Jesus as a Life Learner?
Living in Radical Dependence
(This post takes three minutes to read)
A Young Life Learner
Does the prospect that Jesus in his earthly ministry was a “life learner” throw you a theological curve ball? And does it challenge you that according to Scripture, Jesus “learned obedience by what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8)? Really! How does the Son of God learn something?
These questions have poked at me for years. I’ve reasoned that if Christ was fully God’s Son (yet also fully human as the Bible reveals), how is it that he needs to learn anything? However, in modeling the full potential of a Spirit-filled and prayer-centered life, Jesus hands each of us the key to becoming an effective life learner. It’s the partnership with and the power of an unbreakable bond to the Holy Spirit . . . and never the discouragement of a defeated victim in one’s trials and suffering.
One of the reasons that those earlier questions (or propositions) intrigue me is because life learning is such an integral theme of Metamorphyx. You simply can’t Embrace Life Experience, Life Change, and Life Purpose if you’re not a life learner. Romans 12:2 says it crisply, ”Do not conform to the pattern of this world . . . but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I preach that to my kids, introduce it to every mentoring relationship I’m involved with, and try to live-out each of the three imperatives embedded in that text. I also fret when I see extended family and friends ignore the principle and fly their lives into a mountain. Ugh!
Recently however, I’ve gained some new insights on the topic of Jesus’ life learning curve. Those help me better understand the “fully human” dimension of Christ’s incarnation . . . but perhaps more importantly, how Jesus identifies with us in the journey of life. . . and vice versa. In a reciprocal life learning posture, that should help us to better cope with the storms of life and persevere in our faith, knowing that we’re accompanied by a Divine Advocate on the journey. Otherwise, our discussion is just a theological drill without any life application.
Here are four “thinking points” to ponder. They can draw you closer to our Savior and help you be an effective life learner.
1) Look to Christ not only for your salvation, but also to model his inner peace and strength while you walk in this fractured world. Jesus is the Co-Creator and Sustainer of all things. (Hebrews 1:3) He values his human creation above every other element of his making. To save humanity, he became part of it . . . and spilled his red human blood as its Redeemer.
2) In Christ’s earthly mission, he “set aside” selected Divine attributes in order to fully embrace our human experience (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus was fully human. He was born of a woman and grew physically, intellectually, and spiritually while preparing for his public ministry. He died as a fully mature man who endured conflict and rejection. Yet, at the same time, he retained the power to authenticate his identity through many miracles and emerge victorious after his death. Jesus is a living, life learning model, for every human being.
3) In Gethsemane, Scripture records the only instance where Jesus did not want to do what he knew his Father’s will to be. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matt 26:39a). Jesus faced a painful choice and expressed his doubts and fears. In our human condition and call to model Christ in our trials, Jesus grants us that same freedom to express our own doubts and fears.
4) Jesus “learned obedience” by fully relying on the power of the Holy Spirit through fervent prayer. We know this is true because in a fully human context, Jesus uttered the most difficult words he ever spoke to his Father, “Yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt 26:39b). That’s the posture the fully human Christ assumed; it’s the same posture we can assume while trusting in a Sovereign God who knows where he’s leading us. Hebrews 5:7 calls this “reverent submission.”
Choose, like Jesus, a radical dependence on God. Become a life learner.
Tom
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3)
Note: “Metamorphyx Insights” are taken from Metamorphyx: Embracing Life Experience, Life Change, and Life Purpose. Each represents a significant learning or application on your personal Metamorphyx Journey. Find Metamorphyx on Amazon, B&N, or Apple iTunes.