“Take courage! I have conquered the world.”—JOHN 16:33.
JESUS CHRIST always did God’s will. Not once did he even entertain the thought of disobeying his heavenly Father. (John 4:34; Heb. 7:26) But his circumstances on earth did not make it easy for him to be obedient. From the beginning of his preaching career, Jesus’ enemies, including Satan himself, tried to convince, force, or trick Jesus into abandoning his course of faithfulness. (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 20:20-25)
These enemies caused Jesus intense mental, emotional, and physical pain. Ultimately, they succeeded in bringing about his death on the torture stake. (Matt. 26:37, 38; Luke 22:44; John 19:1, 17, 18) Through all of this, and despite profound suffering, Jesus remained “obedient as far as death.”—Read Philippians 2:8.
Jesus’ experience as a human on earth taught him new aspects of obedience. (Heb. 5:8) It may seem that there could be nothing more for Jesus to learn about serving Jehovah. After all, he had enjoyed intimate association with Jehovah for unknown aeons and had been God’s “master worker” during creation. (Prov. 8:30) Nevertheless, personally enduring in faith as a human despite suffering proved his complete integrity. Jesus, the Son of God, grew spiritually. What can we learn from his experience?
Although he was a perfect man, Jesus did not try to remain perfectly obedient on his own. He prayed for God’s help to remain obedient. (Read Hebrews 5:7.) For us to remain obedient, we too need a humble, prayerful attitude. For this reason, the apostle Paul counseled Christians: “Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus,” who “humbled himself and became obedient as far as death.” (Phil. 2:5-8) Jesus’ course proved that obedience is possible for humans even amid a wicked society. Granted, Jesus was perfect, but what about imperfect humans like us?
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BIBLE ON LINE
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