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What Jesus did not come to do

by    27th March 2011    0 responses
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Bible3

John 6:38   Expand passage

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me."

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Christians rightly talk a lot about what Jesus came to do. We talk about his mission, his ministry, his character, his life, his death, his resurrection. The gospel writers tell us a lot about what Jesus came to do – but occasionally they also tell us about what Jesus did not come to do. Five of these verses are the subject of our daily readings this coming week.

As a bonus, example, John 6:38 acts as a great trailer to the week’s readings, setting the scene for these statements about what Jesus did not come to do. Firstly, by telling us what he did not come to do Jesus tells us what he did come to do (they all take the format, “I did not come to… but instead to…”) Secondly, Jesus clarified his mission in order to challenge misconceptions of him. In the verse above, he is challenging the misconception that he is a self-serving celebrity preacher interested only in growing his own reputation. He says quite the opposite: he has been sent on a mission from the Father and he has acted obediently to him. These are big claims to make, not just that he has been sent from heaven but that he is doing the very will of God on earth.

So as we reflect on what Jesus did not come to do I hope we will get a sharper picture of what he did come to do. As Jesus debunks these myths about his own mission, I hope we will enjoy all the more the truth about why he came and what he achieved through his life, death, and resurrection.

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Ali grew up in London, but is currently at university in the North East of England. He helped to re-launch Crossring in 2009, and has acted as Managing Editor of the website since then. He occasionally dabbles in photography and web development - he also designed and maintains the Crossring website.

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