--- H Dorrington <hjdinfl@...> wrote:

> Chad says: ""Grew" is the word Luke uses. In fact, Luke proves my point: Jesus
> actually grew in favor with God."
> NASB:"And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and
> men."  prokopto: to go foward   not grew:  aujxavnw:  to become greater

It doesn't matter, Harry.  "To increase", "to go forward" and "to grow" all convey
the same meaning in this context (even if 'stature' is 'years' it's the same). 
Verse 52 is a continuation of the very same thought in verse 40.  

The context places the verb in the realm of quantity and quality of Christ's
physical and mental capacity.  "Going forward" in wisdom is not revelation... it
having more wisdom at the end of the day than at the beginning (which is why the ESV
prefer's "increase" to the KJV's "grew").  In the same way that Christ increased in
physical stature, Christ increased in wisdom.  In the same way that Christ increased
in physical stature, Christ increased in favor with God.  None of this even comes
close to "revealed" or even "apparent".  At the end of the day, Christ has something
he didn't already have... *more* of something or *further* of something.  None of
this has anything to do with revelation... it's not on Luke's radar screen in that
context.  Luke had every opportunity to say that Christ revealed more of his deity
every day, but he doesn't 1. because it's not his point in the text, and 2. his
point is that Christ was human, not just phyically, but mentally (including his own
awareness of who he was... which is a point all of the gospel writers are conveying
in their narrative... the increase of Christ's messianic awareness).

Chad Bresson
Xenia, OH