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“HE LEARNED OBEDIENCE” 57
him:“I...wasnotrebellious.” (Isaiah 50:5) How, then,
could the words “he learned obedience” apply to this perfectly
obedient Son? How could such a perfect creature be
“made perfect”?
4 Consider an illustration. A soldier has an iron sword.
Although it has never been tested in battle, it is perfectly
formed and well crafted. However, he trades that sword
for one made of a stronger metal, hardened steel. This
new sword has already served well in battle. Is that not
a wise trade? Similarly, the obedience Jesus demonstrated
before he came to the earth was flawless. But after his
sojourn here, his obedience was of an altogether different
quality. It was now tested, hardened, as it were, and
proved by trials that Jesus could never have encountered
in heaven.
5 Obedience was central to Jesus’ mission in coming to
the earth. As “the last Adam,” Jesus came here to do what
our first parent failed to do—remain obedient to Jehovah
God, even under test. (1 Corinthians 15:45) Yet, Jesus’
obedience was not mechanical. Jesus obeyed with all his
mind, heart, and soul. And he did it with joy. Doing his
Father’s will was more important to him than was eating!
(John 4:34) What will help us to imitate Jesus’ obedience?
Let us first consider his motives. Cultivating motives like
his will help us both to resist temptation and to carry out
God’s will. We will then review some rewards that result
from manifesting Christlike obedience.
Jesus’ Motives for Obedience
6 Jesus’ obedience stemmed from what was in his heart.
As we saw in Chapter 3, Christ was humble at heart.
5. What made Jesus’ obedience so important, and what will we consider
in this chapter?
6, 7. What were some of Jesus’ motives for obedience?