Hebrews 5:8-9 NASB Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. [9] And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
Obedience is a lifestyle we cultivate, and John 14:23 tells us that an obedient life experiences the abiding manifest presence of God. Verse 8 in Hebrews chapter 5 doesn’t say that Jesus became obedient through the things he suffered; instead, it says that he learned obedience from the things he suffered. As the Son of Man, Jesus increased in favor with God and man, and as the Son of Man, Jesus increased over time in a lifestyle of obedience. Again, I am not saying that he became obedient; I’m simply saying that he went deeper and deeper into the life of obedience, which was consummated in his obedience at the Cross. Philippians 2:8 says, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a Cross.” Jesus’s obedience was perfected at the Cross. Jesus was born carrying the full favor of the Father on His life, but he stewarded well, in an increasing way during his life, the grace that was already on him. In the same way, his obedient heart that was always beating within him found greater and greater extravagant manifestation over time. The interesting thing in these verses is that they say he learned obedience from the things that He suffered. I know that we don’t like to talk about suffering, especially charismatic Christians don’t like to talk about suffering. They seem to be afraid even to use the word suffering as part of their vocabulary, in fear that somehow they’re going to put a curse on themselves by coming into agreement with the devil, but Scripture talks about suffering in this fallen world a lot. All human suffering is a result of the fall, and I am not saying that God sends suffering so that we can learn some things, but what the Scripture tells us is that, regardless of how spiritual they are, will experience pain from some kind of loss, or distress in this fallen world. Those who stay faithful, in surrendered trust, through times of pain and suffering, will advance at an accelerated rate in cultivating an obedient life that realizes and releases the manifest presence of Jesus. During the most intense battles and times of suffering in my life, I find myself seeking the Lord with greater passion and purpose, which positions me to hear God in profound ways. As he directs my steps in times of suffering, and I respond in trusting obedience, I find myself eventually coming out of the wilderness, transformed, leaning on my beloved like never before. We should always pray the prayer, “Lord, deliver us from evil,” but it is important that when times of suffering do come, we take advantage of the opportunity to learn and advance in obedience, knowing that it will yield a great harvest in our souls. Spiritually, during times of suffering, “when you complain, you never gain; but when you obey, you are on your way.”