Jesus and Accountability

I'm at the Oklahoma Youth Ministry Forum, where Jerrod Jones is the featured speaker. He was talking about Jesus and his prayer life, and made the comment that when Jesus was tempted with sin, as we know he was, he turned to prayer. Scripture is clear that Jesus was tempted in every way like we are (Hebrews 4:15). His point was that when we are tempted many of us run to accountability partners or others to help us through, not a bad thing, but when we do that more than turn to God in prayer, that is obviously not good.

Now scripture is clear that accountability is a good thing.

As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17


Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

And scripture is also clear that we are to imitate Christ.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:5



Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13



I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. John 13:15


And on and on I could go with those.

But it seems like when we see Jesus in scriptures making an important decision, calling His disciples, or facing temptation in the desert, or other things, he always turns to God in prayer. In fact, we never see Jesus seeking counsel from other men. I suppose that is the disconnect between being the God-Man, as Jarrod Jones suggested when I posed this question to him.

I just wander why if we are to follow Jesus as our example, we never see him doing these things, seeking accountability or counsel. I guess God the Father and the Holy Spirit serve as those things for him. And why would Jesus seek advice from stupid men, and the disciples proved over and over to be. I am not sure I would want their advice, prior to the filling of the Holy Spirit.

I am not really saying anything definitively one way or the other, just something I had never thought about before.

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