In the Gospel of Luke, the author states that Jesus “grew and became strong in Spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him (Luke 2:40). A few verses later; Luke also mentions that Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).

These passages raise a profound question; How could Jesus,  who is God, grow in wisdom? Isn’t omniscience, the state of being all-knowing, an inherent characteristic of God?

In order to understand what this means, let’s look at a few facts.

Firstly, it’s essential to recognize that these verses affirm Jesus’ humanity. This is an essential Christian doctrine that following the incarnation Jesus was both fully God and fully man.

This duality is critical in understanding the narrative of Jesus’ life. His growth in wisdom isn’t about the development of His divine nature but a testament to His genuine human experience.

We also learn that the Holy Spirit played a crucial role in Christ’s physical, intellectual, and spiritual development as a human.

Unlike Adam, Jesus was not created as an adult; instead, He grew and developed like any other child, except that He did not possess any of the detriments of a sinful nature.

His development was so rapid and beautiful that, at the age of twelve, He amazed the teachers in the temple and everyone who heard Him.

Luke 2:47 (NKJV)

And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

Jesus’ earthly development in wisdom and understanding was an operation of the Holy Spirit resting upon Him.

Even Isaiah in the Old Testament prophesied concerning Jesus’ development in;

Isaiah 11:2 (NKJV)

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

A key theological concept to grasp here is the idea of kenosis, based on Philippians 2:7, where Paul writes that Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” This ’emptying’ did not mean Jesus ceased being God; rather, He voluntarily limited the independent use of certain divine attributes, like omniscience, to fully live out the human life. This voluntary limitation allowed Jesus to grow and learn as any human would, aligning with God’s plan for His earthly ministry.

Simply put, Jesus did not cease being God or divest Himself of divine attributes in order to become man. Rather, He took on a human nature (in addition to His divinity and not a subtraction from His divinity) and submitted the use of His divine attributes  to the will of the Father.

Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJV)

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore, there were times when His omniscience was on display (Matthew 9:4; John 2:24–25; 4:17–18; 11:11–14; 16:30) and other times when it was veiled by His humanity in accordance with the Father’s will (Mark 13:32).

Christ was therefore subject to the normal process of human growth—intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.

In conclusion, Jesus’ growth in wisdom as described in Luke is a profound illustration of His complete humanity. While He never ceased to be fully divine, He embraced the human experience, including learning and growing in wisdom. This aspect of Jesus’ life demonstrates His humility and identification with humanity, but also establishes Him as a Great High Priest, uniquely able to sympathize with out weaknesses (Hebrews 4:14-16).