things that are right by him

Devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2425

John 8:25-29

Joh 8:25 This is why they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus told them “That one I’ve been telling you about from the very beginning.”
Joh 8:26 “I have many things to say and to decide about you, but my sender is true, and what I have heard from him– these things I am saying to the world.”
Joh 8:27 They did not know he was speaking to them about the Father.
Joh 8:28 That was why Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I am doing nothing on my own. But I say these things just as the Father taught me.
Joh 8:29 My sender is with me. He has not left me alone, because I am always doing things that are right by him.”

things that are right by him

The word ἀρεστός can be tricky to track down because its meaning has shifted in modern Greek. But in the New Testament, its sense is far more morally weighty than the contemporary usage suggests. Rather than simply meaning “pleasing” in a casual or superficial way, ἀρεστός carries the idea of what is proper, virtuous, and morally excellent. It describes actions that align with the character and will of God—actions that are “right by” the One who sends.

That is precisely how Jesus uses the term. He speaks of His works as those things that are ἀρεστά—things that fit the Father’s nature, reflect the Father’s purposes, and honor the Father’s mission. His life is not shaped by public opinion, cultural expectation, or personal convenience. It is shaped by what is morally excellent in the eyes of His Sender. Every action He takes flows from that alignment.

This becomes a quiet but profound call to all who follow Him. The goal is not merely to avoid wrongdoing or to maintain a respectable appearance. The goal is to cultivate a life that reflects what is truly excellent—actions that are fitting before God, choices that resonate with His character, decisions that bear the imprint of His goodness. Moral courage becomes essential, because doing what is ἀρεστός does not always align with what is popular, expected, or easy. It requires a willingness to let God’s standards shape the inner life and the outward behavior.

The beauty of the term is that it points beyond rule‑keeping. It invites a life that seeks what is pleasing to God in the deepest sense—what is aligned with His heart. Jesus embodies that perfectly, and His example becomes both a guide and an encouragement. The more a person learns to desire what God desires, the more naturally ἀρεστός becomes the pattern of life.

LORD, give the moral courage to do what is right by you, and to live in a way that reflects your excellence.