In the scriptures, we can see the heart of Jesus expressed in two directions:
First, we see his obedient heart toward the Father in the garden of Gethsemane where, by sheer exercise of will, He chooses to submit to the Father’s will that He die:
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42 )
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:8–9)
Second, we see the heart of Jesus as He chooses to lay down his life for us:
“ . .Jesus Christ . . .who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (Revelation 1:5)
“No one takes it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:18)
Jesus has nothing left for Himself. He’s given it all away; submission to the Father’s will and self-sacrifice for us! One looks upward to God. The other looks downward into this world. That’s the heart of Jesus. No wonder that the scriptures say:
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6–11)
Jesus’s heart for us and for His father is simply magnificent. It leaves us speechless.
But He’s also given that to us as a model:
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21)
Let’s take just one example, marriage, where both dimensions of Jesus’ heart are visible:
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (Ephesians 5:22–27 )
Jesus does not ask anything of us that He Himself has not done far more. The wife’s role in the marriage mirrors Jesus’ own submission to the Father. The husband’s role in the marriage mirrors Jesus’ own self-sacrifice for his wife. Both roles require an abandonment of self-interest. . .something that does not come naturally to human beings. Each, in its own way, reflects the heart and choices that the Son of God Himself made. That’s how they bring glory to the Savior.
It’s a beautiful thing!