If I had to describe Jesus’ characteristics, qualities, personality, whatever word you would like to choose, I’d for sure use the word “obedient.” In today’s culture obedience seems shunned upon; it’s not rebellious enough, nor is it the latest fashion. But if faith—or a better word, trust— is a seed, then obedience is the soil that the fruit of our labor is born of. Throughout Scripture there are countless stories of the men and women who walked with God who responded to Him in obedience: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Aaron. Miriam, Joshua and Caleb, Rahab, Deborah, Naomi and Ruth, David, Elijah, Elisha, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the list continues, but this list is incomplete if we don’t include the rabbi from Nazareth.
Jesus’ life is exemplified by His obedience, not just to God, but even to His parents, Joseph and Mary, “Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51, NLT). The most faithful thing we can do with our lives is respond with obedience. Obedience is not always doing the hard thing, but it is always doing the thing that gives all glory to God. This is what Jesus did His entire time on earth. The response of obedience is not seen in the “big things” we do for the Lord, it’s seen in the ordinary things we do everyday. For about thirty years, Jesus lived in obscurity and the right response for Him was to be a good son to Joseph and Mary. Obedience in obscurity allowed for Him to be obedient in the open, when His life was on display for all to see.
He lived His life in obedience to the will of the Father and ultimately the Father’s will led Him to some strange places. The Spirit led Him to be tested, it led Him into ministry that saw Him constantly being under the threat of death. being stalked. attacked. ridiculed. and ultimately it led Him to the cross. Following God does not always lead us where we think we should go. Jesus followed the Father wherever He was sent, and the Father sent Him to the cross. Even Jesus in His humanity wrestled with that. In the garden of Gethsemane, we see an anxious Jesus, one who was under such enormous amounts of stress that He suffered from hematohidrosis, and sweat drops of blood. Jesus’ will was not to die. At times that seems lost on alot of people; Jesus enjoyed His life. He enjoyed the people He loved, He enjoyed the things we enjoy and don’t want to leave behind either.
But Jesus played the role that Adam failed to play.
In Genesis, God placed the humans in a garden. On the night before His crucifixion, the Father placed Jesus in a garden. God gave the humans the choice to eat of the tree in disobedience, or not to eat of the tree in faith. Jesus wa presented with the choice to not die on the tree in disobedience, or die on the tree in faith. The humans chose disobedience, but Jesus chose to obey, even to death.
“Even if he kills me, I will trust him” (Job 13:15).
Jesus’ obedience was rooted in a deep sense of trust in who God is. God is faithful. God is true. Jesus trusted God enough that He trusted His death would give glory to God, that there was something good to come out of His death on the cross. But He ultimately trusted that God could raise Him from the dead. The lesson of the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth is that obedience allows space for God. Obedience clears out the junk of selfishness and pride and it cultivates humility and trust in God. Obedience allows for the glory of God to be seen.
With where I am currently in life, I still have a lot to learn. I want to be like Jesus, trusting God no matter where He takes me. There are times where I want to give up, times where I feel as though life is getting to be a bit too much, but the Holy Spirit revives me. She rejuvenates me and restores my hope. I want to choose obedience and right now, I’m still searching for what being obedient looks like for me in my struggle, but may my heart respond like Jesus and be obedient to the Father.
Until next time, continue to stay guided by grace,
Tra
Guided by Grace 