Follow
“From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (Matt. 16:21).
Central to all the teachings of Jesus concerns His crucifixion, death, and resurrection. He is the Christ the Son of God, and He was inaugurating the kingdom of heaven, which the disciples could understand; however, the very cornerstone which all that would be built is His passion. This was the very mission that God the Father sent the Son to accomplish. After His resurrection, He even said to two of His followers: “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? (Luke 24:25).
This very message is counterintuitive to all that the world might say a messiah or divine incarnation ought to build kingdoms. The way ancient kingdoms were built often involved a man proving himself on the battlefield, winning the allegiance of people, amassing an army, and using might and weapon to establish a glorious kingdom in their own name. His enemies would be put to death or exiled. Some of these pagan kings would indeed consider themselves gods.
What a surprise it is to discover the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s path involved the cross.
The disciples could not fathom what their Lord meant. So Peter objected: “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You” (Matt. 16:22). And Jesus rebuked him saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (Matt. 16:23). The way to glory was redefined by Jesus. His way would be rising to glory through humble servitude. He would be a servant-leader. His path to greatness would not come by a will to power; instead, it would involve a humiliating death upon the cross. Christ’s death of course would be for the sake of redeeming sinners, so that whosever believed would have eternal life (John 3:16).
Christ way of glory would also extend to His followers. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me,” said Jesus, who went on to say, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:24-26). Their way would not be about eliminating their enemies and establishing a kingdom to their own glory. In this instance, they would not be the core of a insurrection that would liberate Jerusalem from pagan Rome where after they would become leaders in the new dynasty arising out of the ashes of the old.
Christ was never about one’s own personal glory.
Years later Peter would remind his flock: “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:21-25).
Kingdoms made by human hands would eventually crumble into dust, and only faintly be remembered by others. But the Son of Man has established an everlasting kingdom not made with human hands. So we must live with the reminder that “the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to His deeds” (Matt. 16:27).
Central to all the teachings of Jesus concerns His crucifixion, death, and resurrection. He is the Christ the Son of God, and He was inaugurating the kingdom of heaven, which the disciples could understand; however, the very cornerstone which all that would be built is His passion. This was the very mission that God the Father sent the Son to accomplish. After His resurrection, He even said to two of His followers: “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? (Luke 24:25).
This very message is counterintuitive to all that the world might say a messiah or divine incarnation ought to build kingdoms. The way ancient kingdoms were built often involved a man proving himself on the battlefield, winning the allegiance of people, amassing an army, and using might and weapon to establish a glorious kingdom in their own name. His enemies would be put to death or exiled. Some of these pagan kings would indeed consider themselves gods.
What a surprise it is to discover the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s path involved the cross.
The disciples could not fathom what their Lord meant. So Peter objected: “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You” (Matt. 16:22). And Jesus rebuked him saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (Matt. 16:23). The way to glory was redefined by Jesus. His way would be rising to glory through humble servitude. He would be a servant-leader. His path to greatness would not come by a will to power; instead, it would involve a humiliating death upon the cross. Christ’s death of course would be for the sake of redeeming sinners, so that whosever believed would have eternal life (John 3:16).
Christ way of glory would also extend to His followers. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me,” said Jesus, who went on to say, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:24-26). Their way would not be about eliminating their enemies and establishing a kingdom to their own glory. In this instance, they would not be the core of a insurrection that would liberate Jerusalem from pagan Rome where after they would become leaders in the new dynasty arising out of the ashes of the old.
Christ was never about one’s own personal glory.
Years later Peter would remind his flock: “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:21-25).
Kingdoms made by human hands would eventually crumble into dust, and only faintly be remembered by others. But the Son of Man has established an everlasting kingdom not made with human hands. So we must live with the reminder that “the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to His deeds” (Matt. 16:27).
Comments
Post a Comment