Coffee Talk Redux is a reflection on things God is teaching me. In some cases the ideas for these topics come from the Coffee Talk group that I meet with weekly at the Vintage Coffee Bistro located in Lambertville, Michigan. At other times the Redux topic may arise from some conversation I may have had with someone, or a thought that crossed my mind, something I have written, or perhaps something I read somewhere, or maybe a combination of all of these. In any case think of this as a discussion on what God is teaching us to help us grow in our understanding of His will for us.
As a person Jesus Christ was of two natures, that is he possessed both a Divine nature and a human nature. Jesus was therefore fully God and fully human, or true God and true man. In his human nature Jesus had to grow up physically from infancy through His childhood years and then become an adult. Like everyone else His body therefore grew over time in size and in strength. Jesus through was in fact God and we are told in Colossians 2:3 that in Him hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. His human knowledge of who He was had to be developed over time so that He could then manifest in a manner appropriate to His age the graces that He possessed from His Divine nature. These special gifts of His Divinity therefore were gradually revealed and became fully apparent during the short period of time of his Public Life. That Christ grew up in this fashion is stated in Luke 2:52 wherein it is said that, Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.
Many examples of how Christ grew in age, wisdom, and grace can be found in the Gospels. There are many examples from His Infancy and Hidden Life, His Public Life, and during His Passion that show His growth in age, the development of His wisdom, and His demonstration of grace.
After Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary they were bound as part of the Law to have Him circumcised and to go to Jerusalem for His purification at the Temple. Following this they returned to Nazareth and as told in Luke 2:40 the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him. This verse along with Luke 2:52 mentioned earlier frames the only event that is recorded in the Gospels concerning the boyhood years of Christ. The Gospels provide no other details of what occurred between His infancy and when He began His Public Life. So following His circumcision and presentation at the Temple all that is known from Luke 2:42 is that Jesus grew in age, And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to custom to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. This was a special visit since by virtue of His circumcision Jesus was a son of the covenant and upon reaching the age of thirteen He would become a man and a son of the commandment. This Passover event shows that Jesus was growing up as a normal child under the guidance of His parents and the Jewish Law. For the next eighteen years He lived with His parents and worked as an apprentice to His father learning to be a carpenter.
When Jesus was about thirty years old He began the period of time known as His Public Life. During these three short years Jesus dedicated Himself to the task of spreading His Gospel message through preaching, teaching, and His works. It was at the Wedding Feast in Cana where Jesus had grown in age and stature to the point where He was confident enough to perform His first miracle in a public setting. His mother Mary comes to Him at the wedding reception and reports that they had run out of wine. Clearly Mary knows that Jesus has the power to do something. But Jesus seemingly refuses her request saying in John 2:4, O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come. But Mary does not take this as a rebuke. She knows that Jesus will take care of the situation and directs in the next verse that the servants Do whatever He tells you. Jesus then ordered the servants to fill six stone jars with water and He then turned the water into wine. Not only was the water turned into wine but Jesus shows by this miracle that He had grown in age and stature that His human nature was ready to meet His divine nature. By this act He begins His miracle ministry showing for the first time His Divine Glory and building the faith of His disciples.
The Paschal Mystery is the three day period of time of Christ’s Passion, death and resurrection, and ascension when Jesus performed His act of redemption to bring salvation to mankind. In terms of Jesus growing in age, this period of time is the culmination of His life and the fulfillment of His mission of salvation in the world. Jesus who was now fully mature in His humanity freely accepted the will of God giving Himself as the perfect sacrifice, the one who was without sin paying the ransom for all of mankind’s sins. Jesus was nailed to the cross and suffered tremendous physical pain for several hours. In addition, He was hounded by the taunts and jeers from the crowds that witnessed His crucifixion. Finally, as recorded by Luke in his Gospel Jesus cries out, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit! And having said this He breathed His last. Jesus at His most agonizing moment shows that He is still in control borrowing His words from Sacred Scripture as said in Psalms 31:5, Into thy hand I commit my spirit; thou hast redeemed me. Christ coming of age is now the redeemer, offering His life and spirit to the Father as a ransom for all of mankind.
Jesus as true man and true God held a unique relationship with God the Father. His wisdom was infinite but His humanity was finite. As stated in Luke 2:40 He was filled with wisdom and His Divine wisdom became ever more apparent as He grew from infancy through childhood and into manhood. One of the first demonstrations of His wisdom occurs in Luke’s Infancy narrative when as a twelve year old child He went to Jerusalem with His parents for the Passover feast. When the Passover feast had ended Luke says that unbeknownst to His parents Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Because of the large Passover crowds His parents did not realize that He was left behind and as told in Luke 2:45 and when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. At twelve years of age Jesus had grown in wisdom to the point where He could now begin to reveal His Divine wisdom. This is demonstrated when His parents as recorded in Luke 2:46-47 found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His mother Mary said to Him in the next verse, Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously, Jesus having grown in age and wisdom under His Father’s grace responds by saying, How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? These are the first recorded words of Jesus Christ in the Gospels and Jesus for the first time is revealing His Divinity and His unique relationship to God the Father. By stating that He must be in His Father’s house He is proclaiming the unique relationship and special favor that He now has with God His Father.
During His Public Life there were many occasions when His teachings to His disciples and followers showed His supernatural wisdom. Oftentimes the Pharisees who were His opponents would try to trick Him and draw Him into a trap. One time some disciples of the Pharisees came to Jesus asking Him in Matthew 22:17, Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? But Jesus knew what they were trying to do. If Jesus said to pay the tax then this would be seen as a show of support to the Romans, if He said not to pay it, then that would be seen as His open opposition to the Roman government. But Jesus showed His wisdom in this situation. He first asked, Why put me to the test you hypocrites? Show me the money for the tax. By calling them hypocrites He is acknowledging to them that He knows their deceitful intention. After they brought Him a Roman coin used to pay the tax He then says in Matthew 22:20, Whose likeness and inscription is this? They replied that the likeness was that of Caesar’s and Jesus responded by saying, Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. When they heard it, they marveled, and they left Him and went away. Jesus was clearly making the wise distinction between things that belong to the Kingdom of the World and those that are of the Kingdom of God.
At the Last Supper Jesus demonstrated His Divine wisdom by instituting the the Eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood. Jesus did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross for all time and He left this to his church as a memorial of His death and resurrection. The Eucharist would serve as an everlasting memorial to Christ’s Passion and sacrifice and serve as a celebration of thanksgiving for His redemption of mankind and provide grace to all of the faithful preparing them for their future glory with Christ in heaven. He also instructed his disciples to continue His mission after His death and to continue His ministry here on earth. Together these would form the basis of His church on earth. While praying for His disciples before His arrest Jesus says in John 17:17-19, Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth. Through this Christ is establishing the means for the continuation of the Eucharistic celebration and His mission through His Church. Christ’s establishment of the celebration of the Last Supper and His royal priesthood can only be understood in the context of the Divine Wisdom that He possessed.
Christ was also in God’s grace from the moment of His Incarnation. As Joseph contemplated the situation he was in with Mary we are told in Matthew 1:21 an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary for your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. The angel is proclaiming to Joseph that God’s grace is with Christ and that He will be the path by which mankind will be saved and regain a loving relationship with God.
After giving His disciples some insight on the impending Paschal Mystery Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a high mountain. Jesus was then transfigured before them providing His disciples with a view of the glorified body that He would possess after His resurrection. Elijah and Moses appeared as well and they were seen talking with Jesus. The evangelist Mark then says in his Gospel in 9:7 that a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud: ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to Him. By virtue of the transfiguration and saying Listen to Him God is affirming the grace and wisdom that He has given to His only begotten Son.
On Holy Thursday during the Last Supper with His disciples Jesus demonstrated through His humility that He was now full of God’s grace and love. Through the simple act of washing the feet of His disciples He shows what perfect love really is and what it means to be a servant. After washing their feet Jesus says to them John 13:16-17, Truly, Truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Jesus through the symbolic act of washing their feet teaches His disciples an important lesson and passes on His grace to His disciples.
Through these examples given us in Sacred Scriptures we see how Christ grows in age, wisdom, and grace. (Ronald L. Fournier © 2009)
