The Boy Who Grew in Wisdom

Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover. When he was twelve, they went as usual, and on the way home they discovered he was not with the group. After three days of searching they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

Two things stand out for a week in Proverbs. First, the posture. Jesus was not lecturing. He was listening and asking. Proverbs describes the wise person as one who listens and adds to their learning, and here the Son of God, at twelve, is doing exactly that. He did not despise the teachers. He sat among them.

Second, the last line of the chapter. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. That sentence is easy to skip and hard to fathom. The one who is the wisdom of God, in his humanity, grew in wisdom. He learned. He went home to Nazareth and was obedient to his parents, and the growing continued.

The lesson is not complicated. If Jesus sat and listened and asked, we can. If he was obedient at home, we can be. Wisdom grows in people who put themselves where it is being taught and stay teachable when they get there.