We are continuing to examine how Christ lived and served the Father. Jesus lived and served the Father by learning obedience.

“Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8). The phrase “though He was a Son” refers to Him being God the Father’s Son and as such, He Himself was God. “Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Before His incarnation (John 1:14), Jesus would not have known what it was to be obedient, because He was equal with the Father. “Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7 NKJV).

When Christ chose to be born of a woman, certain aspects of His Godhood were emptied by taking the form of a servant. “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7 ESV).

One of the aspects that was emptied was His equality with God. In other words, He made Himself of no reputation, which means He did not hold on to that equality selfi shly. His Godhood and being equal with God gave Him the right to grasp His equality and hold on to it, if He desired. Therefore, it was not robbery for Him to be equal with God. He did not steal this equality; it was His nature, because He is God.

The Pharisees accusingly asked Jesus, “Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?” (John 8:53). Jesus responded by telling them that He is the I AM. “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). This held great signifi cance to the Pharisees, because it was how God instructed Moses to answer the children of Israel when they asked him, “What is His name?” (Ex. 3:13-14). God told Moses, “’I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you”’ (Ex. 3:14). The Pharisees would understand that Jesus was telling them ‘I am God,’ and they would try to stone Him for it, because they considered it blasphemy (John 8:59).

When Jesus decided to become a man, He then must learn the consequences of His being obedient to God. The consequences of obedience to God is persecution, according to Paul (2 Tim. 3:12). This persecution led Jesus to the cross, and He humbly accepted it and was obedient. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).

Jesus learned what it meant to be obedient to God and now could sympathize with our weaknesses, because He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Therefore, God did not spare His own Son from being tempted and persecuted (Rom. 8:32), and this allowed Jesus to learn what we go through, so He could sympathize with us and be our Mediator or Advocate with the Father (1 Tim. 2:5; 1 John 2:1). It also allowed Jesus to learn patience through trials, so He could be perfect, lacking nothing, and to learn the obedience of a child to a father, so He could help us with our earthly relationships (Rom 5:1-5; Eph. 6:4; Heb. 12:5-8; James 1:3-4).

Sometimes a child has a different will than his/ her father, but children must learn to be obedient, even when they desire something different. Jesus did not desire to die on the cross and asked for the cup to be taken away, but He capitulated to the Father’s will when it was not possible (Luke 22:42). Jesus lived and served the Father by learning obedience. Will you learn to be obedient to God?

Just something to consider.