Jesus Learned

As we’ve been going through the book of Hebrews on Sundays, I’ve also been going through the Hebrews study at shereadstruth.com (Sidebar-this is a great resource for personal Bible study. It’s solid, it’s quick, and they will email each day’s devotional to you for free. They also have one for men: hereadstruth.com).

When I read the devotional for the first half of Hebrews 5, I was so impacted, encouraged, and honestly, surprised. There are tiny little phrases in verse 7-9 that I have never noticed before, but their truth was incredibly humbling and encouraging. So, I’m sharing part of that devotional with you today, because I can’t say it better and it was a great blessing to both Ryan and me. 

First, Heb. 5:7-9: “During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him…”

And, a segment from Amanda Bible Williams (yes, that is her real name) at shereadstruth.com: 

“I won’t speak for you, but I personally tend to imagine Jesus’ obedience came easy. He was fully God and fully man, right? I try to read these verses with an open heart, but I end up playing the God card in my skeptical mind. Of course He didn’t give into temptation, I think. He was God. How could He?
But whether or not I fully comprehend it, Hebrews 5 clearly tells us otherwise.

Jesus’ obedience came with tears. It came with desperate prayers and cries for relief. Although he was a son (God’s son!), he learned obedience through what he suffered (v8). It says so right there on the page.

Learning implies coming to know something that was not known before. It implies practice. It implies process. This was no Matrix situation; Jesus did not retrieve instant obedience simply by virtue of being God’s son and calling on the boundless power at His disposal. He forfeited that to be with us, to be one of us. ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14).”

I had never considered the humanity of Christ in this way before. Like the writer above, I lean heavily on the “fully God” side of the equation and tend to dismiss the “fully man” part. But He was both. Both. I’m still having trouble comprehending it even while I write this.  But He walked through our struggles, our fight with obedience to God’s will over our own. He learned obedience, too, just like we have to do. He learned through hard things and suffering too, just like we have to do. 

This life is hard. Sin has wreaked havoc on this beautiful world, and it is now far from what God planned and envisioned for us here. But the fact that we have a Savior who not only “knows” that, but gets it, has lived it, has walked in our shoes-that is incredibly hope-filled and life-giving.  So I’ll end with a few more borrowed words which are my prayer for us and for those who don’t yet know or believe in this compassionate Savior: 

“...Jesus knows the battle you’re fighting. He doesn’t just know you’re fighting it; He knows it because He’s fought it, too. He fought it before you and for you. And HE is the very one who sits at the Throne of Grace, ready to receive you and me, just as we are. 

You can come to Him as your full self today — not your half self, your filtered and edited self, not the cleaned up version you want the outside world to see. You may think you have to be someone else for them, but with Jesus you only have to be you.

...your tears are welcome at the Throne of Grace. Your questions and hopes and hurts are welcome before your King. It is not the throne of condemnation and He is not a merciless dictator. Jesus is your advocate, your Brother — and He sits ready to receive you even now. Go.”

- Connie