Jesus Perfectly Fulfilled His Purpose

Day 17 – Jesus Perfectly Fulfilled His Purpose

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 
– John 12:27

The story of Jesus' entry and joyful welcome by the crowds into Jerusalem as he rides on a donkey at the beginning of Passover week, is recorded by all four Gospel writers.  Jerusalem would have been abuzz with festivity because of this major Jewish pilgrimage.  The gospel writer John shifts gears from a high energy crowded celebratory event to a  personal agonizing moment in the last week of Jesus’ life.  

When Jesus speaks of His "soul being troubled” it indicates a deep agitation in His inner being. He is acutely aware that He is at the brink of the ‘hour’ when He Himself is needed to become the ultimate sacrificial Passover Lamb. This was the way God would save a sinful humanity alienated from Him. Jesus states that His life’s purpose was for this very ‘hour.’  In asking the rhetorical question, “What shall I say? Father save me from this hour?”, he wrestles with a situation looming large that would cost Him His very life. Should He plead with His Father to get Him out of this assignment?  In this dark hour of His soul He chooses the pain of something that’s never occurred in all of eternity. Beyond the physical horrors of the torturous death on the Cross, He the Son of God would experience separation from His own Father. What makes the cross so significant is that the spotless Lamb of God paid the death-penalty for each of our sins. It is for this cause that He suffered and died, as the salvation of the world depended on it. This was how His Father would bring glory to Himself by redeeming a lost humanity as His Son trusted Him to bring Him through. Jesus positions himself for the difficult hour and states His life’s purpose in it. 

Jesus’ dark time was a confirmation of His greatest mission and purpose on earth.  He did not come just to be a great teacher, an amazing miracle worker or just a good person who lived and died. Christmas happened with Good Friday in mind and the Father took care of Easter! Jesus resolved to focus on this final picture in His time of crisis.  Through a time of questions and surrender, God revealed Himself powerfully. 

Without oversimplifying soul troubling moments, it is enough to know in our struggles that Jesus knows what that’s like and we are not alone in experiencing it. If we want to have a revelation of what  God’s like in His glory, we cannot look past Calvary and the Cross. This is what glory looks like, self-giving, sacrificial love. That’s who God is. God's sacrificial love in Jesus displays His Glory.  

We are called to live for the glory of God and this is by no means shallow living. Knowing that God has conquered the darkness, can you stay open to leaning on His perspective in your difficult hour? As you yield to Him you will be strengthened to walk in the life giving purposes He desires for you.  Going through trials and struggles as a Christian is pretty incessant as long as we live in a fallen world, in a fallen body.  Jesus is our perfect example in living for the glory of God.  In things we don’t want to face or hear, can we say ‘Glorify your name’ O God. ‘I don’t know how this is going to work out but I will embrace the hour and live out my purpose in You as You lead me through it.’  A costly but glorious way of living!  God’s plan in Jesus was to obtain you and me. He saw His Son through and He will do the same for you. 

“You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense.” Rick Warren

Thank You Jesus that You took on flesh and know the pain of the hard hours in my life. I yield my life in sacrificial surrender to You. God, bring revelation of Yourself and let me hear the comforting strength of Your voice. Glorify Your name, as I seek to walk in the perfect purpose You have ordained for me.

Chitra L Kovoor 
Ministry Fellow, Christian Union Lux (Yale University)