The Crucified Messiah

In the Book of Revelation, saints undergo tribulation, but the unrepentant Inhabitants of the Earth receive wrath, namely, the Second Death . The New Testament exhorts followers of Jesus to expect tribulation because of their faith. While it may not be an everyday experience in the life of the Body of Christ, 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 or her faithful witness of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

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.

Two themes that are repeated in Revelation are closely related - “ witness ” and “ overcome .” Beginning with Jesus of Nazareth and his own martyrdom on Calvary, his followers are summoned to persevere in his “ testimony .” In this way, they will “ overcome ” and emerge victorious in the city of “ New Jerusalem .” They must “ overcome, even as I overcame .” Moreover, Jesus is presented to the “ Seven Assemblies of Asia ” as the “ FAITHFUL WITNESS, the Firstborn of the Dead, and the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth .”

For the disciple of Jesus, retaliation and violence are NOT appropriate reactions when persecution occurs. Rather than respond in kind, they must meet threats and actual violence with humility, mercy, and forgiveness. This is what it means to “ deny yourself ,” “ take up his cross ,” and follow him wherever he leads. Praying for one’s “ enemies ” is contrary to the “ wisdom of this age ,” yet doing so is how the disciple emulates the Crucified One.

Jesus started proclaiming the Kingdom of God after the arrest of John the Baptist, an incident that foreshadowed the opposition that would characterize his own ministry. Palestine consisted of three territories - Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, and the latter included a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles. His ministry commenced in the villages of Galilee. Unlike the prophets of Ancient Israel, his mission did NOT begin or center in Jerusalem, though it certainly ended there - (Matthew 4:13).