The Crucified Messiah

The New Testament exhorts the followers of Jesus to expect tribulation because of their faith. While it may not be an everyday experience, neither is tribulation for the sake of the Kingdom unexpected. The chief cause of trials and persecution in the life of the disciple is his faithful witness of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. This understanding is especially prominent in the Book of Revelation .

The suffering and death of Jesus provide the pattern for how his disciples must live in this fallen world, and the measuring rod for judging spirituality. Whether examining anyone’s wisdom, teachings, conduct, or supernatural deeds, the Cross of Christ is the dividing line between truth and falsehood. No man can know God or comprehend His ways and words apart from the imperative of “ Christ crucified .” God has revealed Himself in the Crucified Messiah.

In Galilee, the disciples witnessed Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, forgive sins, and even calm a violent storm, all supernatural acts performed with great authority. However, all too often, his words and deeds produced confusion followed by the question – “ Who is this man? ” Only at his execution on Golgotha did a human being begin to understand who he was.

Jesus exhorted us to become “ perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect ,” yet how can we emulate the perfect righteousness of God? His explanation was clear - By performing acts of mercy,  ESPECIALLY  to our enemies. Self-sacrificial love goes to the heart of his message and reflects the nature of the merciful God. Was he not the Messiah who submitted to an undeserved death for us even when we were the “ enemies of God ”?

When Jesus dispatched his disciples to announce the “ Good News ” to the “ lost sheep of Israel ,” he warned that they would find themselves as “ sheep among wolves .” Hostile men would haul them before “ councils and whip them in their synagogues .” His followers would be hated “ by all men for my sake .” That was the harsh reality they discovered, one faced later by many in the early Church. The very men who should have welcomed Israel’s Messiah instead fought what he represented tooth and nail.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, he explained exactly what it meant to be Israel’s Messiah and the Son of God, namely, suffering and death. This expectation was contrary to popular expectations, and apparently, those of his closest disciples. He also summoned anyone who would follow him to take up his cross and emulate his example. Both then and now, failure to do so renders one an object of shame before the Lord of Glory.

Faithful disciples will receive great rewards, but those who harm their weaker brethren risk condemnation to Gehenna . John complained because someone who was not from among their inner circle was casting out demons in Christ’s name. However, if this outsider was doing so, then it was God who was acting through him. John’s complaint was rich in irony since just a few verses earlier the disciples found themselves unable to exorcise demons because of their unbelief.

Rage is  NOT  an appropriate reaction to hostility for disciples of Jesus. His instructions about this certainly were contrary to the “ wisdom of this age ” and human experience. Nevertheless, responding in anger to violations of our political, civil, and individual “rights” only demonstrates how far many of us have strayed from his teachings and example.

As they approached Jerusalem, Jesus queried his disciples: Who do men say that I am? At least nine times, the  Gospel of Mark  declares that Jesus was “ ON THE WAY .” His march to the City of David echoed the words in the  Book of Isaiah  applied previously to John the Baptist- “ Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare YOUR WAY .”

The reality of persecution raises important questions. How should disciples react, especially when persecuted by the State? Is resorting to expressions of anger or acts of civil disobedience appropriate? Or should they instead emulate Jesus of Nazareth? In his teachings, he warns that all men who decide to follow him will experience “ tribulation ,” and he summons his disciple to follow the same path that he did (“ If they persecuted me, so they will persecute you ”).

Two terms appear multiple times in the  Book of Revelation , namely, “ witness ” and “ overcome ,” themes that are closely related. Beginning with Jesus and the witness he gave in his death on the Roman cross, the Book calls his disciples to persevere in his “ testimony ” regardless of any consequences they may suffer. It is in this way that they “ overcome ” and reign with the “ Son of Man ,” as well as qualify for everlasting life in “ New Jerusalem .” Jesus himself summoned his saints to “overcome, just as I also overcame.”

Jesus arrived in Galilee proclaiming the “ Kingdom of God ” – “ Repent, for the kingdom is at hand .” In his ministry, the reign of God was invading the Earth, but his realm was of a different nature than the governments and ideologies of this fallen world, and on more than one occasion, Jesus refused political power, especially when it was offered by Satan.

Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the role of the ‘ Suffering Servant ’ described in the  Book of Isaiah . Unlike Adam, he did not attempt to grasp the “ likeness of God .” Instead, he humbled himself and submitted to a shameful death on the Roman cross. For this reason, God highly exalted him and made him “ Lord ” over all things. His exaltation did not precede his death – His enthronement followed it, and he died utterly alone.

Jesus sent the twelve disciples to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God throughout the region. In the Gospel of Mark, this incident is followed by the execution of John the Baptist. His death prepares the reader for the rejection that inevitably results whenever anyone decides to become a disciple and follow Jesus of Nazareth no matter where it leads. To walk in his footsteps, one must first count the cost to have any hope of seeing the journey through to the end.

For followers of Jesus, retaliation and violence are not appropriate reactions to persecution. Rather than respond in kind, they must meet threats and assaults with humility, mercy, and forgiveness. That is what it means to “ deny yourself ,” “ take up his cross ,” and follow him wherever he leads. Doing good to one’s “ enemy ” is contrary to the “ wisdom of this age ,” yet doing so is how the disciple emulates his Lord and becomes “ perfect as the Heavenly Father .”

Jesus performed miracles, exorcised demons, and taught with great authority, often attracting large crowds. Nevertheless, his contemporaries failed to recognize who he was despite displays of supernatural power. In the end, only the Roman centurion on duty at Golgotha perceived him to be the “ Son of God ” when the Nazarene breathed his last.

After predicting his death, two of the disciples began jockeying for positions of high status in his coming Kingdom. Thinking according to the ways of this world with its concepts of political power, they did not comprehend what kind of Messiah Jesus was and remains, and therefore, what it meant to follow him “ wherever he goes .” However, in Jerusalem, he would soon demonstrate just how one achieves “ Greatness ” in the Kingdom of God.

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explained to his disciples what it meant to be the Messiah of Israel. In the city of David, he was about to face his final confrontation with the Temple authorities which would end in his violent and unjust death at the hands of the Romans. Was not Jerusalem the appointed place where the prophets sent to proclaim God’s word to Israel were slain, where the Messiah himself must suffer rejection and death, according to the Scriptures?

Jesus admonished his disciples - If anyone wishes to come after me, “ Let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me !” This was more than metaphorical and certainly not hyperbolic language. He declared this when he was on his final journey to Jerusalem where he would demonstrate just what it meant to “ take up the cross ,” and the historical context shows just how challenging his words were.