Prophetic Word 2024 - Day 27: Jesus’ cross was obedience to the will of the Father.

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.“

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭41‬-‭44‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There is an old song entitled, “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?” (Lyrics: Thomas Shepherd, 1693). Now, the answer to the question posed in the title, is yes, He must bear His cross alone; or rather, yes, He did bear His cross alone.

However, the second part of the first stanza that begins with that same question, “No, there’s a cross for everyone; and there’s a cross for me,” explains the intended message of the writer: Jesus first bore His cross. Now we must bear our own cross as well. That sentiment IS supported by scripture.

I make this distinction because of the well-meaning attempts of some who try to get people to follow Christ out of sympathy for the Lord. As such, some will make statements like, “We’ve got to get up underneath that cross with Jesus and do our part to lift it.” Well, there is no biblical support for that type of teaching. But, before going further in looking at what our responsibility actually is, let’s look at what the cross of Christ represents.

Of course, the immediate response, in terms of what the cross of Christ represents, is that it represents our salvation. That Jesus, being the perfect Lamb of God, was sacrificed to take away the sins of the world, so that—as Jesus said to Nicodemus—“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Certainly, our salvation is what the cross of Jesus represents to us. But, we must look more closely at what the Lord said about what He was doing, to understand what the cross represented to Him.

Jesus had ministered to the Samaritan woman, telling her many things about herself. This encounter caused the woman to basically evangelize the rest of her community, with many coming to believe on Jesus.

Now, while Jesus was there talking to this woman, the disciples had gone to get food. Upon their return, they urged the Lord to eat something. Jesus then basically tells them that He had already eaten; but the food He referenced was not what they had suspected.

“But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.“

‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬-‭34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Jesus clearly tells the disciples that His nourishment is doing the will of God, and to finish the work He was sent to do.

At another time, the religious leaders were excoriating Jesus for breaking the Sabbath by healing the sick man at the pool of Bethesda. Within Jesus’ rebuttal to them, He explains that His mission is being divinely orchestrated.

”I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.“

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Again, Jesus makes clear that He is only doing what the Father wills that He should do.

Additionally, speaking to those who did not believe on Him, Jesus says that He is the bread sent down from heaven, so that all who come to Him would never hunger again. He then clarifies that He is on a mission that would one day enable Him to raise up all those who had believed on Him.

“And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.””

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬-‭40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Notice, Jesus again makes it abundantly clear that the Father had sent Him on this mission.

So, we see that the Lord’s cross represented His obedience to the Father. Yes, Jesus (as God, Himself) wanted us to be saved; but what He did, He did out of obedience to the Father. Indeed, the writer of Hebrews makes the connection clear between the cross of Christ and the will of the Father.

“Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ” Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.“

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In our opening scripture, we see that just before Jesus completed the mission of the Father, He prayed for the cup to pass from Him. But with that, He declared that He would do whatever the Father willed. Indeed, He was obedient even to the cross.

“who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.“

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yes, the cross of Christ represents our salvation; but for our Lord, it represented His obedience to the Father.

Tomorrow we will begin considering the nature of our own cross.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#resolveforhim