Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”  (John 8:28-29)

Jesus Pleased His Father

When Jesus came to earth, the divine plan to save humanity from the wrath of God was fully revealed. Before time began, the Father set in order the scheme of redemption to be fulfilled in His Son, who took on human form and experienced all the facets of humanity. Jesus would be born of a virgin, grow physically as all other men, face the temptations of the flesh, and begin an arduous ministry lasting nearly three years. To complete the divine plan of redemption, God would allow His creation to torture and kill His Son. After three days, the Father would raise His Son from the dead and secure judgment on Satan and present the gift of grace to a dark world. Everyone would be given the choice to accept the promise of God to forgive them of sins through the waters of baptism.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus affirmed that everything He did was not His will but the will of the Father. Jesus spoke openly with His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem, where He would suffer great things. He would be condemned to death and delivered to the Gentiles, where the Son of God would be mocked, scourged, spat upon, and killed. His sacrifice was to please the Father because it was the Father’s will. He did nothing of Himself. Every step Jesus took, every word He spoke, and every action He took (or did not take) was according to the word of His Father.

When Jesus died on the cross, it was the message to the world that He was the Son of Man. The world will see that all Jesus did was for the glory of the Father. Jesus was taught by His Father what to do. He was directed by the will of God to sacrifice Himself on the cross. Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” but God had not forsaken His Son. The Father did not leave Jesus alone because Jesus was doing His Father’s will. Jesus’ death on the cross was an act of obedience measured by the Son’s love for the Father. The Son of God had one purpose in mind for His life: to please the Father.

Jesus dying on the cross was not about the Son of God. The cross of Jesus was the cross of the Father. When the world killed the Son of God, they carried out the will of God so that through the blood of Jesus, the world could find redemption. God sent His Son to carry out His will. The world rejected the Son of God and murdered Him on the cross. Three crosses bore men that day, and only the man in the middle was pleasing His Father. Jesus died to please His Father. The suffering of Jesus was endured to please the Father. When Jesus emptied Himself, He filled the world with the glory of the Father.

Everyone who follows Jesus seeks to please the heavenly Father. Life is not about the glory of men but what can be accomplished for the glory of God. There are no accolades of human merit for those who remain faithful to the love of God. Faithful men and women do not serve the Lord for personal gain or infamy. Everything a person does who serves the Lord God is bound by the singular principle of how life can shine to the glory of God. Each particle of life is measured to please the Father. Jesus lived to please His Father. The disciple can do no less than to live each day to please God. Make each day count so the world can see the glory of God and the Father can say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”