Hebrews 5:8, 9 - Jesus Was Omniscient; Yet He "Learned" (part 1).

Hebrews 5:8, 9 - Jesus Was Omniscient; Yet He "Learned" (part 1).

Hebrews 5:8, 9 (KJV)  Though he were a Son, yet learned he 
obedience by the things which he suffered;  And being made perfect, he 
became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Hebrews 5:8, 9 (TLB)  And even though Jesus was God's Son, he 
had to learn from experience what it was like to obey when obeying 
meant suffering. It was after he had proved himself perfect in this 
experience that Jesus became the Giver of eternal salvation to all those 
who obey him. 

Just as the Jewish high priest was appointed by God, so our 
great High Priest was appointed by the Father (Ps. 110:4); and He 
alone is worthy to serve. Never allow anybody to come between you and 
God, for Christ is the only mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). "The order of 
Melchizedek" refers to Genesis 14:18-24. Being from the tribe of Judah, Jesus 
could not serve as priest on earth; but He can serve as priest in 
heaven. He is there ministering for you today.... Jesus had to prepare for 
His priestly ministry by experiencing the trials His people 
experience as they walk by faith (4:15). Because of the life that He lived 
and the death that He died, He is able to identify with your needs 
and give you grace to see you through. He understands! [Chapter by 
Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] 

Christ came to understand what obedience meant. For Him it 
entailed suffering and death; He "became obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8).... Sometimes the question is raised how 
it could be said that Christ, who is perfect and at every moment 
has been perfect, needed to learn obedience. Two observations may 
help to answer this query: (1) As far as His earthly life is 
concerned Christ developed like other human beings. He "increased in 
wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man" (see on Luke 2:52). 
He learned by observation and experience as do others. (2) Though 
as God prior to the incarnation Christ was omniscient, yet He did 
not know by experience the problems confronting men as they seek to 
render obedience to God. By becoming man and by facing the temptations 
of life as a man, Christ gained this knowledge. He thus met one of 
the essential qualifications for the high priesthood, namely that 
the appointee belong to the human family (see on Heb. 5:1-3).... Then 
"Having been made perfect," or "having been completed." The thought is 
that of having attained a goal, of having finished a task. Christ 
achieved that which He had set out to accomplish through His humanity. He 
had demonstrated His obedience to the point of death, and was 
perfected. He was now qualified for the office of high priest (see on ch. 
5:1-3). [SDA Bible Commentary] 

In the kingdoms of any ancient regime, no prince suffers; the 
crown prince especially is pampered and prepared for kingship. But 
Jesus, though He was a Son . . . learned obedience by the things which 
He suffered. The bewildering lesson of this verse is that God 
himself, born of human parentage, actually learned something in the 
suffering he underwent. Was the all-knowing God in need of learning? Jesus 
learned about the human condition. That experience brought empathy and 
personal identification with humanity. (Life Application Commentary 
mod.) 

During his childhood, Jesus was not lacking in any godly 
character quality, but he was lacking in the full experience of having 
lived a perfect human life, obeying the Father in everything, without 
sin. The lifelong perfect obedience of Jesus (v. 8; 7:26-28) provides 
the basis for eternal salvation (2:10; 9:23-28) and for the ultimate 
"perfection" of those who respond in faith and obedience (10:14; 11:40; 
12:23; cf. 7:19; 9:9; 10:1). [ESV SB] 

The author of our salvation was made perfect through suffering 
(2:10). No human high priest became "perfect." The words "once made 
perfect" do not refer to Jesus' sinless state. Jesus was already perfect 
before he faced suffering; his perfection was put to the test and came 
out with flying colors. Because humans experience suffering and 
death, Christ became fully human and experienced these parts of 
humanity as well. Christ was always morally perfect. By obeying, he 
demonstrated his perfection to us, not to God or to himself. In the Bible, 
"perfection" usually means completeness or maturity. By sharing our 
experience of suffering, Christ shared our human experience completely. 
Because Christ lived, died, and rose again, he became the source of 
eternal salvation for all who obey him. Christ alone is the only source 
of salvation. (Life Application Commentary) 

Jesus, who was and is perfect as God (see Hebrews 13:8), had to 
go through a painful growing and learning process (see Luke 2:52) 
that culminated in his death on the cross. His success in that 
process lends us great hope as we pursue eternity. He is the one who 
goes before us and has prepared the way, and he is with us in every 
step we take. [Life Recovery SB]