Sacrifice and Obedience

This weeks submission to Flannel's Bible study.




Sacrifice: an offering, a voluntary loss

Lev. 1-7:21
In the old testament there were different sacrifices for different reasons. You had to had to give sacrifices to pay for what you did in order to come into God's presence. But Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. The last sacrifice. His death covers over all of our sins so we may come into the Father's presence. He was the sacrifice.


Matt. 26:36-44 (NIV)
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." (37)He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.(38)Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."(39)Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (40) Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. (41) "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing ,but the body is weak."(42)He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unles I drink it, may your will be done." (43)When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. (44)So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.


Mark 14:32-39 (NIV)
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."(33)He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.(34)"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." (35)Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.(36)"Father, Father," he said, "everything is possible for your. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (37)Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?(38)Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (39) Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.


Luke 22:39-44 (NIV)
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. (40)On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." (41)He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, (42)"Father, if you are willing , take this cup from me;yet not my will, but yours be done." (43)An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. (44) And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.



He knew what was to be done. He was troubled and prayed that this cup be taken from him. Three times he prayed this. But he also said the Father's will be done and not his will. He knew the pain and suffering he would endure and yet he was still obedient to the Father. This shows us an example of how we should be. We may not want to do what we are to do ,but, it is the Father's will we should be doing and not our own. We need to be obedient to our Father just as Jesus was. He did not resist the Father's will. He did the Fathers will.


Matt. 27:27-31 (NIV)
Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.(28)They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, (29)and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of of him and mocked him. "Hail, the king of the Jews!" they said. (30)They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. (31)After they had mocked him, they took the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Mark 15:16-20 (NIV)
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. (17)They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. (18) And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" (19)Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. (20)And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

John 19:1-3 (NIV)
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. (2)The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe(3) and went up to him again and again, saying. "Hail , King of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.


Beaten! Beaten because he was doing the Father's will. Beaten for us! You and me.


The crucifixion.
Matt. 27:32-50
Mark 15:21-37
Luke 23:26-46
John 19:16-30

The ultimate sacrifice. He died doing the Father's will. At any point he could have stopped it all. He did as the Father asked of him. He was unselfish. He knew what his death would mean. So unselfishly he died so we might live eternally.


Jesus was mocked and made fun of up until death.. Life following the Father's will won't easy and we may even be mocked. We need to be making sure we are doing the Father's will and not our own.


As I reflect on the meaning of all of this I am in awe. As humans we avoid pain. Even the smallest of things (like a paper cut) can really hurt. Jesus knew how much it would hurt. And yet did it anyway. For you. For me. To give your life so another might live is the greatest love of all. It hurts to think that all of the wrong I've done caused another pain. But if it wasn't for that pain I/we couldn't live. I am thankful for the sacrifice that was made.