One of the most glorious moments in the American Revolution was George Washington’s daring raid on Trenton, N.J., in December of 1776, when he led his men across the swollen Delaware River in freezing weather to launch a surprise attack against the German Hessians.
One of the Americans in the group (John Greenwood) wrote: “‘None but the first officers knew where we were going, or what we were about. This was not unusual, however, as I never heard soldiers say anything, nor ever saw them trouble themselves, as to where they were or where they were led. It was enough for them to know that wherever the officers commanded they must go …’.” (David McCullough, 1776, pp. 277-278)
Washington’s victory at Trenton was one of the most important in the whole war for Independence, NOT because that battle “won the war,” or anything like that, but because at that point, everybody had given up on the Americans and thought the British had won — but this battle showed our own troops, as well as the British, that they could win after all. It changed the whole course of the Revolution. But it’s significant that this key victory was based upon one important ingredient: the OBEDIENCE of the American soldiers, who did not even ask where they were going or what they were doing — they just obeyed.
Obedience is such an important thing. And that’s true for us as God’s people today. At the very end of John 14, Jesus makes a statement that is easy to overlook, but which is packed with meaning for us. He tells us about the kind of obedience He gave to His Father, and is a model for our obedience to Him as well. Jesus said, “I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.” That’s a very simple statement — but look at how much it teaches us about how we should obey our Heavenly Father:
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