I admit I’ve been neglecting my studies as of late, which is wholly evidenced by my lack of blog posts over the last month or so. Though I’m doing about three hours a week of NT exegesis and analysis and commentary compression work, I’ve also been neglecting my blog writing as well as readings in systematic theology and philosophical theology. This has come to a stop today.

Why? Yesterday I heard a sermon that emphasized our culture’s obsession with leadership, and how everyone wants to be a leader. One of the interesting statistics mentioned in the sermon was that on a recent survey, about 7 out of 10 people considered themselves leaders. Adequately qualified, the pastor’s point was that typically people within our culture always want to see themselves as leaders because being a ‘follower’ kind of sucks. It’s pounded into our mindsets to be our own leaders, autonomous, independent, powerful, etc. However, there’s quite a danger to this kind of thinking because it lacks the insight of what it means to be a good follower and a good servant. It lacks humility. The pastor’s evidence of this was the original 12 Apostles and their lack of qualifications for being “leaders”.  In short, all of the apostles did not have any formal leadership qualities, but Jesus chose them for a particular purpose. They all had to become disciples first before they could be leaders. (And let me tell you a secret: we’re all followers of something or someone.) I’m a follower of Jesus, though not always a good one. I try and follow the example set forth by Jesus by loving my neighbors the best way I know how, and also loving myself the best way I know how. This topic is another blog post but my point is that I’m a follower of Jesus. He’s the master; I’m a disciple. In any case, what it means to be a good follower for me is to challenge myself with theology and philosophy; to challenge my views on culture, the church, and how I ought to live my life. While sitting and listening to the sermon, I was convicted about my current laziness in regard to studying and reading and interacting with theology. In sum, then: I need to get up earlier in the morning and crack the books and read and be challenged. This also obviously includes being missional in my verbal witness as well, but I’m always working on that.

With my confession stated above, it is my intent to blog at least three times a week for the rest of this month. I will be focusing in my blogs on Jonathan Edwards’ “Miscellanies” 501-832, in the Yale Edition, edited by Ava Chamerlain. The blogs will be nothing spectacular, I assure you, but they will consist of some of the more interesting miscellanies that Edwards’ wrote—from my perspective of course. I’ve read quite a bit of Edwards and quite a bit about him, so I feel somewhat confident to state a particular miscellany, and then make a short comment on it. For today I’m focusing on one of his miscellanies that is quite apropos to what I have communicated above regarding being an obedient follower of God. The most profound example of following God the Father is in the example and witness by Jesus himself. Edwards says in miscellany 501:

Christ’s Righteousness. ‘Tis most agreeable to the tenor of the Scripture that believers shall partake with Christ in that exaltation and glory which the Father gives him in reward for his obedience, his doing the work which he did in the world by the Father’s appointment. The whole mystical Christ shall be rewarded for this, which is the same thing as having Christ’s righteousness imputed to them.

I assume that the “whole mystical Christ” refers to those who truly have put their faith and trust in Christ, that is, ‘believers’.

On another note, one of the more interesting examples of Christ’s obedience is the Gethsemane episode. Here’s the whole section of text, but I was specifically thinking about vv. 38-39 & 42.

Gethsemane (NIV)

³⁶ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”