Cross

Christ’s Victory and Reign

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

Jesus triumphed on the Cross and began implementing his kingdom following his resurrection. He is not waiting for any future event to begin his messianic reign.

Did Jesus conquer his enemies on Calvary as Scripture declares or not? Most of us would respond to this question in the affirmative. “Yes! Of course, he did!” Yet popular preaching often denies this by teaching that his reign will not start until his future return, and thus, denying his past victory on the Cross, intentionally or not.

Continue reading →

The Way of the Cross

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

To follow Jesus requires a lifetime of self-denial and sacrificial service for others and a willingness to lose everything for the Gospel.

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,” and they would be hated “by all men for my sake.” That was the harsh reality Christ’s disciples discovered when they proclaimed his message to the world.

Continue reading →

Jerusalem and the Cross

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

Jesus explained that he was going to Jerusalem where the Son of Man would be arrested, tried, and executed – Mark 10:32-34.

Jesus is “on the way” to Jerusalem and the Cross in the Gospel of Mark. This theme occurs several times, beginning with John the Baptist who was sent to “prepare the way before the Lord.” The Nazarene would complete his messianic mission as the ‘Suffering Servant’ portrayed in the Book of Isaiah when he was tried by the priestly leaders of the Temple and executed outside the walls of the City of David at the hands of Rome, the World Empire.

Continue reading →

Jérusalem et la Croix

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

Jésus a expliqué qu’il se rendait à Jérusalem où le Fils de l’Homme serait arrêté, jugé et execute – Marc 10: 32-34.

Jésus est “en route” vers Jérusalem et la Croix dans l’Évangile de Marc. Ce thème revient plusieurs fois, à commencer par Jean-Baptiste qui a été envoyé pour “préparer le chemin devant le Seigneur.” Le Nazaréen achèverait sa mission messianique en tant que “Serviteur Souffrant” décrit dans le Livre d’Ésaïe lorsqu’il fut jugé par les dirigeants sacerdotaux du Temple et exécuté à l’extérieur des murs de la Cité de David aux mains de Rome, l’Empire mondial.

Continue reading →

The Unwanted Messiah

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

Jesus is revealed as the Savior of Mankind in his sufferings and self-sacrificial death for others, including his enemies.

The inability of men to recognize Jesus as the Son of God until after his crucifixion is a central theme of the Gospel of Mark. Ironically, the first man to do so is the Roman centurion on duty at his execution. His self-identification as the suffering “Son of Man” made him unrecognizable to unregenerate men. He was the Savior no one expected or wanted.

Continue reading →