A Different Set Of Principles and Priorities

Jesus was committed to performing the Father's work using the Father's methods. For Jesus, the process was as important as the achievement. When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (Matt. 4:1-11), he refused to deviate from the path that the Father had set out for him to achieve the results that the Father desired. For example, the first temptation was more than a simple inducement to satisfy his hunger, or an attempt to use a miracle to prove that he was God's Son. It was a temptation to use his son-ship in a way inconsistent with his God-ordained mission. The same taunt, "If you are the Son of God," was hurled at him when he was on the cross (Matthew 27:40), whereas for Jesus to have left the cross would have annulled the purpose of his coming. At all stages of his ministry, Jesus refused to deviate from the Father's principles.

Similarly, we are often tempted to take "˜short-cuts' to achieving some of the Father's purposes. We can react to the pressures of leadership situations by compromising the Father's principles, for example, through manipulation. A leader can manipulate someone by pressurising them to do a specific task that they want done, without taking into account the plans that God may have for the person. The leader can manipulate them using guilt ("If you do not do it, then I suppose I will have to stay up late and do it myself"), or even encouragement ("You are far better at this than I am. You do such a great job when you work in this area"). The issue is not whether the leader is telling the truth or not, but with the leader seeking to force the person to make the decision that they desire instead of giving them the space to choose objectively. We need to choose to respond to the pressures by choosing the means that the Father has appointed in order to achieve the results we desire.

In addition, the Father's priorities are different to those of this world. As Jesus committed himself to do the Father's will, he chose a path that would bring him into conflict with the desires and expectations of others. The disciples discovered this on a number of occasions.

One example is in Mark 1:28-37:

News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

After an evening of busy ministry, Jesus left the sleeping disciples and went to spend time in prayer to his Father. The tired disciples were woken up by a crowd of people who wanted to see Jesus. When they realised that Jesus was not in the house, they sent out search parties to find him and to bring him back to the crowd of needy people. When the disciples eventually found Jesus they were surprised by his response to the situation.

Just imagine yourself in this situation. If you were Jesus, what would you have said? What would you have done? Perhaps scold the disciples for their lack of faith in not praying for the sick themselves? Perhaps sensing a deep sense of compassion for the needy people and going immediately to pray for the lost. Pause for a moment and write down your thoughts.

Jesus' response to the situation is surprisingly different to the one that the disciples expected. Once again it highlights that Jesus had a deep sense of commitment to do what the Father wanted him to do, in the way the Father wanted him to do it.

"Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else - to the nearby villages - so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."' (Mark 1:38)

Jesus resisted the pressure of meeting the expectations of the disciples and the crowd of people. He resisted the temptation to receive recognition and honour from the crowd by meeting their immediate needs. Instead, his driving ambition to fulfil the Father's will motivated and decided his timetable. This was the foundation that his life was built upon: to be all that the Father wanted him to be, and to do all that the Father wanted him to do.