The Obedience of Jesus

How would you rate yourself on obeying traffic laws? Rating #1 means that you drive to get to your destination and no one better get in your way. Then through #10 means that you use your turn signal even when no one is around and you legit count to 3 seconds when at a stop sign. When was the last time you got a traffic violation or a speeding ticket? Is it because you are that good or that good at not getting caught?

I love my GPS. Unfortunately, the GPS in my car has not been working right for a little while and I have struggled getting places where I am not sure where I am going. The thing is though, you have to listen carefully to the directions given through your GPS so that you know exactly where to turn and when. That messes with me the most is when it says, “turn left in 500 feet”. If I am not in the right lane or can’t see the road ahead clearly, I will miss it. “Recalculating” is probably my least favorite word, ever!

Talking about needing to listen carefully, my husband and I have reached that point in our lives where we don’t hear each other clearly, especially when we are in separate rooms and the TV is on. Friday morning, I would like to first blame this on how early in the morning this happened as well as the fact that I haven’t finished my coffee. Anyways, I was in the living room watching the news while John was getting ready for work. He apparently asked my what was the temperature outside. My response was 6:15. He then said, “We are all going to die”, very loudly this time. I was puzzled and concerned so he then said, “I ask what was the temperature.” I laughed and said, “Oh sorry, it is 54 degrees right now.”

Pray and read Luke 6:46-49

Luke 6:46–49 NRSV

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”

This lesson from Jesus comes during what we call His Sermon on the Mount. Here in Luke, we have a really long chapter, chapter 6, filled with some of the same teachings we read in Matthew through chapters 5, 6, and 7. These lessons and parables are arguably some of the most basic and necessary things Jesus teaches us about how we are to live and act as His followers. The lessons here are some of the same type of lessons that we teach children. These lessons are simple yet highly important, such as, love others, do good things and make good choices. Then Jesus finishes His sermon with this lesson on obeying the things that have been taught. We can all agree that we should obey God, right? We read the Bible and obey the laws, but it goes deeper than that. To truly be obedient is to listen to what God tells us and do what we are told. That is the true definition of obedience. When we read the gospels we see that Jesus was a perfect Son to God as He not only obeyed the law of God, but He was obedient in doing what He was told by The Father. Jesus was obedient even to the point of death on a cross as we say, remember?

My most used phrases as a mother are, “Are you listening to me?” And also, “Did you do as I have asked?” As a parent, my biggest pet-peeve is when I tell one of my children to do something and they just don’t. Yes, my kids disobey me from time to time, they are not perfect. Of course neither am I a perfect mom. Sometimes they get mad that I have interrupted their playtime. Sometimes they tell me that they will but somehow “forget”. At other times, and what is really annoying is when, they begin to do as I asked only to stop half-way through and then never finish; such is the case when I have asked them to clean their rooms.

I have come to realize that the older I get, the more relaxed about rules I have become, yet I also see how impatient I am at times as well. One important thing about parent and child relationships is boundaries and consistency.

I am not a parenting expert by no means. I have troubles with my kids like every other parent. Each one of my kids have come with their own unique personalities and basic needs. I am still learning. The only perfect parent is God. We are His children. So just as we desire to be respected and obeyed by our children, God asks the same of us.

Sometimes, our children challenge us on our authority. It may not seem right and disobedience is never good. However, have any of us truly obeyed someone for absolutely no reason? I hope not. That leads to cult mentality, where people blindly do things that don’t make sense and in many cases causes great harm. Blind obedience is often times the result of an abusive relationship.

God does not require us to follow Him without some understanding of what we are doing. God most definitely is not abusive either. God has already given us the “why” when it comes to doing as He commands. We know there are rewards as a result of obeying His laws and doing as He commands. As a parent, I have found it to be easier when I have set rewards and consequences to doing as I say.

Another example, and one that I am learning, is for leaders. If we want people to follow us, believe in the mission that is set, and do what needs to be done to reach a certain goal, then we know that there needs to be boundaries and results communicated. The boundaries are the pre-established and non-negotiable expectations of those whom you lead- such as your employees, others you have contracts with, children and students. Communication is also important. Requests, commands, guidance, demands, reasons, goals, are all examples of things that need to be communicated.

I have learned to stop think that it is disrespectful when my child asks me why when I ask them to do something. Honestly, if I can’t communicate a reason something needs to be done or set the boundaries of results for a job well done or consequences for when my orders are not obeyed then my expectations are not fully understood. You see, obedience is not a personal checklist. Obedience is listening to what is commanded, and doing what is right.

Jesus, in this passage today, did not stop after saying, “Why don’t you listen to Me?” Instead He told us that if we listen and do as commanded, we will have rewards and our lives will have a good strong foundation. However, if we don’t listen, then our lives will fall apart due to lack of Wisdom and not having the foundation that Jesus is teaching us to have when we obey His commands.

The Bible is our boundaries. We can read the stories of those who have obeyed God’s commands and seen what good happens in result. We can also read about those who have disobeyed and then read about them suffering the consequences. We also have Christ who is the Living Word of God who through His Holy Spirit gives us direction and direct commands the we personally are to obey.

Just as it takes us to communicate with those whom we are in charge of to care for and lead, we can trust that God offers us communication and guidance for our lives. We are not left with the laws and boundaries that are written in the Bible for us to obey as we humanly see fit or by our own understanding. God doesn’t demand that we blindly obey, for He is currently with us, currently living in each of us as we are His children.

Is there something in your life that you do that you know displeases God? Is there a temptation that you can’t seem to walk away from every time? Some habit that you can’t seem to break? What does God say to you about this bad habit? Ask God to tell you how to avoid the temptation. Listen for God to help you. God is not just going to condemn you and leave you in your sin. God isn’t just going to forgive you of your sins and then leave you to fall into those same traps later. God, through the power of His Holy Spirit, will tell you what you need to hear and will help you break those chains of sin and shame. But it takes listening to Him and following Him consistently and always. The key to obedience to God that we learn from Christ, is to listen and then to follow.