As I have taken a walk through the book of John doing a podcast Bible study, one thing is emphasized by Jesus - I do nothing of myself - only what the Father has sent me to do.
Jesus IS the Son of God, the second person in the trinity. The question we sometimes get is: Did Jesus give up His “God card” as He walked out His earthly life among us.
If not - well, how relatable is He? It’s nice that He speaks of this dependence on the Father but He would have been able to do ALL things Himself - apart from the Father - I obviously can’t do that.
Hebrews though, tells us that we have a high priest who understands us and represents us because he was tempted in every way that we are tempted.
What is that temptation? Simple - every temptation is exactly from the lie in the garden - we, like Adam and Eve, can be our own god, our own authority, apart from God - we can run our own lives. That’s the lie - we don’t need God. Reread the temptation of Jesus at the beginning of His ministry [ Luke 4:1-13 ] It’s all about taking authority over His own life - choosing His own strategy and choosing to deliver His authority over to the ruler of this world.
Jesus, the second Adam, chooses differently than the first Adam.
In the middle of His ministry it is clear that His power comes from being “plugged in” to His Father [ John 5 ]
At the end of His ministry He announces, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” [ Matthew 28:18-20 ]
The Bible reasserts that the first coming of Jesus was not to condemn or judge the world but to save it; the second coming of Jesus will not be that - it will be one of leading the armies of heaven to annihilate the father of lies and his dominion of darkness. It will be a glorious but not a pretty sight. [ Revelation 19 ]
Jesus shows us through His earthly ministry that dependence of the Father in all things gives us far more strength than we could ever have in and of ourselves - He says apart from being in the vine (Him) we can do nothing. [John 15:4-5 ]
Dependence is a constant relationship, not an occasional connection. - it’s not meant to be like recharging our phone and then going on our own battery life. It’s meant to look like being plugged in - we can’t operate apart from the source of our power and life.
It’s a constant conversation with our creator - a loving dependence on all He has to offer.
May we walk in that dependence seeking His Life and being the light through our belief and the new knowledge and understanding of what He means to us - our very breath.
Comments