E Grow for Wisdom and for Body

Di sound of saw on top wood. Chickens for compound. One mother dey call her son make e come chop dinner. For about eighteen years, na dis one be di life of di Son of God. And di Bible tell am with just two verses.

We just watch Jesus, wey be twelve years old, as e make di teachers for di temple wonder. E don tell im mother say e must dey for im Father house. You fit expect say wetin go follow na big public life, one wonder boy wey dey teach for Jerusalem. But no be wetin Luke tell us be dat. Instead, di family waka go home to Nazareth. Back to di small hill village for Galilee. Back to di workshop, di well, di farms, and di small stone house.

Luke talk say Jesus go down with dem, come Nazareth, and e dey under dem. For oda words, e obey im parents. Di one wey talk about im Father house come home and do wetin Mary and Joseph ask. E fetch water. E help with di younger children; di Gospels tell us say later e get brothers, James, Joses, Judas and Simon, and sisters too. And Luke add one fine detail about Mary. She keep all dis words for her heart. She remember di angel, di shepherds, Simeon for di temple, and now dis one. She hold dem and think about dem, year after year.

Later, when Jesus don grow, people for Nazareth go ask, no be dis carpenter? So we know say e learn work, maybe for Joseph side. Di word wey dem use mean craftsman or builder, person wey dey work with wood and maybe stone. E for don make plough and yoke, doors and roof beams, tables and benches. E know how yoke suppose fit di neck of cow so dat e no go rub am. E know how heavy beam be. Years after, e go talk say, carry my yoke, because my yoke dey easy. E know how yoke wey dem make well dey feel.

Then di verse wey gather all dose hidden years together come. Jesus grow for wisdom and for body, and for favour with God and with people. Wisdom: im mind and understanding grow. Body: im body grow, e tall and e strong. Favour with God: im Father dey happy with am. And favour with people: people like am. E be good neighbour, good son, good worker. Di Son of God no skip childhood. E grow, step by step, just as we dey grow.

Just few miles from Nazareth, di city of Sepphoris dey. Di historian Josephus tell us say Herod Antipas, di ruler of Galilee when Jesus dey young, rebuild Sepphoris, make di walls strong, and make am di jewel of di whole Galilee. So Jesus grow for place wey be less than one hour waka from one busy city wey dem dey rebuild, even though im own house dey for quiet village.

E Grow for Wisdom and for Body. You go find am for Luke chapter two, verse fifty-one and fifty-two. Di quiet years no be wasted years. God dey work for di ordinary days. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How you dey grow dis year, for wisdom, for body, with God, and with di people wey dey around you?