Hebrews 5 - Jesus Wasn’t Perfect

I bet that title caught you off guard. Stick with me, this is fascinating. Hebrews 5 continues the discussion and topic of the high priest. High priests are selected, appointed, and called out. This is true of Jesus; God appointed him, Christ Jesus did not appoint himself, God made him priest forever. Looking into Hebrews 5, we are about to uncover some powerful learnings and realities we need to apply to our lives, and our understanding. Let’s look at v7-10.

“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 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” - ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:7-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I am learning that things we can just read and skim right past are pretty interesting. During the days of Jesus’ life on earth...this tells us that there were days when Jesus’ life wasn’t on earth, right? We make these assumptions, but right here, the author was drawing our attention to the time Jesus was on earth. This again just reminds me that it’s critically important to both zoom out from the details of the text to take in the full context and larger narrative, but also zoom in really close to make sure we are gathering the nuance and important details right before us.

(Jesus)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. As we continue to understand that Jesus was our model, we are drawn to realize these cries and tears, these emotions. Are we taking our cries, our tears our deepest emotions to God, our father? We continue reading that Jesus was heard because of his reverent submission. Humility, submission, obedience to God’s will was why and how Jesus was heard. How do we come before God, are we humble. Are we in a posture of obedience and submission in our cries and tears? 

(Jesus) Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him...This one blows my mind. Jesus, the son of God, made human learned obedience. Yes, we know that Jesus never sinned. This was not a lack of opportunity, Jesus was tempted just like you and I are tempted, I would imagine even more! But we read here that Jesus learned obedience. This is important to realize, and I got this revelation from John Piper that: 

Learned obedience was not moving from disobedience, it means moving from untested obedience to tested. Tried and proven. 

Jesus was sinless, yes! But Jesus had to go through these trials and testing to flesh out his obedience, to have a battle-tested faith and obedience that was then ready. This takes us to Jesus was made perfect. This gives us the indication that Jesus was not always perfect. What?!? Again, John Piper unpacked this well. First, let's understand that perfection can be looked at as completeness. We are not thinking or should not believe Jesus went from sinful to sinless. We know that is not true; Jesus was sinless. He did not sin. Jesus being made perfect is better thought about as moving from an unfitness to a fitness. He wasn’t ready to be our perfect high priest right off the bat. Jesus' life required suffering, trials, and challenges, and through those, he was made perfectly fit. From imperfect completeness to perfect completeness. 

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” - ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus was made perfect and fully complete by his suffering. This is yet again a model for us as humans, following Jesus today, that it is the trials, challenges, and struggles we face that produce our perfection. We are on a journey with Jesus that is refining, developing, and producing a better version of ourselves becoming more like Jesus because of the trials and suffering. Don’t forget that Jesus, knowing his death on a cross was coming, Jesus asked God to remove this cup from me...take it away, and God did not grant that prayer. 

Jesus was born sinless and did live a sinless life. But Jesus learned obedience, and He was made perfect along the way with his actions and His ability to navigate suffering, pain, and all that life threw at him. It was through perseverance that Jesus was made perfect and ready to become our eternal salvation. We do not need to focus on perfection; Jesus is our perfection. We need to focus on following Jesus and allowing Him to be our source of strength and comfort as we walk through the challenges of life and the suffering that we face. Our pain is what will draw us to Jesus, and our suffering is what will make us more Christ-like. 

Lord help shift our perspective on pain and suffering. Lord grant us the ability to see, and you see and hear as you hear. Lord, may we grow closer to you through our pain. Refine us, and help us become more obedient to your will, and more like Jesus. Amen.