The historic Christian position has always been that the one person of Christ is both God and man at the same time. As God, Christ's knowledge was complete and immediate, not needing to conceptualize anything in order to gain an accurate understanding of a thing or item. Yet as man, Christ grew in relation to his human consciousness as the following citations prove:

> "And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of
> God was upon him." Luke 2:40
>
> "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor before God and men." Luke 2:52

Therefore, Isaiah 7:14-16 actually proves this very point: namely, that the Messiah is the God-man, being both omniscient in relation to his divine nature and experiencing human growth and finite understanding in relation to his human nature.

It is argued that in Luke 2:52:

> "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."

It is asserted that Jesus was tall, wise, and enjoyed popularity, which supposedly contradicts Isaiah 53's prophecy of a despised servant. However, this reads too much into the text. The word 'stature' (helikia) does not imply here that Jesus was tall; it simply means either age or size, which any normal person grows in as they age. The word 'wisdom' (sophia) refers to growth in moral and intellectual life of the sort that would be expected from anyone like Jesus who grew older. Finally, 'favour' (charis) does not imply massive worldly popularity, merely acceptance and grace from those around him. This verse functions as a standard ancient biographical transition phrase (similar to descriptions of Moses by Josephus) and does not conflict with the prophetic reality of his eventual widespread rejection by the national leadership.