Though I haven’t given it a ton of thought, I have wondered about Jesus’ approach to the will of God. Clearly, if ever there was a person who knew and did the will of God, it was his Son. What does his life and ministry teach us?
First, I think it is clear that Jesus’ mind was saturated in the Old Testament Scriptures. He knew them well and allowed them to be the guiding influence in his life.
Second, he saw his life and ministry as the outworking and fulfillment of a higher purpose, a God-given purpose. The incarnation was about his being and doing what God wanted for/from him.
Third, he walked, how shall we say it, in his identity. That is, he seemed quite conscious of who and what he was. Of course he is in many ways unique, given his status as the Messiah and Son of God. Still, I think there are parallels between Jesus’ thought process and what ours should be.
Fourth, Jesus was very much conscious of the fact that God had a plan and that it was being worked out in daily affairs. Sometimes, this divine plan was evident and undeniable. Other times, it manifested itself in more mundane ways. In each and every case, Jesus was aware of a great story being played out, one in which he played the central role.
Fifth, though in one sense Jesus’ works and words have no parallels, he did seem to otherwise live his life in rather common ways. For instance though he clearly prayed, he didn’t put out fleeces, look for signs (As an aside, he actually criticized those who did look for a signs, but that’s another story), or (for the most part, at least) ask God to provide specific detailed information for decision making. There may be some exceptions here, and certainly there is a supernatural element to consider when it comes to the ministry of this one-of-a-kind individual (for instance angels showed up on occasion and direct revelation of some sort was occasionally supplied). Most of the time, however, this sort of thing does not appear to have happened.
Sixth, there was a supernatural cognizance in Jesus’ life and ministry. He seemed in tune with the broad sweep of the divine presence and plan. Still, much of this was received by Jesus passively. Thus, while he knew he was going to die, he was not consumed with every detail of his demise. His emphasis, I think was broader and more general than that.
Seventh, generally speaking, it seems like he already knew God’s will rather than being consumed with discovering it. This is not to say that he never struggled. It’s just that, for the most part, he was more concerned with doing what he knew. Now, I suppose we could assume that God was constantly whispering in his ear and explaining the divine will. It is more likely, however, that the paradigm he followed was a more general type in which his faithfulness to God (his obedience to the will of God) was an outworking of what he had already learned. How did he learn? From the Scriptures and from allowing the Scriptures to create the ambience or atmosphere of his life.
Eighth, like us, Jesus was sometime puzzled by the will of God. This was most evident in Gethsemane and at Golgotha. Though he knew his overall purpose, the actual experiences were sometime painful and puzzling. “Not my will but yours” and “Why have you forsaken me?” are examples of those times when the perfect Son of God was not at all certain about the meaning of his Father’s will.
Whatever else is true, Jesus was clearly committed to doing what was good and right. However, I am not entirely convinced that his model of decision-making was anything like what many promote today. Jesus’ heart and mind were immersed in God’s purposes as found in Scripture, and he was faithfully alert to the hand of God in his life. Apart from some times of exception when the unique Son of God received uncommon revelation from above, these factors seemed to shape his life and guide his choices. He had come to do his Father’s will, which entailed a steadfast determination to transmit to the world the very love he had shared with his Father before the world began.
First, I think it is clear that Jesus’ mind was saturated in the Old Testament Scriptures. He knew them well and allowed them to be the guiding influence in his life.
Second, he saw his life and ministry as the outworking and fulfillment of a higher purpose, a God-given purpose. The incarnation was about his being and doing what God wanted for/from him.
Third, he walked, how shall we say it, in his identity. That is, he seemed quite conscious of who and what he was. Of course he is in many ways unique, given his status as the Messiah and Son of God. Still, I think there are parallels between Jesus’ thought process and what ours should be.
Fourth, Jesus was very much conscious of the fact that God had a plan and that it was being worked out in daily affairs. Sometimes, this divine plan was evident and undeniable. Other times, it manifested itself in more mundane ways. In each and every case, Jesus was aware of a great story being played out, one in which he played the central role.
Fifth, though in one sense Jesus’ works and words have no parallels, he did seem to otherwise live his life in rather common ways. For instance though he clearly prayed, he didn’t put out fleeces, look for signs (As an aside, he actually criticized those who did look for a signs, but that’s another story), or (for the most part, at least) ask God to provide specific detailed information for decision making. There may be some exceptions here, and certainly there is a supernatural element to consider when it comes to the ministry of this one-of-a-kind individual (for instance angels showed up on occasion and direct revelation of some sort was occasionally supplied). Most of the time, however, this sort of thing does not appear to have happened.
Sixth, there was a supernatural cognizance in Jesus’ life and ministry. He seemed in tune with the broad sweep of the divine presence and plan. Still, much of this was received by Jesus passively. Thus, while he knew he was going to die, he was not consumed with every detail of his demise. His emphasis, I think was broader and more general than that.
Seventh, generally speaking, it seems like he already knew God’s will rather than being consumed with discovering it. This is not to say that he never struggled. It’s just that, for the most part, he was more concerned with doing what he knew. Now, I suppose we could assume that God was constantly whispering in his ear and explaining the divine will. It is more likely, however, that the paradigm he followed was a more general type in which his faithfulness to God (his obedience to the will of God) was an outworking of what he had already learned. How did he learn? From the Scriptures and from allowing the Scriptures to create the ambience or atmosphere of his life.
Eighth, like us, Jesus was sometime puzzled by the will of God. This was most evident in Gethsemane and at Golgotha. Though he knew his overall purpose, the actual experiences were sometime painful and puzzling. “Not my will but yours” and “Why have you forsaken me?” are examples of those times when the perfect Son of God was not at all certain about the meaning of his Father’s will.
Whatever else is true, Jesus was clearly committed to doing what was good and right. However, I am not entirely convinced that his model of decision-making was anything like what many promote today. Jesus’ heart and mind were immersed in God’s purposes as found in Scripture, and he was faithfully alert to the hand of God in his life. Apart from some times of exception when the unique Son of God received uncommon revelation from above, these factors seemed to shape his life and guide his choices. He had come to do his Father’s will, which entailed a steadfast determination to transmit to the world the very love he had shared with his Father before the world began.
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