KJV Luke 2:51,52 “He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them … and Jesus increased…”
NASB Luke 2:51,52 “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them…and Jesus kept increasing …”
The temple scene in Jerusalem is climaxed by the amazing words of Luke 2:51 that He went down and was subject to them. This is the first New Testament reference to subjection or submission. In it, we learn the truths linked with “the law of first mention.” He, the eternal, was willingly and intelligently submitting Himself to the mortal. The omniscient was submitting Himself to the ignorant; the omnipotent was subjecting Himself to the weak; the Lord of all to a carpenter and his wife; the framer of the ages to the family of peasants; the holy and the pure to the imperfect and defiled. His submission removes every argument men have raised for refusal to submit.
He went down to Nazareth and was subject to them. The village of Nazareth would view One growing in their midst in absolute submission to His parents because He was absolutely submissive to the Word and will of God. Never had Nazareth seen a life such as this that was being lived before it!
But notice the juxtaposing of the expressions: “He went down … and Jesus increased.” Here again, the Spirit of God is teaching us about submission. It was in the place of submission that He increased. He went down, and yet He grew up. God’s principle has ever been the same: the way to go up is to go down. To arrive at where God wants a man, he must first humble himself to accept the place God has given him (James 4:10).
He went down with them, was subject to them, and yet He grew up and increased. He spent silent and submissive years, years in which He was submissive to earthly parents, yet amidst those years, He brought untold pleasure to God.
Consider:
1. “He increased in wisdom, stature, and in favour with God and man.” Notice the spheres of His moral development as a man, and notice the priority implied in this verse.
2. In verse 40, we read, “and the child grew.” This is the sixth and final time this expression occurs in Scripture. Look at how His growth was unique compared to the other five mentions.
3. “His mother kept all these sayings in her heart.” Is this the thought of meditating on something? How could this help me to meditate?