Human
development includes each of the four areas Luke identified to describe the
ways in which Jesus grew up (see Table 1). The doctrine of the incarnation
teaches us that Jesus underwent the full human experience. He was “made like
His brethren in all things” (Hebrews
2:17—italics added). Thus, when Luke said that Jesus grew in stature, we
understand that he was referring to his physical growth. At twelve, Jesus was
likely maturing in some of the same ways that tweens and adolescents physically
mature today. Whiskers may have started showing up on his face for the first
time. His voice may have cracked here and there as it deepened. And, who knows?
He may have experienced the growing pains that often accompany pubescent growth
spurts.
When
Luke said that Jesus grew in wisdom, we understand that he was referring to the
development of his intellect. We know that the thinking of children develops
along with their bodies. For example, an infant is mesmerized by the game of peek-a-boo.
To the infantile mind, it is no less than magical whenever a mother or father
disappears and reappears saying “Peek-a-boo”! As the infant grows into a
school-age child, the magic is dispelled. The child moves from what
developmental psychologists call the sensory-motor/pre-operational stage to the
operational stage of cognitive development. They understand that one object may
be placed out of view behind another object without actually disappearing. At
this stage of intellectual development, children are able to understand the
world in concrete terms. So, we begin teaching children the ABC’s, basic
arithmetic, and all the names of the Capitol cities.
Typically
in later adolescence, some children move from the concrete operational stage to
formal operations. At this stage of intellectual development, the child who
once thought peek-a-boo was magic now reflects on the nature of joy, surprise
and love. Abstract thinking and reason is now possible. Hypothetical problems
may be considered. Intellectually, formal operations plunge a person into the
deep end of the pool, so to speak.
Not
everyone moves into this stage of intellectual development. Most of life only
requires concrete operations. Those who develop to this stage will not
necessarily spend a lot of time thinking and reasoning abstractly (except,
perhaps, physicists and theoretical mathematicians). Yet, the ability to think
at this level is a mark of full intellectual maturity. Paul said, “When I was a
child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child;
when I became a man, I did away with childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
When
Luke said that Jesus increased in favor with men, we understand he meant that
Jesus developed socially. Researchers in the area of human development have
come to see that social development is as important as physical or intellectual
development. At various stages in our lives, we develop important social
qualities like the ability to trust, a sense of self-efficacy, initiative,
productivity, a sense of identity, and the ability to experience and maintain
close personal relationships. For example, children who fail to bond with a
parent before age five or so often develop attachment disorders that make it
difficult for them to function socially. In today’s world, the importance of EQ
(emotional and social intelligence) may outweigh the importance of IQ.[1]
Jesus was a master of social skills. He grew to the heights of emotional and
social maturity.
When
Luke said that Jesus increased in favor with God, we understand he meant that Jesus
developed spiritually. It might sound strange that Jesus grew spiritually. After
all, Jesus was God’s son. How could he possibly become any more spiritual than
that? Again, the doctrine of the incarnation suggests that Jesus learned to relate
to God as a man (Hebrews 5:8; cf. Philippians 2:6-8). He developed a deep
prayer life, a thorough and discerning knowledge of Scripture, and the ability
to listen and respond to God in obedience. The fruit of the Spirit grew
abundantly in his life. Jesus became the most spiritually mature human being
that has ever lived.
Luke
2:52 & Human Development
|
|
Wisdom
|
Intellectual Development
|
Stature
|
Physical Development
|
Favor
with men
|
Social Development
|
Favor
with God
|
Spiritual Development
|
Table 1
| |
Like
Jesus, all people experience a process of physical, intellectual, social and spiritual
development. Those who follow Jesus will find themselves at various stages of
development. We all begin as baby Christians who must then grow in our walk
with the Lord (See 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:13; 1 Peter 2:2). In a
healthy church, each stage of physical, intellectual, social and spiritual
development will be represented. M. Scott Peck said, “A true community will
likely include people of all stages.”[2] Peck
was referring to stages of faith development—which parallels and is affected by
all the other aspects of human development.
There
are stages of faith development, just as there are stages of physical,
intellectual, social and spiritual development. To be clear, faith development
pertains to how people come to
believe, not necessarily what they
believe. Since faith is more directly tied to a person’s understanding,
thinking and other intellectual processes, in many ways the stages of faith
development reflect the stages of cognitive/intellectual development.
M.
Scott Peck provides a four-stage paradigm for understanding faith development. Peck
starts with those in the chaotic/antisocial stage. These are either children
experiencing the first stages of typical growth and development process, or
they are what Peck calls “People of the Lie.” Of the latter, Peck says, “Their
relationships with fellow human beings are all essentially manipulative and
self-serving.”[3]
People in the chaotic/antisocial stage of faith development believe in nothing greater than themselves. It is the stage of undeveloped spirituality.
Stage
two in Peck’s paradigm is the formal/institutional stage. Converted from a
self-centered and chaotic life, stage two people may be new converts to faith
or those that simply never moved past a pre-critical stage. Stage two may start
out with childlike enthusiasm and thinking, but it typically moves into a
pre-critical adherence to the formal and institutional requirements of the
faith.
Peck
says that stage two people are the majority of churchgoers. They are
emotionally attached to the forms of their faith whether or not they are attached
to the essence of the faith. They are among the first to protest changes made
in the forms and institutional characteristics of the church. To them, faith is
a matter of bringing order out of the chaos of stage one. Like the concrete operational
stage of intellectual development, stage two in faith development is
characterized by rigid, black and white categories, and a tendency toward
dogmatism and legalism. Nonetheless, stage two people typically have high morals.
They are reliable, productive and responsible. They volunteer at church and
they do a lot of good. The problem is that they tend to relate to God “as the giant
cop in the sky.”[4]
To
bring their lives out of the chaos of stage one, and into the order that faith
provides, stage two becomes a necessary and important stage of faith development.
Faith may develop further, however. As James Fowler[5]
points out, many people get stuck in this stage and do not move forward in
their faith. There is a sense of safety tied to an unquestioning adherence to the
formal rules and regulations of an institution. Many fear that moving out of
stage two will cause them to lose everything. It is important for churches to
show appreciation and patience to those among them who are in stage two.
Peck’s
stage three represents a movement similar to the transition from concrete to
formal operations in intellectual development. In stage three, people wrestle
with doubts about their faith. They use critical thinking to question their
faith. The experience of this stage of faith development is unsettling and
sometimes painful. The puritans spoke of the holy desertions of God. John of the Cross spoke of the dark night of the soul. Whatever it is
called, stage three is difficult. Some are overwhelmed by the doubts and
questions of stage three. It is important for churches to be safe places for
stage three people to raise doubts and ask questions. And, stage three people
need to know that it is okay if they do not have every matter of faith
completely figured out and nailed down into nice and neat categories. Jesus
encouraged those who are in stage three: “Seek and you will find.”
Peck’s
final stage is the stage of wisdom. A person does not enter stage four by
resolving all the doubts and questions of stage three. Doubts and questions
remain in stage four, but the critical process of stage three provides a
principled foundation for a person’s core beliefs. Also, the anxiety of stage
three is relieved in stage four so that one may truly relate to God as
gracious, and see the bigger picture. It is important that churches recognize
the wisdom of those who have wrestled with the faith and carry with them great
wisdom and trust in God and his grace.
Ours
is a faith for thinking people who are dedicated to moving forward in the way
of Jesus (John 14:6). There is one area in which we must remain as children.
Paul wrote, “Yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature” (1
Corinthians 14:20). The Message puts
it this way: “It’s all right to have a childlike unfamiliarity with evil; a
simple no is all that’s needed there.”
[1]
See Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter
more than IQ. New York: Bantam Books, 1995.
[2]
Peck, M. Scott. The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace. New York:
Touchstone, 1987.
[3]
Ibid., p. 189.
[4]
Ibid., p. 190.
[5]
See Fowler, James. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for
Meaning. New York: HarperCollins, 1981. Fowler presents a six-stage
paradigm for understanding faith development.
