“Just as the Father Taught Me, I Speak”

4. When and where was Jesus taught by his Father?

⁴ Jesus readily acknowledged that he was taught by his Father. During his ministry, Jesus said: “Just as the Father taught me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28) When and where was Jesus taught? His training evidently began soon after he​—God’s firstborn Son—​was created. (Col. 1:15) Alongside his Father in the heavens, the Son spent countless ages listening to and observing the “Grand Instructor.” (Isa. 30:20) As a result, the Son received a matchless education in the qualities, works, and purposes of his Father.

5. What instruction did the Father give the Son about the ministry that he would carry out on earth?

⁵ In due time, Jehovah taught his Son about the ministry that he would carry out on earth. Consider a prophecy that describes the relationship between the Grand Instructor and his firstborn Son. (Read Isaiah 50:4, 5.) Jehovah awakened his Son “morning by morning,” says the prophecy. That word picture conveys the idea of a teacher who wakes his pupil up early in the morning in order to teach him. One Bible reference work states: “Jehovah . . . takes him as it were into the school after the manner of a pupil, and teaches him what and how he is to preach.” In that heavenly “school,” Jehovah taught his Son “what to say and what to speak.” (John 12:49) The Father also gave his Son instruction on how to teach.a While on earth, Jesus put his training to good use not only by carrying out his ministry but also by training his followers to fulfill their ministry.