear and increase in learning” and “acquire wise counsel” (Proverbs 1:5). Therefore, Jesus’ example to pursue wisdom by listening, learning, and acquiring wise counsel from dialogue with the religious teachers shows the Son of God living out the Proverbs, even as a boy. Jesus’ pursuit of wisdom by these activities illustrates Luke’s description and demonstrates His valuing of wisdom.
Jesus’ valuing of wisdom is also seen in the reactions of those who heard the twelve-year-old. Jesus displayed wisdom, evidenced by the amazement of those around Him due to His understanding and answers. The teachers themselves listened to His insight. His own parents were astonished when they saw Him “sitting in the midst of the teachers” (Luke 2:46-48). These reactions further emphasize the great wisdom of Jesus during His youth and His commitment to pursuing it.
In addition, Jesus’ identity fueled His purpose. In Luke 2:49, Jesus reveals His self-awareness of His identity by posing this question to Mary: “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” Jesus understood that He was God’s Son. Even in Jesus’ boyhood, this truth underlined His entire life. That’s why He “had to be” in His Father’s house (Luke 2:49). His identity was crucial to why He stayed, where He was, and what He was doing. Jesus also knew His purpose, even if Mary and Joseph didn’t (Luke 2:48). In Proverbs 8:35, Solomon tells us that “he who finds” Lady Wisdom “finds life and obtains favor from the LORD.” Jesus chose to pursue wisdom seeking the favor of His Father. His purpose was tied to His identity. Therefore, He reasoned with the teachers at the temple in the pursuit of wisdom because He was the Son of God seeking the favor of His Father.
Ultimately, Jesus purposed to seek the favor of His Father out of His identity by increasing in wisdom. While Jesus’ childhood receives little attention in the inspired Word, Jesus’ actions in Luke 2:41-51 reveal what we need to know about the Son of God in His youth, summarized by the bookend verses of Luke 2:40 and 2:52:
“The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him…And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
— Luke 2:40, 52
As Jesus modeled in His youth, we must value wisdom and actively listen, learn, and seek wise counsel to find it. As Jesus’ identity informed His purpose, we should let our identity as adopted sons of God (Romans 8:15) inform our purpose to seek God’s favor. Even at twelve years’ old, the Son of God models for us what we should value, what we should pursue, and whose favor we should seek. In light of Solomon’s counsel and Christ’s demonstration, we as Christ followers must pursue Lady Wisdom and imitate Jesus, seeking the favor of our Heavenly Father.