Traditional theology
has stumbled here at what might be taken to undermine the conviction that
Jesus was at all times and all respects utterly without flaw. Luke speaks,
rather, out of the conviction that the human maturing process even in perfect
form involves not only growth in size but also development in wisdom and in the
capacity to execute that which is pleasing both to God and to one’s fellows. (John
Nolland, Luke 1-9:20 [Word Biblical Commentary 35A; Dallas: Word Books,
1989], 133)
