How Do We Explain Jesus Increasing in Wisdom (luke 2:52) When He Was God and Knew All Things?
1) Direct Answer
Jesus increasing in wisdom speaks of His true humanity; God in Him did not increase. The one God veiled Himself in a real human body and mind that had to grow, learn, and mature. As the Son (the body), He grew in wisdom; as God dwelling in Him, He knew all things.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Luke 2:40,52 says the child grew, waxed strong in spirit, and increased in wisdom and stature. That’s the human side maturing.
- Hebrews 2:17; 4:15: He was made like His brethren and was tempted in all points, yet without sin. A true man must truly develop.
- Philippians 2:7-8: He made Himself of no reputation and took the form of a servant. He chose the servant pathway, not displaying divine prerogatives at will.
- John 14:10: “The Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works.” The indwelling Father is the source.
- John 5:19-20: “The Son can do nothing of Himself… the Father sheweth Him.” He lived in dependence, not self-display.
- Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16: In Him dwelt all the fulness; God was manifested in flesh. Not part of God—God Himself veiled.
- John 3:34; Luke 3:21-22; 4:18: The Spirit was upon Him without measure, openly anointing Him for ministry.
- Mark 13:32 and Acts 1:7: When He did not declare the day or hour, He was speaking from the servant position, keeping that knowledge under the Father’s authority.
- Yet Scriptures also say, “Jesus knowing all things” (John 18:4) and “Lord, Thou knowest all things” (John 21:17), and He “knew what was in man” (John 2:25). That’s the Father in Him made known.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- God does not grow; a child does. The Son is the body—born, eating, sleeping, learning; the indwelling is God—eternal, unchanging, omniscient.
- Therefore Luke 2:52 describes the human mind of Jesus maturing in perfect obedience, while the divine Spirit in Him never increased.
- At times He speaks and acts as a man in the servant role; at times the Father speaks and works through Him. It’s not two persons; it’s one God revealed—Father above us, then with us in that body as the Son, now in us as the Holy Spirit.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, that’s the mystery: God hiding Himself in simplicity. He became like us to redeem us, yet never ceased to be God. So His increase in wisdom was the real growth of His humanity; His omniscience remained in the indwelling Father who did the works.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
We would see Jesus
60-0708 §47
Now Philip... Nathanael was a well trained scholar. So he said, "Rabbi (which means "teacher"), when did You know me? How did you know that I was a man with no guile? [I'd say today, "a honest, good man."] How did you know it?" He said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you." That was Jesus yesterday. If He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, that's Jesus today. You know what Philip said when He... I mean, Nathanael said when He did this? He said, "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God....
Thou knowest all things
52-0716 §31
Now, watch. Jesus ... Peter was reconciling the [unclear words] to believe that that was the Son of God, because God was with Him, working signs and wonders. Now listen close. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by signs and wonders ... or, by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did there, see. Jesus was approved. He had God's approval, no matter what the Pharisees said. They said, "He's a mind-reader; a devil," the world, the ecclesiastical world. But Peter...
Faith in the Son of God
52-0715 §11
Jesus, they seen that He... He knew the peoples thoughts. He knew what they were thinking of. He saw visions and told them that He couldn't do nothing till the Father showed Him. And what He said that the Father would do, that the Father had done, that every time was right. Isn't that right? So they figured, "How is He doing it? Now, perhaps, it's mental telepathy." Then He told the people the things that was in their heart that they wasn't thinking about. They wasn't--wasn't even thinking about it. That's not ment...
Wisdom versus Faith
62-0401 §195
But Jesus was the Word. His faith in the knowledge of Himself, that He was the Word, just like Moses... Why, Moses knew who He was. Moses knew he was God's servant, knowed he was called of God. He knowed what he was going to do. That's the reason he wasn't scared what Satan said. Satan tried to tempt him, scare him out of it, but Moses knew where he was standing. That's right. Now, I've got to hurry. I'm just skipping over page after page here.
The Queen of Sheba
60-0401E §1
[Pastor introduces Brother Lamsa.] ... he speaks the language and can read the language and read the original documents in which the New Testament was written. So with him, it is so wonderful that he can read directly from the original script the very words that Jesus and the disciples spoke and wrote. He felt that these translations that we have are not always correct and true. And that's where the criticism comes in, because he criticizes the King James version, and some people think that St. Paul preached from t...