"Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered"
In this portion of Hebrews, the Holy Spirit inspired words reflect on the life of Jesus on earth. Verses such as these are memorable to me because they are the footsteps Jesus took, the very life he lived, the biblically principled conscious actions and imitations I can follow while on earth. The passage before it speaks of prayers and supplications Jesus offered, the loud cries and tears he shed, the very ears of God he captivated because of his reverence. If these are not clearest footsteps of Jesus, I do not know what is.
Jesus was God's begotten Son, however Hebrews clearly points out he learned obedience. Why is this significant? Even Jesus learned to obey, obedience that comes from suffering for the Father's will. Suffering is no natural feat, every natural instinct flees from suffering. Yet Jesus ran through it, gripped it, struggled through it, died by it, and is forever marked by it with his nail pierced hands. Those footsteps of suffering are marked most clearly yet the hardest to follow. I see them but I'm afraid of what I will lose and the pain of it all. I don't want to do it Jesus, I don't want to do it, anything but that my Lord.
Suffer, pain, agony, defeat, trial, surrender, and death. This is life and life to the fullest. This is how Jesus was made perfect as the following passage reveals. Perfection found in what the world refuses, abhors, denies, and rejects. Following the footsteps of my Lord is every step away from the world. And God smiles, the angels sing, the heavens ring, upon those who run in the footsteps of Jesus because he's worth it. Run hard, don't look back.
Often, the innnate nature of pain brings me to a place where I would not have been able to find otherwise.
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