Physical Growth

Jesus needed a healthy body for his service to the Father. Obviously, some significant part of Jesus’s growth as a child was involuntary. By God’s design, children naturally and normally become larger and stronger, but there was more to Jesus’s physical growth than that. His body was prepared for his unique service to God (Hebrews 10:5). For instance, at the outset of his ministry, he fasted forty days and nights in the desert (Matthew 4:2). Such extended fasting requires a strength that even most adults do not have. Endurance like that is necessarily preceded by preparation and growth. Ultimately, Jesus endured the scourging post and the cross. He needed a strong body to endure sacrifice and want and pain while maintaining his focus on God and his will. For instance, he thirsted desperately on the cross (John 19:28), but he was not overwhelmed by it because his body had been tested before. Jesus needed a healthy and strong body to complete the Father’s work, and so do we. in size, but we can certainly profit from developing and maturing our bodies for service. Are we preparing our bodies for the extreme rigors of faithful service as Jesus did?