Because Jesus stood aloof from the conventional economic expectations of his day, there is some truth in modern descriptions of him as an “unemployed” person. If that leads us to think he was an idler, however, we’ve missed a key reality. He had a profound personal mission, and worked steadily to carry it out. In his prayer the night before the crucifixion, he told the Father that he had done his God-given work by making God known to our world.

• Jesus prayed, “I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” Do you have a sense of what the work God has given you to do is? If so, in what ways does that shape your priorities in how you spend your time and energy? If not, what are some ways that God and other Christians could help you to discover the work God’s given you?
• Jesus defined his work in these words: “I have revealed your name.” To what extent does that strike you as something Jesus was uniquely equipped to do, and to what extent does it seem like a “generic” description of what God calls every Christian to do? Is work with spiritual results “real” work, or do you consider it a more insubstantial, “touchy-feely” type of activity?