Joyful Obedience

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, March 17th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday of Lent

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Hebrews
5.7-9

​In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Obedience. Oh, that one little word! So easy to roll off our tongue, and yet when it comes right down to it, can be so hard to actually live out. 

We have the privilege of sharing our home with our adult children and our five-year-old granddaughter. My husband and I watch as they work to set boundaries and rules for her – many of the same ones we set for her father when he was growing up under our guidance. She can’t jump on furniture because she may get hurt. Bedtime is at the same time most nights because she needs to be rested to learn at school the next day. Sugary snacks have to be tempered with healthy ones so her little body will grow in a healthy way. Screen time is limited so she can learn how to use her imagination and build out the gifts of creativity she has been given. Hands are for hugging or helping and not hitting because she has to learn that she can’t physically hurt the people around her.  

We also watch on those nights when she uses loud cries and tears to get ten more minutes of a favourite show, or to have just one more sugary snack. Or she resists brushing her teeth and going to bed on time. Her parents stand firm, explaining that on these points she has no choice but to be obedient. We can tell she doesn’t like their answer, and some nights it’s painful to watch the battle of wills that ensues. Yet we also witness the pride and joy when she returns from a dentist appointment to announce that she has no cavities, or when she proclaims that the inch she has grown is because she ate “green things.” She loves it when we joyfully hang the picture she has drawn for us instead of playing a game on the iPad. 

Unlike Jesus, she doesn’t know her destiny, not understanding why she is called to obey her parents, but we can already see the fruits of her obedience. As she grows, these things that are torturous for her will become second nature, and she will be thankful for the foundation laid as a child. 

God allowed Jesus to grow in human obedience during His 33 years on earth by having Him experience the same sufferings as we do. He was tempted and tried and even pleaded with His Father, saying, “if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” The difference is He went on to say, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus knew the suffering He was to endure, and yet He grew in perfect obedience. Through His example of obedience, we have all been saved. 

Let us pray: Father God, thank You for the example of Jesus’ obedience through great suffering and persecution. May His sacrifice always remind me of Your total faithfulness, in the midst of storms and pleasures, and may I always know the joy of obedience, even when I am crying out for You to save me. Amen.




​Sandy Graves

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