In Psalm 119:17, Jesus implies an assertion which is mind-blowing, and disagrees vehemently with the desire of our natural (Fallen-Nature) heart.
Here is Psalm 119:17
גמל על עבדך אחיה ואשמרה דברךHebrew:
Transliteration: Geh-mohl ahl ahbuh-duh-chah wuh-esh-mohr-ah duh-bah-reh-chah
Literal translation: Deal bountifully with your servant/slave so I will live and keep Your word.
The Hebrew syntax (structure) of this verse suggests that the reason, the purpose, for letting Jesus live is so He can keep “Your word.” We know from the context of the other verses in this Psalm, that “Your word” means the word of YHWH as recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Has anyone ever asked you, “What is your purpose?” Have you ever asked God, “Why am I here?” Have you ever wondered if your life has meaning and what that meaning is? Jesus answers all these questions in this verse.
For Jesus, His purpose is apparently to keep the word of YHWH.
But wait, you say, what about where Jesus says, “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly?” Or when speaking of His impending death in John 12:27, Jesus says, “But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” These are statements of purpose, aren’t they?
And then in John 18:37, Jesus even explicitly uses the word “purpose” when He describes His purpose: “Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’” According to these verses, evidently Jesus is claiming that His purpose is to be the King of those who are of the truth.
Are these contradictions? Are they different facets of the same diamond? How are we supposed to reconcile these apparently diverse statements?
Perhaps Psalm 138:2 gives us some insight into this when it makes this remarkable claim: “You have exalted above all Your name Your word.” One legitimate interpretation of this Hebrew verse is that God exalts His word even above His name. If that is true, then God is claiming that He is binding His own person and His own choices, through all of eternity, to always conform to His word (in the Scriptures). You may have a high view of Scripture, but I’ll bet it is not as high a view as God has of Scripture.
Here is a valuable realization: The Old Testament Scriptures actually require the Messiah to be the King of truth, and the one who brings us abundant life, and to die for our sins. So, we see that these New Testament “purposes” of Jesus are all consequences of the statement in Psalm 119:17 in which Jesus claims His reason for being alive, His purpose, is to keep the word of YHWH.
The next time someone asks you, “Why are you here? Why do you exist? What is your purpose in life? What gives your life meaning?” you might stop to remember that Jesus’ answer to all those questions is, “To keep the word of YHWH.” And then remember that in Romans 6:4, the Holy Spirit claims that we who are baptized into Christ Jesus are to walk in His newness of Life. If you are a Christian, then I suspect that sooner or later you will realize and rejoice in the fact that your purpose for being is to follow Your Lord in keeping the word of YHWH.
You may claim to have a very high view of Scripture, but is your view of Scripture high enough?