A Man on a mission

Editorials and Columns

September 19th, 2026

Everyday Faith 

There’s something magical that takes place when a person finds a mission to commit their life to. When I think of the word mission, I think of astronauts who have been sent into outer space to do exploration or research to better all of mankind. 

I think of military personnel who are sent across the globe in the middle of the night to carry out a covert action that has been planned for potentially months, and trained soldiers wait for the precise moment to carry out their duty. 

I think of athletes who dedicate themselves to intense workout regimens with incredible discipline and sacrifice to maximize their body’s potential, so that they can compete at the absolute highest level possible. 

I think of dad’s who were raised in horrible conditions who daily go to work to make a better life for their own kids. 

I think of moms who sacrifice daily to protect their little ones from a dangerous world. All of these missions are noble and worthwhile, but they pale in comparison to the mission that Jesus Christ had on his life. 

I was talking with a friend recently at church about the acts of courage that Jesus demonstrated while he was here on Earth. He made this simple statement: “It sure seems like Jesus was a man on a mission.” And that statement has stuck with me. 

Let’s just contemplate for a few minutes what Jesus’ life looked like. 

Did Jesus’ mission start with his very birth? The scriptures indicate that this is true. Consider the fact that Herod sent out a decree for all boys under the age of two to be killed in the Bethlehem area. Joseph received a dream about this and fled to Egypt to preserve Jesus’ life. It was known from the very beginning of his life that Jesus posed a threat to the establishment of his time. 

Jesus’ birth had been foretold in the Old Testament as to when and where and how it would occur. Do you think that Jesus’ parents would have told him about his birth? The angel Gabriel? The shepherds? The Magi? It seems very likely that as Jesus was raised that he would have naturally been told about the incredible circumstances that surrounded his birth. 

As a child growing up, his parents lost track of Jesus when he was 12. They searched for him for 3 days before they found him talking with the Jewish teachers. And when his parents found him, they seemed confused why they wouldn’t know that he was in his Father’s house. 

In order for Jesus to come into his ministry, certain things had to fall into place before he could start. John the Baptist testified on his behalf proclaiming that the Messiah was coming. Do you think Jesus recognized the prophecies that were being fulfilled as they happened in real time? 

Closer to his three year ministry, Jesus was at a wedding reception where the wine was running low, so his mom asked him to make some to save the family from public embarrassment. Jesus’ response to his mom was that his “hour had not yet come”. In other words, it wasn’t time for his ministry to start yet. He knew the time and showed restraint to make sure that he didn’t get ahead of his Father’s will and plan. This is meekness at its finest!

When Jesus did finally begin his three year ministry, he worked with a rag tag group of men who weren’t powerful or influential, and he often had to explain himself over and again to them, because they just weren’t getting what he was saying. 

As his mortal life neared the end, he stood in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking God if it was his will to take the cup of suffering away from him. Yet, he also acknowledged that God’s will must be done, rather than his own. Jesus was not looking forward to what he would have to endure, but he knew God’s will was more important, so he yielded himself to that will. 

In Christ’s last days, it might be said that the Romans put Jesus up on the cross to be crucified. It might be said that the Pharisees and Sadducees put Jesus up on the cross. It might be said that Pontius Pilate put Jesus up on the cross, and it might be said that Herod put Jesus up on the cross. 

The problem is that none of those statements is true. 

Jesus Christ chose to put himself up on that cross! 

He suffered a terrible death. Beaten like no one should ever have been beaten. Why would Jesus ever have chosen to do this? 

Because his mission from the very beginning was to bring life to the spiritually dead. He died. He was buried. And he rose again - undeterred in his mission. 

He put himself up on that cross, because he knew that none of us could ever be righteous enough to satisfy God’s judgment on our sins. He took the beating, so that we didn’t have to. Sin breaks our relationship with God, but Jesus made a way - a path - so that we could have access to a Holy God. 

Undoubtedly, Jesus was on a mission from the beginning of his life to the very end. He didn’t waver. His strength and courage was undeniable. His love for us was unimaginable.

The question each of us has to wrestle with is, “What do I do with his death, burial, and resurrection?” 

If that was his mission, have I accepted the gift he gave us? 

And if I have, do I accept the baton to carry his mission forward? 

He certainly was a man on a mission, and by faith in him, we should be too.