“For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that He doeth: and He will shew Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.” John 5:20
Dear Ones:
When the Lord Jesus began His ministry, His entire focus was upon the Father, the doing of His will, pleasing Him, and working in conformity and in unison with Him. There was no independent action that He did, separate from the Father. The entire “work” of God, all that the Father would show the Son, was that which the perfect Believer in the Father, would trust Him for. The origin of the work, the knowledge of what the work was, and the power to accomplish it, had its sole essence and existence in the mind and heart of the Father, communicated to the Son. From the moment that Christ was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, and the Spirit of God came upon Him, anointing Him in a very specific way, Christ was given all that pertained to the knowing and doing of the will of God. From that day forward, His “meat,” or food, was, “…to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to accomplish His work.” (Jn. 4:34) The Spirit of God was given to the Lord Jesus in a very specific way in this regard, so that He might “see,” or be shown, the “doings,” or works of the Father. The Son would move and work in conjunction with the Father, and work, only according to what He saw and knew of the Father. It was a daily, even moment by moment, walk, of looking to the Father, receiving from Him by the Spirit, the knowledge of His will, and the power to accomplish it. It was as He abided in the Father for all, that the perfect and complete work of the Father was accomplished in Him, either concerning small things or great.
It is important to note at this point that the “work of God” was primarily one for the salvation of men’s souls, each being approached differently, and dealt with in like measure. The heart of God would begin to manifest itself in a most monumental way through the compassion of Christ for the lost, as the works of the Father were revealed to Him. Hence, the Gospel was preached, comfort and healing were given to the brokenhearted, and the message of liberty to the captives was proclaimed, even the “…opening of the prison to them that were bound.” (Is. 61:1) Christ’s work was also imminent, and immediate. Why? It is God alone, the Sovereign Judge, and Savior of us all, who knows all things past, present, and future. The Lord Jesus came on the scene of history at precisely the perfect moment. It was a moment when the world was basically under the control of the Roman Empire, and with respect to Jerusalem, and the nation of Israel, it was a pivotal moment of hope before the storm. Not only was the crucifixion of Christ looming before the Lord Jesus, where the work of eternal ages would be accomplished for the salvation of men, but the judgment of God upon the sin of the people, and the nation, was on the horizon. Jesus would declare that the temple would be destroyed, not one stone being left upon another. (Matt. 24) Not only would this destruction mimic the days of Samuel, when the Ark of God was taken by the Philistines, and the “glory of Israel” had departed, but there would be the very destruction of the city of David, particularly the temple. God, in Christ, had come, at the specific time in history, in His wisdom and love, to reveal to men that His ways are not our ways, but that for those who truly trust and obey Him, there is salvation, and the giving of Life that is eternal.
But, what of working the works of God? How is sinful man to follow Christ in this manner? How is God to work in and through the believer, so that His works are finished?
Dear Father, Thy work is accomplished by faithful obedience, looking to Jesus alone, and for all. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad