After Jesus had gone to the temple as a young man and spent the time in the temple courts "sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions" (Luke 2:46), the author adds this comment: "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." He grew physically (stature), intellectually (wisdom), spiritually (favor with God!) and socially (favor with...men).
Rather than debate the fine points of theology on the nature of Jesus' humanity and divinity, which I believe results from the unique restrictions that were placed upon him coming as a servant (cf. Philippians 2:7, Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 26:53), I want to know how to learn like Jesus learned.
The author of Hebrews gives us a glimpse into Jesus' learning in chapter 5, verses 7-10. We are not the savior, but we can learn from him:
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him...
- Prayer Expresses Dependence. Rick Warren said, "Show me your prayers and I'll show you what you depend on God for." Jesus depended on the Father both for his teaching (cf. John 15:15) and for the path that would lead him to the cross and beyond. This was not a dispassionate dialogue between Son and Father. Rather, there were "tears" and "cries" Take what is worrying you, take what is dragging you down, take what is making your heart rejoice and take them all to God, who is a better caretaker of our future than we will every be. Will you trade in self-depedence for God-dependence?
- Humility Is The Posture Of Learning. Humble people are ready to learn. Proud people think they know already. God opposes the proud because they value their thoughts over his thoughts and their plans over his plans. God gives grace to the humble by listening to their requests, just as He did with Jesus. The humble realize the chasm between themselves and God and ask God to fill it. The proud presume to leap across themselves. As our example, Jesus put himself in the same position as his people: dependent on the words of the Father: "for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15) Are you ready to learn?
- Obedience Is The Lesson, Tough Times Are The Lesson Plan. Like a frisky horse, we pull at the bit, trying to steer the rider rather than allowing him to direct us. Specifically it calls out "suffering" as a way in which Jesus learned to obey. Before his public ministry began, the temptation in the desert asked him to choose. Before the cross, Peter offered him a route other than that which led to the cross ("Get behind me, Satan") When the final hour came, and the agony of Gethsemane was on him, he was able to choose in the same way he had chosen before: to obey. Suffering may seem like a strange way to learn obedience, but it is often the same method that God uses with us. We must choose. We can abandon the test. But obedience is choosing God, one tough decision at a time.
- What You Learn, You Teach. We are not the Savior and we are not Jesus, but what God teaches us is meant as a blessing to other people. Don't be a dead end cul-de-sac with the dearly-bought lessons you have learned! Even Paul said: "What I received, I passed on to you as of first importance..." (1 Cor. 15:3) We aren't all preachers, we aren't all big-time Bible teachers, but we are all friends, we are all neighbors, we are all family: We can see a need and share what God has shown us.
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