Discipleship

Recognizing Jesus

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

A theme threaded through the gospel of Mark is the inability of men to recognize Jesus as the Son of God until AFTER his crucifixion, and even then, and most paradoxically, he is called the “Son of God” by the unlikeliest of persons, 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 and is the kind of Messiah no one expected, and his identity and mission cannot be comprehended apart from his sacrificial death.

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SPIRITUAL WARFARE

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Christians wage spiritual “warfare” through right conduct and by emulating the example of Jesus.

Today, “spiritual warfare” is a popular topic and features prominently in popular preaching. The basic idea is derived from a passage Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus – “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers… against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

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SLAVES OF HIS KINGDOM

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To be a citizen of the kingdom of God requires a life of self-sacrificial service for others, not power over them.

According to the New Testament, collectively, Christians are a “kingdom of priests.” As citizens of this realm, they rule with Jesus both now and in the “age to come.” But such a high calling raises the obvious question:  How does each believer participate in his present reign? Fortunately, both Jesus and Paul provided straightforward explanations for how the disciple implements his sovereignty.

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To Whom Homage?

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Satan tempted Jesus with political power over “all the kingdoms of the world.” But the man from Nazareth refused the offer. Instead of might and grandeur, he submitted to the way of the ‘Suffering Servant.’ But the most startling detail is that he did not dispute the Devil’s claim to have jurisdiction over the political systems of the world.

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SAINTS, TRIBULATION, AND WRATH

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His disciples escape God’s “wrath” but endure “tribulation” to which they have been “appointed” – 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4.

In the New Testament, the terms “tribulation” and “wrath” are NOT synonymous. “Tribulation” is what disciples endure for the sake of Jesus, but “wrath” is the horrific fate awaiting the wicked at the “end of the age,” the “second death,” which unrepentant sinners and apostates endure on account of their iniquities and betrayals.

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