It's Easier To Please One

I am a bona fide people pleaser. I struggle with saying no. I hate the thought of someone being mad at me. I hate confrontation! I avoid that like the plague. I know all to well the problems that come with trying to please people. One of those problems is the fact that even when you try to please everyone you will let someone down. Try to plan a nice family outing and someone in your family will complain about the destination that you picked. Try to pick a game for a group of friends to play while hanging out and someone will declare their hate for your game. Eating for more than one? Good luck picking a restaurant that everyone will love. It's hard work trying to please multiple people.

It'd be a lot easier to try to please just one.

On the night before Jesus was crucified He prayed in agony over the thought of dying. I can't imagine the extreme amounts of anxiety that He must have felt while He thought about what was about to happen.

Stick with me on this one. Three weeks ago my wife gave birth to twins without an epidural. Her plan going in was to hook up to the epidural and enjoy the ride. About two hours before the twins came the doctor told her that her blood count was really low. He said that they could do an epidural but there is a great chance her blood wouldn't clot, she would go paralyzed, and no one would know until after the twins were born. So she didn't have an option but to not take an epidural. That next two hours was rough on her. It was the anticipation of the pain. My wife was a champ. It wasn't easy but the thought of the pain ended up being worse then the pain. Easy for me to say...I just sat there and watched it all happen. I think she would agree with me though.

Jesus could anticipate the pain He was about to go through because He knew why He was there. He was born into this world to die. He had 33 years to think about dying. I can't imagine that anticipation. For me I'd rather just die. I'd rather no one tell me what is about to happen. It would be awful thinking about what was about to happen. The anticipation of the pain would have led me to smite the soldiers when they came to arrest me. I would have whooped up on some people and showed them who is God. But not Jesus. Jesus went through with it. Why? He was trying to only please one.

Sure Jesus loves us and died for us but at the end of the day what helped Him make it through was His desire to only please one...God. Jesus even asked if there was another way. He didn't want to go through all the pain that He went through but He did it. I think we can learn from this. It's easier to please one then it is to please many.

Jesus was perfect and yet people still got ticked off at Him. At the end of the day Jesus could do what He had to do because He was driven to please one.