No Greater Love: Jesus Chooses to Obey

Have you ever had to do something really hard?

Maybe you had to tell the truth even though you might get in trouble. Maybe you had to apologize when you didn’t want to. Doing the right thing can sometimes feel scary.

The night before Jesus went to the cross, He went to a garden called Gethsemane to pray. Jesus knew what was about to happen. Soon He would be arrested and nailed to a cross.

Jesus prayed to God the Father and said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” But then Jesus said something very important: “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus was saying, “Father, I will obey You—even though this will be very hard.”

Why would Jesus do that?

Because He loves His Father. And He loves us. Jesus knew the cross was God’s rescue plan to save us from our sins. In the garden, Jesus chose to obey so that we could be forgiven.

The Bible says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Jesus chose the cross because of His great love.

You can respond to Jesus’s great love by accepting the forgiveness He offers. Learn more at keysforkids.org/goodnews.

Think About It:

Is there something hard God wants you to do—like forgiving someone, obeying your parents, or telling the truth?

When it’s hard to obey, remember Jesus in the garden. He obeyed the Father because of His great love for us.

Pray:

Jesus, thank You for loving me so much that You chose to obey the Father, even when it was hard. Thank You for going to the cross to save me from my sins. Please help me obey You, even when it’s difficult. Amen. 💛