Articles
Jesus Did Not Quit
Jesus did not quit preaching. Sometimes His audience did not understand Him (Matthew 13:13). Some who understood Him did not believe Him (John 8:46). Others, such as the rich young ruler, understood Him and may well have believed what He said but would not obey the truth (Matthew 19:22). Some scoffed at Him (Luke 16:14). His enemies listened to Him “plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say” (Luke 11:54). His own townspeople “all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips” (Luke 4:22) . . . yet by the end of the sermon they angrily tried to throw Him down a cliff! (vv. 28-29). Nevertheless, Jesus did not quit preaching. That is what He came to do (Mark 1:38).
Jesus did not quit meeting with the disciples. To the end, Judas was a thief (John 12:6), whose greed ultimately led to Jesus’ death. Peter was fickle, confessing Jesus one moment, rebuking Him the next (Mark 8:29, 32). James and John were occasionally hot-headed (Luke 9:51-56); Jesus even nicknamed them “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). The disciples were slow to understand, slow to believe, and slow to make the right application. While Jesus at times was frustrated with them, He did not sever ties with them or give up on them. To the contrary, He kept them (John 17:12).
Jesus did not quit praying. From the Jordan to Gethsemane, Jesus was in constant communication with His Father. He prayed early in the morning (Mark 1:35) and late at night, in fact, all night (Luke 6:12). He prayed before eating (John 6:11). He prayed publicly and privately, sometimes briefly and at other times extensively. He prayed for Himself and others. Even after the Father said no to perhaps His most intense request—“let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39)—Jesus continued praying. On the cross He prayed for His executioners (Luke 23:34). Jesus perfectly exemplified Paul’s instruction: “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Jesus did not quit obeying. Jesus set the tone for His life when He told His parents He had to be about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). Though sinless, He was baptized “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:13-15). Jesus continued to do the Father’s will, occasionally to the extent that He had no time to eat. His disposition was, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34). Jesus obeyed what the Father actually said, not popular notions of what was right. And He obeyed, even when it was hard. “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Jesus did not quit obeying, even after His ascension. He is now doing His God-assigned work in heaven (Hebrews 7:25; 1 Corinthians 15:25).
Jesus did not quit. Let’s follow His example.
