Jesus Grow for Nazareth

One small boy dey run with bare feet for one dusty village road, dey pursue di goats, dey laugh. Im mother call am make e come chop dinner. Nobody for di village think say anything special dey about am at all.

Plenty tins don happen since Gabriel first visit Mary. One baby wey jump for joy inside Elizabeth womb. One long road go Bethlehem. One manger. Shepherds and angels. And for di temple, old Simeon and Anna, wey recognise di pikin and praise God. Now, Luke tell us, when dem don do everything wey di law of di Lord ask, Mary and Joseph go back to Galilee, to dia own town Nazareth. Back to di north. Back home. Back to ordinary life.

Nazareth na small village for one hillside for lower Galilee. Few simple stone houses wey gather together. One spring where women dey fetch water. Olive trees, small farms, and vines wey dem plant for steps for di hill. Families wey don know each other from generation to generation. Joseph go don go back to im work as builder, as craftsman. Mary go don dey take care of di house, grind grain, bake bread, and look after her small son. Luke no talk any big tin about dis years. No more angels for di sky. Just one family, for one village, wey dey live faithfully before God.

And for di middle of all dat ordinary life, Luke tell us say di pikin grow, e become strong for spirit, e full with wisdom, and di grace of God dey upon am. Jesus grow. E really grow, like every pikin dey grow. E learn to waka and to talk. E learn to say im prayers and to recite di scriptures. Maybe e watch Joseph as e dey shape wood and stone, and e learn to use di tools by imself. E grow tall and strong. And e grow for inside too, e full with wisdom, di kind wisdom wey dey come when person know God and love am.

Think about dat one small. Di Son of God, di Saviour wey angels announce, spend most of im life for one small village wey nobody hear about, dey grow quietly. For around thirty years, e live ordinary life. E do house work. E get neighbours. E know how e be to be pikin, and teenager, and young man. And all dat time, Luke talk, di grace of God dey upon am. God favour rest on every ordinary day of dat ordinary childhood.

Di Old Testament no mention Nazareth anywhere. Di place no important at all, so that many years after, when one man wey dem dey call Nathanael hear say di Messiah come from there, e ask, Any good tin fit comot from Nazareth? And di way Luke describe how Jesus grow dey echo wetin di first book of Samuel talk about di boy Samuel, wey grow for favour with di Lord and with people.

You go find how Jesus grow for Luke chapter two, verse thirty-nine and forty. Matthew gospel also tell about one journey go Egypt before di family settle for Nazareth. But Luke want make we see di quiet years: one pikin wey dey grow strong and wise, with God grace upon am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How you want grow dis year, for your body, for your mind, and for your friendship with God?