The Growth of the Lord
The Rev. Michael D. Gladish
Lessons: Luke 2:39-52; Psalm 139; True Christian Religion 89, Arcana
Coelestia 1461
F
ollowing up on the Advent season we read in Luke about what happened
after the presentation of the Lord in the temple at Jerusalem:
“So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, [Mary and
Joseph] returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and
became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
(Luke 2:39-40)
Then later, on another visit to Jerusalem, they left Him behind on their journey
home, and He was found teaching the scholars in the Temple. We read:
“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature [or perhaps age], and in favor with God and
men.” (Ibid. 2:52)
As you all know, the doctrines for the New Church reveal a great deal
about the dual nature of the Lord, including extensive discussion of the
Divine and the “merely human” states of His life. Yet questions remain. What
was He like as a baby or a boy? Did He cry like other infants? Was He ever
disobedient? Did He ever do anything that could be considered thoughtless
or inconsiderate? What was the real nature of His doubts and temptations as a
grown Man? And why does it matter anyway?
Well, to take the last question first, it matters a great deal since the idea we
have about God, or the Lord, qualifies everything else about our spiritual life
(see Divine Love and Wisdom 13, True Christian Religion 113, etc.), and so to
a large extent determines how or whether we can be conjoined with Him. It’s
pretty important.
We begin, then, with a fundamental principle explained in True Christian
Religion 89, that “God assumed the Human according to His own Divine
order”:
In the section concerning the Divine omnipotence and omniscience it was shown
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