In a previous meditation, we noted that Jesus stepped into time and BECAME FLESH. It was necessary for Him to be ‘put to death in the flesh’ and offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice to God for sin.

Paul takes us still further into the wonder of Jesus becoming flesh. He writes concerning Jesus, ‘being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and BECAME OBEDIENT TO THE POINT OF DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS’ Philippians chapter 2 verse 8. Elsewhere we read, ‘though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered’ Hebrews chapter 5 verse 8.

A superficial reading of these scriptures might lead us to the conclusion that even if Jesus was never disobedient, it was possible for Him to have been so. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike ourselves, there was absolutely no possibility of Him being disobedient. Our verse does not tell us that He had to learn to obey when He became flesh. Solomon wrote, ‘Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul’ Proverbs chapter 29 verse 17. Jesus was holy and therefore never once needed correction; indeed, He always delighted His Father in heaven, John chapter 8 verse 29, and His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, Luke chapter 2 verse 51.

If He did not have to learn to obey, what did Paul mean by, ‘HE BECAME OBEDIENT’? The thought is that, at the time of His birth, He experienced a sphere where He had never been before, i.e. the sphere of obedience. He had never experienced such a sphere in heaven. He had never done anything worthy of correction or death. It was abhorrent to Him. However, when He became flesh, humbly and willingly He submitted to His Father’s will, right up to, and including, the point of death! He prayed to Him, ‘not My will, but Yours, be done’ Luke chapter 22 verse 42.