Jesus and the Father
Easter is always such an amazing reminder of the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus, and there is definitely no downplaying of that good news. But when I think of the joy and happiness that surrounds the resurrection I also think of Jesus' path to an empty tomb. Matthew 26 tells us about the physical anguish that Jesus experienced before he was betrayed by his former disciple, Judas. I’m not sure what has to happen from a physiological standpoint for a human to sweat blood but I know this signifies the stress that Jesus was under knowing what was about to go down. He even asked God to find another way, I’m sure this was a question he only pondered in that moment of relative calm before the storm. And yet, Jesus accepted the path ahead of him, even stopping his disciples from defending him before he was led away by his accusers to be beaten, whipped, mocked, and eventually hung on a cross to die. The end of Jesus’ journey here on earth was brutal, well almost the end of it. Thankfully the story doesn’t end at the cross but at an empty tomb!
And thankfully, for the most part in the Western world, we aren’t asked to emulate the sacrifice of Jesus, at least in the literal sense. But I do think we can do what Jesus did in our everyday lives as we navigate the highs and lows, joys and sadness of this world before we too get to ascend to be with our Father. Jesus did three specific things that I want to highlight here for us and propose that we pattern our lives around him and follow in the steps of our rabbi.
1) Jesus trusted in the Father, knowing what that meant for him, knowing what he would have to endure, he trusted. We can trust God. In fact, he asks us to trust him. (Prov. 3:5-6 for example). Often I’ve found that the brokenness of life is a stumbling block for us to trust God. A loved one loses a battle with cancer, a marriage falls apart, addiction ruins the life of a friend - these are just a few scenarios that can bring us to a point where trusting God seems just a bridge too far. There are so many reasons for us to trust God, not just for the distant future, but for the here and now, the challenges of today.
2) Jesus was committed to doing the Father’s work - he was sent here to conquer sin and death and he did exactly that. And, we are also here to do the Father’s work. What is the Father’s work? Simply put it’s to love God and love others. Specifically speaking, when we center our life on the Father like Jesus did, he guides us, shapes us, and directs us each day and every day so that the inclinations of our hearts align with his desires for us. In order to do the Father’s work, we need to center our daily lives around Him. There are a few practical ways to do that such as reading his word, praying, being in community with his people, and serving the poor and needy. And, maybe even most important, we need to remove us from the center of our universe. God won’t push you off of your throne, but when we rule in our own lives we typically find a way to fall out of power all by ourselves.
3) Jesus knew that the battle wasn’t between flesh and blood but a spiritual one. When Peter drew his sword and started going on the offensive in the garden Jesus told him to stop. He then healed the injury of one of his adversaries. The battle is never with people. I often think it is but it isn’t. Understanding this helps refer us back to points #1 and #2. God loves you, AND he loves that person who annoys you or criticizes you, or even the person who harms you. Knowing the battle helps you navigate the day-to-day and keeps us coming back to the fact that we must trust the Father, and we are here to do the Father’s work.
Keith Galloway