William Burkitt on Hebrews 5:8

Observe here, 1. Christ's eminent dignity; he was a Son, that is, the Son of God, and God himself; the word was God, Joh 1:1. And as the word was made flesh, so he was mearer to God than any other person; he was a Son a sinless son, yet a suffering Son; and he learned obedience, by the things which he suffered.

Observe, 2. As Christ's eminent dignity, so his exemplary obedience; he learned obedience; not by personal speculation, but by real experience; he experimentally understood what obedience was.

Note here, That there are two ways of learning obedience.

1. By the comprehension of the mind. 2. By the experience of sense.

Christ as God was perfect in knowledge, nothing could be added to him, but when he became man, then he came to understand and learn by sufferings, which was a new method and way of knowing. And the obedience which Christ learned, was free and voluntary, universal and complete, sincere and pure, persevering and constant. Christ learned this lesson of obedience, not barely to know it, but to do it; to learn to obey, is to obey by the things which he suffered; he did perfectly learn, and experimentally understand, what obedience was.

Blessed Jesus! As didst thou, so may we learn practical obedience by the things which we suffer.