Jesus pointed always to his Father's will

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120318.cfm
Isaiah 2:1-5
Matthew 8:5-11

One of the least mentioned parts of Jesus life may be his subjection to authority. Not the authority of the Sanhedrin, the Romans, and Jewish law. He was ever faithful and subject to the authority of God, his Father. 

We talk easily … well, easier … about his intentional subjugation to the life of a human being, and all that comes with that — frustration, derision, and hunger. We also are taken up by his authoritative explanation of scriptures and their actual intent; like the purity of our hearts and the power of love. Finally, we spend a great amount of time compiling the convincing evidence of his divinity from the prophecies of thousands of years, and then point out how Jesus subsequently and with perfunctory timelines, fulfilled each prophecy.

Granted, arguments ensue around each of these major categories in the study and reflections upon Jesus life. They are, after all, the fabulous intricacies of the Son of God. Each detail of Jesus’ human existence, his substantial authority, and the road signs pointing toward his divinity pique the interest of all dedicated commentators and preachers. 

Do we speak much about Jesus’ unfailing bowing to the will of his Father? Not so much. Does anyone argue that Jesus wasn’t deferential in placing the Father’s will above his? Not really. So, the big deal of Jesus being the Father’s subject is accepted by most people; yet, the setting aside of his own will receives scant reference.

The many scriptural moments when Jesus spoke of his Father’s will leave little room for doubt. His consistency is astounding.

And he said to them (when he was just a boy), “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49)

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 6:38)

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13-14)

All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. (Matthew 11:27)

As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. (John 6:57)

Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:15)

My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will. (Matthew 26:39)

Jesus’ bending of his will to that of the Father God, even as clear and consistent as Jesus states it, gets much lower billing than everything else. I believe it’s because of our difficulty with the place of humility. This is not just an American problem. It’s in our DNA. We’re not very willing accomplices and friends of Jesus. We think more of Jesus as special, in tune with God beyond our capabilities. We don’t talk much about copying his selfless consideration of God’s will. The apostle John, however, talk about it quite a bit.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

We start out as flesh and grudgingly give over our wills to God’s Holy Spirit. Some of us never really do. It’s not human to do so. Even under correction from another person we bristle at the notion that someone else can hold us accountable. 

We’re more than grudging. We’re defiant. I would say it takes more courage to apologize in public than it takes to stand up to evil. Give us a good shouting match and even a fistfight. But to bow our heads? We only bend our will to another in secret, if at all. Bending our will to God? The same reluctance applies. It’s much easier to assume God doesn’t bother with our foibles. He has other fish to fry. Most of us must forcibly be brought to our knees before we submit.

To process our inability to succumb to authority while Jesus offered unimaginable willingness all the way to the cross, we have to separate Jesus from ourselves. We don’t talk about the Ghandi-like presence of Jesus. It’s our odd belief that Jesus possessed Herculean discipline which favored God the Father. We conclude that Jesus’ divinity explains his discipline and superhuman love. Divinity is in his DNA. That how he did it. That not us. He could walk in trust and take anything thrown his way because he had a lazer-tuned and lit up awareness of God’s plan. Easy-peasy for him. Laughable for us.

Jesus’ gift to us of the Holy Spirit, however, squashes that theory. We must hide the truth that we have the capability of Jesus’ humility and keen focus upon the Father’s will by not talking about it. Jesus’ personal relationship to God is not possible for us, so let’s talk about something else. It’s a great diversion from escaping the authority calling to us from the Father, and through the Holy Spirit, as taught and exemplified by Jesus.

To categorize the humble, impartial and constrained lifestyle of Jesus as appointed to him and not us ignores the scriptures telling us that we have been given the same gift. The centurion in Matthew 8:5 understood that Jesus lived under authority, of the Father, and had authority from that relationship to do great and wonderful things.

For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it

The Centurion grasped Jesus' connection to God and also the power that came from that connection. At the same time he acted on the willingness of Jesus to serve his Father, by sayin “only say the word and my servant will be healed.”

We’re tied in a string of authority that not only allows, but expects us to be in union with God. Here’s 1 Corinthians, verse 30 from the “Amplified” version of scripture:

But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].

Our dismissal of divinity will come back to haunt us. We, too, can and should bend our wills to God. By not doing so, we are stopping God’s authority from taking place!

Allowing God’s will to be revealed to us means we next must be willing to follow his will.

That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.
….
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!