John 5:30 says, “I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.” This is stunning: if anyone could do something “of” himself — meaning the point of origin would be his own self — it seems reasonable to think it would be Jesus. But because he is the “Son of man” (v. 27), in a lower form as a human being, he wouldn’t dare to do anything entirely of himself. His being had always been rooted in the image of God (Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3) as an equal member of the Godhead that he would never act on his own. So as a human being he always heard from his Father as he saw the Father (5:19) and did accordingly. So how is it with us? Since Jesus didn’t act on his own, how often do we hear and seek the Father will? This is the essence of discipleship.