1. Introduction: The Unseen Foundation of Our Faith
The scriptures present us with the birth of Jesus, and they show us his ministry, his death, and his resurrection. But what about the years in between? Between the record of his infancy and the story of him as a boy in the temple, scripture says simply that he “grew and became strong” (Luke 2:40). Then, after that single brief episode at age twelve, the curtain falls again for nearly two decades, only rising when he is a man at the Jordan River, of whom it is said he “increased in wisdom and in stature” (Luke 2:52). These two verses are bookends around a vast and intentional silence. It is a quiet, undocumented space that holds one of the most powerful truths of our faith.
This morning, we will explore the idea that this quietness is not an empty space, but a profound theological statement. The central thesis of our message is this: The undocumented years of Jesus’s life reveal the immense value God places on the process of growth. His journey teaches us that formation is not a preamble to the main event; it is the main event. We will examine how Jesus’s humanity was intentionally formed over three decades and what this divine model of gradual, secret development means for our own spiritual journeys today.
2. The Radical Theology of a Growing Savior
To truly grasp the incarnation, we must understand that Jesus’s humanity was not a static state but a dynamic process. We often hold a mythical image of a savior who simply appeared on the world stage, fully formed and complete. But the Gospel invites us to embrace a more radical and beautiful truth: the Son of God chose the path of formation.
2.1. Embracing Complete Humanity
The Son of God did not merely put on a costume of flesh; he fully inhabited it. The source text reminds us that He, like us, needed to “eat, sleep, learn, and grow.” This was not a performance of humanity but a full and vulnerable participation in it. He didn’t simulate learning; He learned. He didn’t pretend to mature; He matured. This path was necessary so that he could, in the words of the source, “fully share in every human experience we walk through.” His divinity was not diminished by this process; rather, His humanity was authentically filled and prepared through it.
2.2. The Purpose in the Process
This path of gradual development was not an accident or a necessary inconvenience; it was a path “chosen by God.” The Creator of the universe subjected Himself to the timeline of human development for a profound purpose. The text boldly suggests that in this process, “He would have made small mistakes, and he would have gone through a learning process.” This vulnerability was not a flaw but a feature. It was essential for His role as our perfect empathizer and high priest—one who understands our struggles not by divine observation, but by shared human experience. This process was essential, qualifying Him to be our perfect High Priest—one who could not only die for us but can now empathize with us in our weakness.
This brings us from the why of Jesus’s growth to the how God accomplishes such sacred formation, which is best understood through the metaphor of light.
3. The Metaphor of Light: Formation Over Instantaneous Creation
Light is a powerful metaphor throughout Scripture, and its formation is particularly instructive for us. Just as the dawn does not burst forth in an instant but gradually overtakes the darkness, God’s work in the world and in our lives is often a process of increasing brightness, not a sudden, blinding flash of completion.
3.1. Unpacking “The Secrecy of Growth”
Our source introduces a core spiritual principle it calls “The Secrecy of Growth” (성장의 은밀함). This is the profound idea that the most critical and foundational formation happens in the quiet, unseen, and undocumented seasons of life. For thirty years, Jesus lived an ordinary life in Nazareth. It was in the mundane, the routine, and the hidden that his character was forged. This secrecy is not emptiness; it is the sacred darkness in which light gathers its strength before the dawn. God consecrates the hidden process because that is where the substance of glory is forged.
3.2. Understanding “The Time of Light Being Formed”
The text makes a crucial point: “God did not complete the light in an instant.” Instead, “He chose the process of the light gradually brightening.” We live in a culture that demands immediate results, overnight success, and instant transformation. But God’s chronology is one of patient cultivation, not instant production. He values “The Time of Light Being Formed” (빛이 형성되는 시간). It was within this deliberate, unhurried, and sacred process that “Jesus’s humanity was fully prepared.” God was not in a rush to get to the cross; He was patiently and perfectly forming the Savior who would go there.
This theological model of gradual formation is not just a fact about Jesus; it is a direct and grace-filled invitation into our own lives.
4. Application: Finding Grace in Our Own Formation
The model of Jesus’s growth is not merely a historical or theological fact to be known, but an invitation to reframe our own spiritual experiences. It gives us permission to be human, to be in process, and to find God not in spite of our journey but in the midst of it, especially during periods of doubt, struggle, or slowness.
4.1. Embracing “The Process of Grace Filling Up”
We are called to embrace what the source beautifully terms “The Process of Grace Filling Up” (은혜가 차오르는 과정) as a personal spiritual practice. This means viewing our faith not as a static state to be achieved, but as a lifelong journey of being filled by God. We can honor this process in practical ways:
• Reframe prayer not as a transaction for immediate answers, but as the very environment where God forms our character in the waiting.
• Celebrate daily acts of faithfulness—the small, unseen obediences—as the sacred building blocks of a mature faith, just as they were for Jesus in his carpenter’s shop.
• Receive your mistakes not as signs of disqualification, but as invitations to grace—the very human experiences God uses to deepen your dependence on Him, just as He sanctified the learning process of His Son.
4.2. Trusting the Quiet Seasons
This model directly challenges us to reconsider the “quiet” seasons of our lives—those times when we feel spiritually stagnant, unseen by others, or far from God. We are tempted to label these periods as spiritual failure or abandonment. But the lesson of Nazareth reframes them as sacred formation time. These are the moments when God may be doing His most essential, preparatory work in secret, preparing us for a purpose we cannot yet see, just as He prepared His Son in the quiet of a Galilean village.
Let us, therefore, learn to embrace our own formation with the same trust that characterized Jesus’s hidden years.
5. Conclusion: Walking the Path of Formation
The core message of Jesus’s hidden years is this: God consecrates the slow, secret, and often-unseen process of becoming. Our growth is not an obstacle to God’s plan for our lives; our growth is God’s plan for our lives.
Therefore, when you next encounter a season of divine silence in your own story—when your prayers seem to go unanswered and your progress feels invisible—do not mistake it for absence. Recognize it as the sacred workshop of Nazareth. Trust that you are in “The Time of Light Being Formed,” and that the God who consecrated the hidden years of His Son is sanctifying yours as well. Embrace the holy process, for the “Secret Light of Growth” is dawning in your life, even, and especially, when you cannot yet see it.
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