Messiah

Unexpected, Rejected, Crucified

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

The Son of Man is revealed and comprehended in his sufferings and self-sacrificial death for others, including his enemies. 

This theme is found several times in the Gospel of Mark, namely, the inability of men to recognize Jesus as the Son of God until AFTER his crucifixion and resurrection, and most paradoxically, the first man to identify him as the “Son of God” was the Roman centurion on duty at his execution. His self-identification as the suffering “Son of Man” made him unrecognizable and distasteful to unregenerate men. He was the kind of Messiah no one expected or wanted.

Continue reading →

Rejection and Disdain

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

Jesus experienced growing conflict as he began his journey to the city of Jerusalem. In Galilee, he displayed his lordship over nature, demons, disease, and even death, and the crowds welcomed him, at first, enthusiastically. However, among his own people, he was met with unbelief and rejection, and in the Gospel of Mark, this serves as the prelude to the execution of John the Baptist. More importantly, it becomes the pattern for what disciples of Jesus may expect when they preach the Gospel.

Continue reading →

Identified by Resurrection

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

Paul began his Letter to the Romans with a lengthy introduction in which he identified himself and his mission. In doing so, he makes several declarations about the identity and victory of Jesus, more specifically, that he was “marked out as God’s Son” by the “spirit of holiness” that characterized his life, and by his resurrection “from among the dead.” By raising him, God validated all that the Nazarene had said and done.

Continue reading →

The Son of Man

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

In the four gospel accounts, the term “Son of Man” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from the vision in the Book of Daniel of the one “like a Son of Man.” This figure received the “dominion and kingdom” from the “Ancient of Days” when judgment was rendered, vindicating the “saints.” According to Jesus, “All the tribes of the Earth” will mourn when they see this same “Son of man coming on the clouds of Heaven.”

Continue reading →

Why do the Nations Rage?

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

The second Psalm is a key messianic passage applied to Jesus several times in the New Testament. But precisely when were its predictions fulfilled, and is the Messiah reigning now on David’s Throne? Or is the world still waiting for his accession at a future date? And what about the “revolt” of nations and kings vented against Yahweh’s “anointed one”? Is this a prediction of a future conflict between Jesus and the government of the earth – (Psalm 2:1-6).

We do not have to search far for answers. For example, in both his gospel account and the Book of Acts, Luke applies these predictions to the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus.

Continue reading →