Obedience and choice

Paul tells us "Christ learned obedience by the things he suffered." (Hebrews 5:8) Christ walked on the earth, He felt hunger, fatigue, loneliness, physical and emotional pain the same as we do. He experienced kindness, and understanding, but he was also mocked and spit upon. He saw others who were cast out, that were mocked and spit upon. That empathy of emotional, and spiritual pain is every bit as painful as scourging -- maybe even worse. Before he even got to the garden he had compassion on the lame, the blind, the leper, the poor in spirit, but also on those who did the spiting and mocking. On the cross he said, "Father forgive them for they know what they do."
In the garden of Gethsemane he not only suffered the pains and ills of those in his day and place but for each of us. Feeling our imperfections, our physical, emotional, and spiritual pain; and having compassion on us as a fellow human, and  knowing and loving us individually (he also being God) he could not turn away from the task at hand. Theoretically, he could even as Lucifer chose to rebel in heaven, but being compassionate, loyal and true, Christ had to go through with it and take the bitter pill. He understood that without him we could not return to our heavenly home and he chose to made it possible for us to choose. Do we understand? 

Because he went through with the plan and finished the work he was given to do he was obedient. Some of us  rebel at the word obedient. I think that just as there is something called Christ like love there is also Christ like obedience. Christ like obedience is not forced obedience, out of fear of punishment, or blind obedience. It is intelligent obedience with understanding and love. It is a choice.