Obedience to the Cross
There's a common thread that runs through the entire life of Jesus, from the manger to the cross. That thread is obedience to the Father.
Jesus summed it up perfectly in John 6:38 when he said, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me." That single statement revealed the heartbeat of his entire 33-and-a-half-year ministry on earth.
Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing. He only spoke what he heard the Father speaking. His entire life was about obedience, not reluctant compliance, but joyful alignment with the Father's will.
Jesus summed it up perfectly in John 6:38 when he said, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me." That single statement revealed the heartbeat of his entire 33-and-a-half-year ministry on earth.
Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing. He only spoke what he heard the Father speaking. His entire life was about obedience, not reluctant compliance, but joyful alignment with the Father's will.
What Real Obedience Looks Like
I heard a great definition of obedience years ago: Obedience is doing what you're told to do, when you're told to do it, with the right heart attitude.
We've all been that little boy standing in the corner who says, "I may be standing on the outside, but I'm sitting down on the inside." We obey, but we do it reluctantly, with irritation and complaints. That's not the obedience Jesus modeled.
When we look at Jesus's life, we see three powerful characteristics of true obedience:
1. Obedience Rooted in Love
Jesus showed us that the most genuine expression of love for God is obedience. Not words. Not emotions. Not feelings. Action.
First John 2:3-4 is blunt: "By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him."
That word "liar" might sting, but here's why it's true: if our behavior contradicts what we say, we're not living in truth. We can raise our hands in worship on Sunday, but if our behavior outside the church walls contradicts what we professed, we're living a lie.
Jesus said it clearly: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Our obedience is evidence of our love relationship with God.
And here's the beautiful part, when obedience is rooted in love, it's not burdensome. First John 5:3 says, "His commandments are not burdensome." When you love God, keeping his commands becomes a natural outflow of your relationship, not a weight dragging you down.
2. Obedience That Requires Humility
Philippians 2:6-7 contains revolutionary truth: Jesus, "although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant."
Think about that. Jesus existed eternally as God. The manger wasn't the beginning of his existence, he was with God and was God before Genesis 1:1. Yet he was willing to leave his rightful position, to lay aside his divine privileges, and take on human form to provide our salvation.
He could have said, "Father, I'm comfortable here. There's got to be another way." But he didn't. His first step of obedience was humility.
Notice the order in Philippians 2:8: "He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death." Humility precedes obedience. Before Jesus could obey, he had to get rid of self. He had to bow low and say, "Your will be done."
Many people today want the power of Christ without the posture of humility Christ modeled. We want the freedom and benefits without taking on the posture. But the path to Christ's power always flows through humility.
3. Obedience That Endures Suffering
Here's an uncomfortable truth: Jesus's obedience was tested and proven through suffering.
We go to great lengths to eliminate discomfort from our lives. We want to follow Jesus without hurt, inconvenience, rejection, or pain. But when we try to eliminate all discomfort and live in a sterile environment, we hinder ourselves from going deeper with Christ.
Paul understood this in Philippians 3:10: "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
We love the first part about resurrection power. We shout "Amen!" to authority and victory. But the verse doesn't stop there. True depth with God comes through sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death.
In the battleground of suffering is where you grow. In the battleground of testing is where your roots go deep.
We've all been that little boy standing in the corner who says, "I may be standing on the outside, but I'm sitting down on the inside." We obey, but we do it reluctantly, with irritation and complaints. That's not the obedience Jesus modeled.
When we look at Jesus's life, we see three powerful characteristics of true obedience:
1. Obedience Rooted in Love
Jesus showed us that the most genuine expression of love for God is obedience. Not words. Not emotions. Not feelings. Action.
First John 2:3-4 is blunt: "By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him."
That word "liar" might sting, but here's why it's true: if our behavior contradicts what we say, we're not living in truth. We can raise our hands in worship on Sunday, but if our behavior outside the church walls contradicts what we professed, we're living a lie.
Jesus said it clearly: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Our obedience is evidence of our love relationship with God.
And here's the beautiful part, when obedience is rooted in love, it's not burdensome. First John 5:3 says, "His commandments are not burdensome." When you love God, keeping his commands becomes a natural outflow of your relationship, not a weight dragging you down.
2. Obedience That Requires Humility
Philippians 2:6-7 contains revolutionary truth: Jesus, "although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant."
Think about that. Jesus existed eternally as God. The manger wasn't the beginning of his existence, he was with God and was God before Genesis 1:1. Yet he was willing to leave his rightful position, to lay aside his divine privileges, and take on human form to provide our salvation.
He could have said, "Father, I'm comfortable here. There's got to be another way." But he didn't. His first step of obedience was humility.
Notice the order in Philippians 2:8: "He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death." Humility precedes obedience. Before Jesus could obey, he had to get rid of self. He had to bow low and say, "Your will be done."
Many people today want the power of Christ without the posture of humility Christ modeled. We want the freedom and benefits without taking on the posture. But the path to Christ's power always flows through humility.
3. Obedience That Endures Suffering
Here's an uncomfortable truth: Jesus's obedience was tested and proven through suffering.
We go to great lengths to eliminate discomfort from our lives. We want to follow Jesus without hurt, inconvenience, rejection, or pain. But when we try to eliminate all discomfort and live in a sterile environment, we hinder ourselves from going deeper with Christ.
Paul understood this in Philippians 3:10: "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
We love the first part about resurrection power. We shout "Amen!" to authority and victory. But the verse doesn't stop there. True depth with God comes through sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death.
In the battleground of suffering is where you grow. In the battleground of testing is where your roots go deep.
The Garden Moment
Jesus's obedience was tested in Gethsemane. In agony, he prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
The cup represented everything, the cross, the suffering, the rejection, the betrayal, the physical pain, the public humiliation, the spiritual separation. Everything your salvation and mine required him to pay.
Jesus was essentially saying, "Father, if there's any other way, please let this cup pass. But if not, not my will, but your will be done."
Every one of us will have Gethsemane moments. Maybe you're in one right now. You don't like where you are. You wish there was an easier way. But maybe God has you there so this can be your Gethsemane, the place where you say, "I don't enjoy this process, but I'm willing to do what you've led me to do."
The cup represented everything, the cross, the suffering, the rejection, the betrayal, the physical pain, the public humiliation, the spiritual separation. Everything your salvation and mine required him to pay.
Jesus was essentially saying, "Father, if there's any other way, please let this cup pass. But if not, not my will, but your will be done."
Every one of us will have Gethsemane moments. Maybe you're in one right now. You don't like where you are. You wish there was an easier way. But maybe God has you there so this can be your Gethsemane, the place where you say, "I don't enjoy this process, but I'm willing to do what you've led me to do."
The Weight of the Cross
Jesus was betrayed by close friends. Rejected. Deserted. He endured physical pain beyond what any human should endure; beaten so badly that Isaiah 53 says you couldn't recognize him as human.
But worse than the physical and emotional pain was the spiritual agony. As Jesus hung on the cross carrying the sin of the world, God the Father, who had been beside him for 33 and a half years, had to turn away because of the sin Jesus bore.
That's when Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).
Have you ever felt like God was distant? Like he seemed far away in your weakest moment? That's when we follow Jesus's example, we trust the heart of God even when we can't see the hand of God.
But worse than the physical and emotional pain was the spiritual agony. As Jesus hung on the cross carrying the sin of the world, God the Father, who had been beside him for 33 and a half years, had to turn away because of the sin Jesus bore.
That's when Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).
Have you ever felt like God was distant? Like he seemed far away in your weakest moment? That's when we follow Jesus's example, we trust the heart of God even when we can't see the hand of God.
Why It Matters
Hebrews 5:8-9 says something remarkable: "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him."
If Jesus, being God's son, had to learn obedience through suffering, doesn't it make sense that we'll learn obedience through uncomfortable moments too?
Without Jesus's obedience to the cross, none of us would have forgiveness. None of us would have relationship with God. None of us would have the abundant life that flows through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The cross isn't just jewelry we wear or wall décor in our homes. The cross is where sinners become saints. Where guilt is exchanged for grace. Where despair gives way to hope.
And God is calling us to walk in that same pathway, to live lives that emulate the pattern Jesus left for us. Because that's where true freedom is. When we live based on obedience, we're liberated to be who God wants us to be.
Not forced. Not obligated. But choosing joyful surrender.
And that changes everything.
If Jesus, being God's son, had to learn obedience through suffering, doesn't it make sense that we'll learn obedience through uncomfortable moments too?
Without Jesus's obedience to the cross, none of us would have forgiveness. None of us would have relationship with God. None of us would have the abundant life that flows through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The cross isn't just jewelry we wear or wall décor in our homes. The cross is where sinners become saints. Where guilt is exchanged for grace. Where despair gives way to hope.
And God is calling us to walk in that same pathway, to live lives that emulate the pattern Jesus left for us. Because that's where true freedom is. When we live based on obedience, we're liberated to be who God wants us to be.
Not forced. Not obligated. But choosing joyful surrender.
And that changes everything.