Friday, March 6: Hebrews 5- Obedience.

My heart didn’t connect with the ‘Jesus becoming priest’ theme, but Jesus learning obedience struck a chord with me.

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered… (7-8)

At first these verses struck a dissonant chord. Why did Jesus have to learn obedience? Wasn’t He God and Lord? I struggled with this at first. But as I kept reading and thinking and pondering, it hit me.   It seems that part of ‘why?’ is because He was a living example to us. Verse 8 flows directly into verses 9 with no sentence break.

and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey …

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (9, 11-14)

Jesus was an example to us. He is salvation for all who obey! In fact, as the writer continues, he chides his listeners as people who no longer try to understand. They have stopped thinking and wrestling with the truths of faith. They are opting for the easy way out, wanting to glide in their faith rather than work on it.

Then he says they are not training themselves in the faith.

As I made these observations, the voice of the Spirit began to burrow into me, asking about my effort… “have I stopped trying to understand and training myself to know good from evil?” Have you?

These are questions that I must wrestle with from time to time or I do become complacent and live off the learning of others rather than the hard work of study and training myself….

Lord, thank You for the wake up call today to put my shoulder to the grinding wheel and work at my faith! Praise be to You, Jesus, because You trod this way when you walked the earth. I only have to follow Your example, hard though that may be. Hard is no excuse. I pledge my life to You, the Father and the Spirit. Amen.