Gracious Speech - Part 2
In my last blog post, we looked at the attributes of Jesus' speech, seeing that we are to follow his example. One of those attributes is that he was submissive to the Father, both in word and deed. Today, we're going to look at some of those verses where Jesus submits to the Father, and by doing so shows his authority.
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"Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.' Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" ~ Mt. 3:15-17
Sometimes, from our time in prayer, reading in the Word, and/or a rebuke from a brother or sister in Christ, we can wonder why God wants us to do something or do it a certain way. In following Jesus' example, we should be quick to answer as he did - "Well...the Father said so, and He said so because he ordained this to be the righteous way."
For example, how we're supposed to treat other people as Christians, especially those who are our "enemies". It was funny, but just the other day, one of my younger siblings asked if it was okay to hit one of my other siblings because that other sibling was being very annoying. I smiled and thought, "Lesson time!" I asked him what God said about this, and he was at a loss. I had to remind him that God says to continue to forgive, to love our enemies (by doing this we will heap burning coals on their head), and that when we love one another, we're actually being witnesses for Christ!
So whether we see it clearly or not, God has a reason for everything He asks us and appoints for us to do, and trust me, it will always be the best way!
~~~
"Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” ~ Mt. 26:39
“Abba Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” ~ Mark 14:36
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” ~ Luke 22:42
Even as part of the Trinity, Jesus was submissive to the Father (there's clearly some hierarchy here, but that'll be for a different study). I know for me, at least, it's so easy to say, "not my will but Yours", but have a much harder time living and meaning it. Jesus said it, but he also lived it--when the soldiers came to arrest him, Jesus could've called down lightening from heaven saying, "Well, the Father didn't say I couldn't use this!" Instead, he calmly and quietly gave himself over.
That's the thing with Jesus, he never said, "The Father didn't say I couldn't do this," but always, "What has the Father said?" For example, when he's clearing the temple, he quotes Scripture saying, "It is written." And when the Pharisees ask, "By whose authority are you doing these things?" Jesus doesn't answer this question directly, but later (in John 7:16) he says-- "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me..."
We can thus follow Jesus' example by not only submitting ourselves to God in word, but also in deed, and also saying "What has the Father said?" when faced with a situation that looks to be "on the line".
~~~
"Jesus said to them, 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working' For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer: 'I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.'" ~ John 5:17-19
As a man on earth, Jesus was under the law, but all these extra rules the Pharisees added to God's true law, he did not regard (though let's not forget the "give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God, God's" passage). He did what he saw the Father doing, and not what Man was doing. In the same way, we must always be looking to the Father and His Word for verification, instead of just assuming that what the "teachers" (or the pope =P ) say is true. There are many false teachers out there, but that, too, is another study...one that I already did! (http://elliejoi.blogspot.com/2012/04/masquerade.html)
~~~
Here are a couple more verses that I found, but won't go into depth today (feel free to do your own study on them!):
"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;" ~ John 13:3
"Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ he is not to ‘honor his father’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition." ~ Matthew 15:3-6. (Here's the Matthew Henry commentary on this, it's quite good - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc5.Matt.xvi.html?scrBook=Matt&scrCh=15&scrV=3#Matt.xvi-p11.1)
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father." ~ John 6:44-46
"'As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does.' 'We are not illegitimate children,' they protested. 'The only Father we have is God himself.' Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.'" ~ John 8:40-42
~~~
Jesus was sent by his father on a very special mission--to seek and save the lost! We have been given a mission as well--to love one another and to preach the gospel to all the nations.
In Christ,
Ellie
~~~
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Sometimes, from our time in prayer, reading in the Word, and/or a rebuke from a brother or sister in Christ, we can wonder why God wants us to do something or do it a certain way. In following Jesus' example, we should be quick to answer as he did - "Well...the Father said so, and He said so because he ordained this to be the righteous way."
For example, how we're supposed to treat other people as Christians, especially those who are our "enemies". It was funny, but just the other day, one of my younger siblings asked if it was okay to hit one of my other siblings because that other sibling was being very annoying. I smiled and thought, "Lesson time!" I asked him what God said about this, and he was at a loss. I had to remind him that God says to continue to forgive, to love our enemies (by doing this we will heap burning coals on their head), and that when we love one another, we're actually being witnesses for Christ!
So whether we see it clearly or not, God has a reason for everything He asks us and appoints for us to do, and trust me, it will always be the best way!
~~~
"Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” ~ Mt. 26:39“Abba Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” ~ Mark 14:36
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” ~ Luke 22:42
Even as part of the Trinity, Jesus was submissive to the Father (there's clearly some hierarchy here, but that'll be for a different study). I know for me, at least, it's so easy to say, "not my will but Yours", but have a much harder time living and meaning it. Jesus said it, but he also lived it--when the soldiers came to arrest him, Jesus could've called down lightening from heaven saying, "Well, the Father didn't say I couldn't use this!" Instead, he calmly and quietly gave himself over.
That's the thing with Jesus, he never said, "The Father didn't say I couldn't do this," but always, "What has the Father said?" For example, when he's clearing the temple, he quotes Scripture saying, "It is written." And when the Pharisees ask, "By whose authority are you doing these things?" Jesus doesn't answer this question directly, but later (in John 7:16) he says-- "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me..."We can thus follow Jesus' example by not only submitting ourselves to God in word, but also in deed, and also saying "What has the Father said?" when faced with a situation that looks to be "on the line".
~~~
"Jesus said to them, 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working' For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer: 'I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.'" ~ John 5:17-19
As a man on earth, Jesus was under the law, but all these extra rules the Pharisees added to God's true law, he did not regard (though let's not forget the "give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God, God's" passage). He did what he saw the Father doing, and not what Man was doing. In the same way, we must always be looking to the Father and His Word for verification, instead of just assuming that what the "teachers" (or the pope =P ) say is true. There are many false teachers out there, but that, too, is another study...one that I already did! (http://elliejoi.blogspot.com/2012/04/masquerade.html)~~~
Here are a couple more verses that I found, but won't go into depth today (feel free to do your own study on them!):
"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;" ~ John 13:3
"Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ he is not to ‘honor his father’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition." ~ Matthew 15:3-6. (Here's the Matthew Henry commentary on this, it's quite good - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc5.Matt.xvi.html?scrBook=Matt&scrCh=15&scrV=3#Matt.xvi-p11.1)
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father." ~ John 6:44-46
"'As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does.' 'We are not illegitimate children,' they protested. 'The only Father we have is God himself.' Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.'" ~ John 8:40-42~~~
Jesus was sent by his father on a very special mission--to seek and save the lost! We have been given a mission as well--to love one another and to preach the gospel to all the nations.
In Christ,
Ellie
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Thanks for writing. Very insightful!
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