So THAT’S What You Mean!

The Bible talks a lot about obedience and disobedience. I for one think I’m pretty good when I obey Jesus after a time of desperately wanting to disobey. 

“Aren’t I something Lord? You must be plenty glad to have me on Your side.”

Pfft!

The fact is, none of us know what it’s like to obey our Lord and Saviour.

None of us have sweated great drops of blood from the anxiety generated by wanting to do something other than what God has called us to do. When the stress of doing the right thing gets too strong, we simply disobey, do the wrong thing to relieve the stress. 

And then we ask for forgiveness.

Kinda pitiful - isn’t it?

The fact is, none of us know what it means to be obedient.

“Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered.”

That doesn’t mean that Jesus started out disobedient and slowly but surely learned to do the right things all the time. Jesus NEVER disobeyed God the Father. What it means is that Jesus learned the essence of, or the nature of, or the full quality of obedience. Through continual practice, Jesus learned what it felt like to be obedient at all points all the time, especially when tempted to disobey.

Through experiencing obedience in every and all circumstances, Jesus could say, “So THIS is what it means to obey. So this is what We’re asking humans to do.” 

And THAT is why Jesus truly can be our high priest, our counsellor, or guide and comforter. He knows what it’s like to obey. He knows how hard it is to obey. And that is why “We can come boldly and with confidence to the throne of Grace to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.”