“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Hebrews 5:8
Most want to grow in faith, but few want to suffer. Yet, Hebrews tells us that even Jesus learned obedience through suffering. He didn’t move from disobedience to obedience—He moved from readiness to experience, proving His faithfulness through trials.
Some lessons can only be learned by enduring hardship. The question is, will we embrace suffering as a tool for spiritual growth, or will we resist the process that shapes us into Christlikeness?
Hebrews 5:8–9 reminds us that Jesus learned obedience by obeying. He didn’t just observe suffering—He experienced it firsthand. Hebrews 5:7 describes how “Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears.” His suffering drove Him to deeper dependence on the Father, setting an example for us to follow.
A Bible commentary says,
“When we do not give time each day to earnest and believing prayer, we are saying that we can cope with life without divine aid. It is human arrogance at its worst. Jesus knew that he had to pray (Mt 14:23; Mk 1:35; Lk 5:16) and did so, gladly, necessarily and effectively. To be prayerless is to be guilty of the worst form of practical atheism. We are saying that we believe in God but we can do without him. It makes us careless about our former sins and heedless of our immediate needs. This letter urges us to come into the presence of a God who welcomes us and a Christ who understands us. To neglect the place of prayer is to rob ourselves of immense and timely resources. For the Christian, the throne of grace is the place of help.” (1)
This section of Hebrews closes by referring to Jesus as “a high priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4), setting the stage for deeper teaching in Hebrews 5-7.
Jesus didn’t just suffer; He prayed through His suffering. If He depended on prayer, how much more do we need it?
Is prayer your first response to suffering—or your last resort?
(1) Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 96–97.
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