The Crucified Messiah

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 ”).

Institutional Christianity has a long and sordid history of mixing Church and State. The temptation to use political power to impose “right” beliefs and other agendas is too great. Advancing “Christianity” through the  political mechanisms  of this world  always  necessitates the use of the coercive power of the State, and this corrosive mixture inevitably corrupts the Church and destroys its witness.

The theme of fulfillment is dominant in the New Testament. In Jesus Christ, the promises of God have found their fulfillment. He is the Son of God sent to redeem Israel and rule the nations but in a most paradoxical way. Peter confirmed that he was the “ Messiah ” but failed to understand that he would undertake that role as the “ Servant of Yahweh ” who came to “ bear the sins of many .” His true identity was revealed through his self-sacrificial act at Calvary.

The suffering and death of Jesus provide the pattern for how his disciples must live in this fallen world, and the measuring rod for judging spirituality. Whether examining anyone’s wisdom, teachings, conduct, or supernatural deeds, the Cross of Christ is the dividing line between truth and falsehood. No man can know God or comprehend His ways and words apart from the imperative of “ Christ crucified .” God has revealed Himself in the Crucified Messiah.

In Galilee, the disciples witnessed Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, forgive sins, and even calm a violent storm, all supernatural acts performed with great authority. However, all too often, his words and deeds produced confusion followed by the question – “ Who is this man? ” Only at his execution on Golgotha did a human being begin to understand who he was.

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.

The Apostle Paul describes the proclamation of “ Christ crucified ” as the “ wisdom and power of God .” The proposition that God overthrew Sin, Satan, and Death through the execution of the lowly Nazarene is contrary to the “ wisdom of this world .” Even the spiritual “ powers and principalities ” did not understand what God was doing and sealed their own fate by crucifying the “ Lord of Glory .” And the slain “ Lamb ” will consummate this victory when he returns at the end of the age and populates “ New Jerusalem .”

In the  Gospel of Mark , we see Jesus “ on the way ” to Jerusalem and his death. This theme occurs se veral times in Mark's account, beginning with the Baptist who was sent to “ prepare THE WAY before the Lord .” The Nazarene would complete his mission as the ‘ Suffering Servant ’ portrayed centuries earlier in  Isaiah . He would be tried by the priestly leaders from the Temp le, and face death outside the walls of the City of David at the hands of Rome.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, he explained exactly what it meant to be Israel’s Messiah and the Son of God, namely, suffering and death. This expectation was contrary to popular expectations, and apparently, those of his closest disciples. He also summoned anyone who would follow him to take up his cross and emulate his example. Both then and now, failure to do so renders one an object of shame before the Lord of Glory.

For the disciple of Jesus, rage, and violence are NOT appropriate reactions to hostility, though certainly, his instructions in this regard are contrary to the “ wisdom of this age ” and often difficult to obey. Nevertheless, angry responses by believers to perceived or even real violations of their political and individual “ rights ” only demonstrate how far many individuals and congregations have strayed from the Crucified One’s teachings and practices.

In  Colossians , Paul stresses the exaltation of Jesus following his Resurrection. Some members of the congregation were confused about his authority over the spiritual powers that were hostile to God and His people; therefore, Paul reminded the Assembly of just how highly God exalted the One who became the “ Firstborn of the Dead .”

Two terms appear multiple times in the  Book of Revelation , namely, “ witness ” and “ overcome ,” themes that are closely related. Beginning with Jesus and the witness he gave in his death on the Roman cross, the Book calls his disciples to persevere in his “ testimony ” regardless of any consequences they may suffer. It is in this way that they “ overcome ” and reign with the “ Son of Man ,” as well as qualify for everlasting life in “ New Jerusalem .” Jesus himself summoned his saints to “overcome, just as I also overcame.”

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.

Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the role of the ‘ Suffering Servant ’ described in the  Book of Isaiah . Unlike Adam, he did not attempt to grasp the “ likeness of God .” Instead, he humbled himself and submitted to a shameful death on the Roman cross. For this reason, God highly exalted him and made him “ Lord ” over all things. His exaltation did not precede his death – His enthronement followed it, and he died utterly alone.

The death and exaltation of Jesus are inextricably linked in the Book of Revelation . The Divine plan to redeem humanity and the Creation itself is unveiled in its visions, and the death, resurrection, and enthronement of the Son put this plan into action. His sovereignty is the result of his faithful obedience unto death. However, he is no tyrant. He does not subjugate his enemies through violence. Instead, he “ shepherds the nations ” and purchases men from every “ tribe and people and tongue ” through his shed blood.

The spiritually minded man understands that the proclamation of Christ Crucified is God’s power and wisdom .  Overused by both the Church and the surrounding society, the English term ‘spiritual’ has become meaningless. To some people, it is synonymous with the word  religion . To be  religious  is to be  spiritual . To others, it refers to things that are not of this physical universe, things and beings that are supernatural, otherworldly, noncorporeal, invisible, and timeless.

Jesus has reigned as Sovereign over the Earth since his Death and Resurrection, already he is seated on the Messianic Throne. Because of his obedience, he is the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth .” Before his Ascension, he declared that God had bestowed all authority on him - “ In Heaven and on Earth .” Thus, his authority is without limits and a present reality.

The conspiracy by the Earth’s kings to unseat God’s Son is applied by the New Testament to the plot to kill Jesus . 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 to God’s Throne at a future date? What about the “ revolt ” of nations and kings 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)?

Jesus performed miracles, exorcised demons, and taught with great authority, often attracting large crowds. Nevertheless, his contemporaries failed to recognize who he was despite displays of supernatural power. In the end, only the Roman centurion on duty at Golgotha perceived him to be the “ Son of God ” when the Nazarene breathed his last.

John saw Jesus as the sacrificial “ Lamb ” in the central vision of  Revelation , the one whose shed blood purchased men from every nation. Because he gave his life to redeem humanity, all Creation proclaimed him “ worthy ” to open the “ Sealed Scroll ” and receive absolute sovereignty. His reign began when the “ Lamb ” took possession of the Scroll and began to open its “ Seven Seals .”