Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, “Father, save me from this hour”? But this is the very reason I came! (John 12:27, NLT)

Jesus was not in the habit of hiding things from his disciples. They were not ready to hear everything all at once, and so he had to arrange and prioritize the truths he could teach them. When he saw that they were ready for more, he told them more. There is a similar pattern in the New Testament letters. A few times the inspired writers complained that they could not move forward because the readers were slow in their spiritual development.

We face the same situation in ministry. There are things that I might temporarily withhold from a larger audience of believers because of their dullness and unbelief. Instead of freely talking about any truth that comes to mind or that follows in a natural course of teaching, I focus on the more foundational doctrines upon which additional progress depends, attempting to first drive them through to secure understanding and acceptance. That said, any teacher who is faithful to his commission is eager to proclaim the whole counsel of God, and the basic policy is always one of transparency in doctrines.

Jesus wants us to understand him. And we can know his thoughts because he tells us his thoughts. Sometimes he even reveals his motives and thought processes. They are not complex, paradoxical, and mysterious, but definite and easy to understand. In fact, it is only because this is true that it is possible to be his disciples. To be his disciples means that we believe in him, listen to him, learn from him, and then follow and imitate him – not only his actions, but all of him, including his motives and thought processes.

He was a brave man. He was the Word of God since the beginning, but he took on a human nature to fulfill God’s plan and promise, and the fullness of deity dwelled in him. So he was sensitive to pain and hardship. He was soon to be arrested, humiliated, tortured, and killed. As this happened, he would bear upon himself the condemnation and punishment of all the sinners that God had ordained for him to save. Thus his soul became deeply troubled. Shall he ask his Father to deliver him? No, he said, because the very reason he came was to endure what was before him.

Let us consider this, and learn from our master’s noble and intelligent courage. Although his divine nature was impervious, his human nature was like ours, except for spiritual corruption, and in the face of what he had to endure, became troubled. But he recalled his purpose and stood firm. He was to be tortured and murdered. He was to bear our condemnation and punishment. But the reason he came was to do all this. He came to be tortured and murdered. He came to bear our condemnation and punishment. He came to do the will of God, and now it was before him to do the will of God. Therefore, instead of turning the other way, he faced it and ran toward it.

What is our purpose? It is to hold firm to the message of Jesus Christ, to declare it to this world, to make disciples in his name, and to become his light before all men. The enemies of Christ will hate us and harass us, and they will put obstacles in our way. They will ostracize us and criticize us. They will conspire against us, and some of us may suffer violence at their hands.

When we are surrounded, when we are troubled and afraid, and when we are desperate to the point of escape and compromise, we will reason like our master. If we will not die for our destiny, then for what shall we live? What is the purpose of your life, if you save your life by shrinking from your purpose? This is why we are believers. This is why we are preachers. And so we will say with Christ, “O, Father, bring glory to your name!”