Cross

Rejection and Suffering

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

To be the Messiah of Israel meant suffering and death for others, and Jesus summoned his disciples to follow that same path – Mark 8:31.

Jesus explained what it meant to be Israel’s Messiah and the Son of God as his entourage approached Jerusalem, suffering and death. This was contrary to popular expectations, including those of his closest disciples. He also summoned anyone who wished to follow him to take up his cross and emulate his example. Failure to do so would result in shame before the Lord of Glory.

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My Way or His Cross

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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.

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Calvary

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The inability of men to recognize Jesus as the Son of God until after his crucifixion is a key theme of Mark, and the first man who identified him as such was the Roman centurion on duty during his execution. The self-identification of Jesus as the “Son of Man” who suffers for his people made him repugnant to unregenerate men and unrecognizable to Israel (“His own received him not”).

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His Kingdom

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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.

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Kingdom Slaves

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The man who decides to follow Jesus joins his “Kingdom of Priests,” and as one of his priestly representatives, the new disciple rules with him, both now and in the future. This understanding raises the question:  How, exactly, does a believer participate in the sovereignty of his Lord and exercise his authority? Fortunately, Jesus and Paul have provided us with straightforward answers.

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