I imagine a perfect Jesus . . . don’t you?
The book of Hebrews calls him “sinless,” but that doesn’t have to mean “perfect.”
After all, “perfect” means “complete” in every way, and of course, at various stages of his life, Jesus was far from complete.
When we are born, there is much to learn, and much to develop, and Jesus was no exception to that rule. The human existence required that Jesus be a “learner.” He would have to learn to cope with life just like the rest of us, growing in body and spirit as he learned.
Hebrews 5 talks about the duties of a High Priest, how they involve helping the weak and interceding for them, and good High Priests do this job well because they are cognizant of the wrestlings of their own life.
And that’s why Jesus suffered on the earth: not because he was perfect, but so he could become perfect – at least in his understanding of the challenge to be obedient as a human, and so he could deal with us with understanding and compassion.
I think that’s a good way to understand why we too go through dark valleys in our lives. Sometimes, it’s just because of our own failings. And sometimes, it is to make us sensitive to the plight of others that we might show them the compassion and help of Jesus – we too have suffered.