He Learned Obedience
 
I started to compose a long comment in response to the questions about Hebrews 5:8 and my last post on intra-Trinitarian covenantal relations.  But the comment developed into something that I thought more appropriate for a dedicated post.
 
I suspect the question was asked because of the seeming incongruity of saying that the life and conversations of Jesus with his Father revealed the true nature of God’s triune life.  How does “learning obedience” fit with that?  If that wasn’t the intent of the question, then you guys that asked it can clarify the matter for me in the comment section.
 
Hebrews 5:7-10 speaks of Jesus posture "in the days of his flesh."  Verse 8 tells us that through suffering Jesus had to learn obedience.  This pedagogy led to Jesus' "maturity" and therefore his capacity to obey his Father in the most difficult act of all—giving himself over to death on the cross.  
 
The Son of God, having assumed our human nature, experienced life as a man, which meant that he had to submit to the training of suffering in order to, over time, acquire the maturity necessary to accomplish his mission in the world.  
 
This agenda flows from the intra-Trinitarian covenantal relations of self-effacing love and obedience.  Again, it is an instance of how God's love is made concrete in human history.  
 
If it's the "learning" part that makes us uncomfortable, the answer is found in remembering that the divine Person of the Son humbled himself to live out and experience a fully human life, from birth to death.  Maturation in obedience is an indelible part of the process of human growth.  Once the man Christ Jesus reached maturity and performed the crowning act of obedience, his self-offering on the cross, the divine Son's eternally mature obedience to the Father was made evident to all.  But given Jesus’ union with genuine human nature, this course had to be taken.
 
Remember the real import of Philippians 2:5-8.
  1.  
  2. Adopt towards one another, in your mutual relations,
  3. the same attitude that was found in Christ Jesus.            
  4. Precisely because he was existing in the form of God
  5. He did not regard equality with God something to be seized
  6. but poured himself out [unto death, Isa. 53:12],
  7. having taken the form of the Servant [Isa. 52:13; 53:11],
  8. having been made in the likeness of men.
  9. And having been discovered to be a man,
  10. he humbled himself,
  11. becoming obedient unto death—even death on the cross.
  12. Therefore [Isa. 53:1], God has highly exalted him. . .
  13.  
This passage does not have to do with the eternal Son becoming man, but with the incarnate Son’s life and death as a man.  Jesus did what Adam failed to do. Adam grasped at equality with God.  He wanted to be a king without service and obedience.  Jesus, the true Image of God, however, poured himself out unto death on the cross for his bride.  Having thereby shown himself to possess what it takes to be a true mature king, God elevated Jesus to his right hand to reign.  This is the path of service, maturity, and ultimately kingship.
Maturity & Kingship
Thursday, September 21, 2006