July 29

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Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. John 5:19

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🔊 Christ’s life is one of complete surrender to the Father’s will. In this verse He speaks of His surrender in the area of personal initiative. This is not passivity – passivity is, at best, a mixed blessing. A lazy person will delight in the idea of a totally passive will, but this is not what Jesus is speaking of. He is describing the complete focus of His will in surrender to the Father. Jesus is ablaze with love and devotion, but they are not directed at acting according to natural desires or enthusiasm. They are directed at stilling all other powers, for the sole purpose of enthroning the Father’s will. In one way, this is perfect activity, since it is the focusing of our whole being on the true purpose of our existence, which is God. Our will is not a faculty in isolation – it is the use we make of our powers. When we direct our lives to the pursuit of selfish pleasure, we are engaging our wills. Christ focused His mind into complete concentration and the application of His whole being to the Father’s will. He claimed that He saw the Father do things, and that He heard the Father speak [John 5:30]. This is the fruit of waiting on God – Christ’s inner eye and ear were opened to perceive God. This was the basis of His ‘faith ministry’ that saw maimed limbs restored and the decomposing body of Lazarus brought to life. It was also the basis of the life that stood before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, the baying crowds, and finally before His executioners, and saw not the hand of man but the hand of God.