Luke 22

Day 132 – Matthew 27:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71

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The Next Morning.

Matthew 27:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71

Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law – the entire high council – met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman Governor. – Mark 15:1 NLT

As the new day broke, Jesus was brought before the high council of the Jews one more time. This august assemblage of Hebrew religious leaders looked on Jesus with contempt and disgust. To them, He was anything but the Messiah. He was a trouble-making nobody from Nazareth who had somehow managed to garner Himself a following among the poorer and less intelligent common people. He may have been the poor man’s Messiah, but He was not theirs. So they asked Him one more time, just to make sure, “Tell us, are you the Messiah?” (Luke 22:67 NLT). They wanted to hear Him say it one more time. Perhaps He had time to think about it during the night and was willing to recant His statement from the night before. But Jesus boldly and defiantly responds, repeating what He had said just hours earlier: “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand” (Luke 22:68-69 NLT).

If Jesus was trying to get a reaction from them, He succeeded, because they all shouted, “So, are you claiming to be the Son of God?” (Luke 22:70 NLT). They wanted to hear Him say it one more time, because His claim to be the Son of God was the one thing for which they could accuse Him. It would be His only crime. And Jesus confirmed it when He said, “You have said it” (Luke 22:70 NLT). That was all they needed. From there the entire high council led Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. With their robes flowing and their heads held high, they led the Son of God, their very own Messiah toward His ultimate execution. They had to take Him to Pilate because under Roman rule, the Jews were not allowed to put anyone to death. For Jesus to be killed, they were going to have to convince the Romans that Jesus was a threat to the peace and security of the nation. As the Roman governor of Judea, Pilate would have a special interest in anything or anyone who might be stirring up trouble, dissent, or possible insurrection among the Jews. The last thing He wanted was trouble among the Jews. His was an appointed position and he could lose it if it appeared that he was losing control of those under his jurisdiction.

So off they marched, the Jewish religious leaders leading the way, and Jesus, beaten and bloodied, following in their path. It was the beginning of the end. But things were far from over. This was all part of God’s divine plan. At no moment was He out of control or wondering what was happening. He and His Son were fully in charge of the proceedings that morning, in spite of what the religious leaders may have thought. Isaiah had predicted, “But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands” (Isaiah 53:11 NLT). Jesus was walking not just to His death, but toward His destiny. With each step He took, He drew closer to the very purpose for which He came. He was born to die. He lived so that He might give His life away. Jesus had always known that this was the reason for His incarnation. He had made it clear on numerous occasions. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 NLT). The time was drawing closer. The days of His earthly ministry were coming to a close. The redemptive plan of God the Father was about to be unveiled.

Father, it is difficult to understand just why it had to happen this way. Everything in us makes us want to think it could have been done differently. But You knew there was no other way. You knew that the penalty of sin required a high price and a perfect sacrifice. Nothing and no one could satisfy Your just and righteous demands, except the death of Your own sinless Son. While I can’t fully understand it, I do appreciate it. I am grateful that You did for me what I could never have done for myself. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 130 – Matthew 26:58, 69-75; Mark 14:54, 66-72; Luke 22:54-62

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A Look From the Lord.

Matthew 26:58, 69-75; Mark 14:54, 66-72; Luke 22:54-62

At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flushed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” – Luke 22:61 NLT

When I first ran across the verse above, it hit me like a brick to the forehead. While it was hard enough to imagine what Peter must have felt like after having denied Jesus three times in a row, I could not fathom what went through his mind after having just done so and them making eye contact with Jesus Himself. This all took place in the courtyard of the high priest’s home. It was late in the evening, and the Temple guards had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard. It seems that Peter was the only disciple who risked following Jesus after He was arrested. Matthew and Mark tell us that he followed at a distance, and then sat in the courtyard among the guards warming himself by the fire. That’s when the trouble began. It may have been dark, but there was enough light from the fire to illuminate Peter’s face and, as a result, he was recognized. A servant girl noticed him and shouted out, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers” (Luke 22:56 NLT). What Peter didn’t seem to realize was that he and the disciples had become celebrities. With Jesus’ growing reputation, they also gained a certain degree of notoriety. And this young servant girl had seen Peter with Jesus. But Peter denied it, exclaiming, “Woman, I don’t even know him” (Luke 22:57 NLT). Which had to beg the question, then was he there? What was he doing in the high priest’ courtyard in the middle of the night? But Peter would go on to deny Jesus two more times. And each time he was confronted, his denials became more intense and strident. He was feeling the heat of the moment. He was scared and all his bluster of a few hours earlier had faded away. While he had at one time swore that he was willing to die for Jesus, on this night he couldn’t even bring himself to acknowledge that he knew Him. Then the rooster crowed. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus glanced over and caught the eye of Jesus Himself. What a moment. What a scene.

We know from Matthew and Mark’s account, that Jesus was interrogated inside the house. After Jesus acknowledged that He was indeed the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One, Caiaphas ripped his own robe and accused Jesus of blasphemy. The other priests and religious leaders agreed and they condemned Him to death. Then Jesus was blindfolded, spit on, and slapped and punched repeatedly in the face, while they mocked and teased Him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?” (Matthew 26:68 NLT). And then He was led away. It was at this point that Jesus, beaten, bruised and bloody, would have had His encounter with Peter. While Peter had been warming himself by the fire and denying the truth about himself, Jesus had been suffering abuse for willingly admitting the truth of who He was. That moment when Peter glanced over and saw Jesus’ eyes had to have been riveting and heart-sinking for him. They magnitude of what he had just done hit him like a freight train. We aren’t told what kind of look Jesus gave Peter. We don’t know if He was sad, angry, disappointed, hurt, or shocked. But that split second of eye contact with Jesus had to have been one of the most difficult moments in Peter’s life. The reality of all that was happening began to sink in. The truth of all that Jesus had been trying to tell the disciples regarding His coming trials and death became all too clear. “And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly” (Luke 22:65 NLT).

When I think about what Peter may have seen when he locked eyes with Jesus, I tend to believe that Jesus showed love and compassion. His was not a look of disappointment or disgust. He did not try to make Peter feel ashamed or humiliate him with a knowing shake of His head. I truly believe that Jesus, bruised and bloody as He may have been, looked on Peter with love. He was the Good Shepherd. He knew Peter’s weaknesses and He had even predicted Peter’s denial of Himself. He was not shocked, surprised, or put out. I believe Jesus looked at Peter and smiled in a loving, gracious, forgiving way. He understood. And He knew that God was not done with Peter yet. Too often, when we fail Jesus or even deny Him in some way, we tend to think that He looks on us with anger, resentment, disappointment, and frustration, shaking His head in disgust at our inability to do even the most simple things well. But that view reflects a poor understanding of the character of Jesus. It reveals a misunderstanding of His love, mercy and grace. Jesus had come to die for just such a person as Peter. He had come to deliver Peter from the control of his own sinful flesh. That’s why Peter could later write, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold and silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT). The look Peter received from Jesus was the same look He shows us when we stumble and fall. It is a look of compassion, understanding, empathy, and love. Jesus came to save sinners. He came to help those who have come to understand that they can’t help themselves. Jesus isn’t disappointed when we fail to measure up, as much as He is when we fail to look up to Him for help. A look to the Lord can be life changing. It will be difficult. It may even be humbling and humiliating, but it will always be a look of love. He loved you enough to die for you. He loves you enough to forgive and transform you. Look to Jesus. Even when you’ve denied Him.

Lord, I am so grateful that when You look at me, it is always with love, not disgust. I know I let You down in so many ways, but I also know that Your eyes are always filled with compassion and love for me. You died for me. You love me more than I will ever understand – at least in this lifetime. You suffered on my behalf. You bore my sins. You took my penalty and died the death I deserved. All because You love me. When I stumble and fall, You still love me. You never fall out of love for me. That’s hard for me to understand, but help me grasp the truth of it in my daily life. You never stopped loving Peter, even after what he had done. You love him to the end. And You will love me to the end as well. Thank You. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 129 – Matthew 26:57, 59-68; Mark 14:53, 55-65; Luke 22:54, 63-65; John 18:24

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Guilty As Charged.

Matthew 26:57, 59-68; Mark 14:53, 55-65; Luke 22:54, 63-65; John 18:24

Jesus replied, “I Am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” – Mark 14:62 NLT

When Jesus was finally brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, He found Himself in a room crowded with leading priests, elders and teachers of religious law. Even the high council or Sanhedrin was there. They had pulled out all the big guns for this final showdown with Jesus. There is little doubt that they intended this evening to result in the elimination of Jesus as a threat to their authority and way of life. He had been a thorn in their side for far too long, and now they were going to deal with Him. The only problem was that they needed solid accusations for which to bring this matter before the Roman authorities. They were wanting to have Jesus put to death and they did not have the authority to do so. They were going to have to convince the Roman authorities that Jesus had committed a crime worthy of death. So all these well-educated religious leaders were attempting to find any evidence that they could use against Jesus. But even when they couldn’t find any charges worthy of death, they didn’t let that stop them. They had arranged for a variety of individuals to come and give witness against Jesus, but they all ended up contradicting one another. These people were more than willing to accuse Jesus, probably for the hope of financial gain. Finally, some men stood up and claimed that they heard Jesus say that He was going to destroy the Temple. “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands’” (Mark 14:58 NLT). These men were actually twisting what Jesus had actually said. What Jesus had actually said was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:19 NLT). Jesus had made this statement early in His ministry. It took place immediately after He had cleansed the Temple for the first time. The Jewish leaders had confronted Him, asking Him what He thought He was doing and who gave Him the authority to do it. Then they asked Him to give them a miraculous sign to prove His authority. That’s when Jesus made His statement regarding the destruction and raising of the “temple.” They obviously didn’t understand that He was talking about His own death and resurrection. They saw Jesus’ statement as ridiculous, exclaiming, “What! It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuilt it in three days?” (John 2:20 NLT).

So in the minds of those accusing Jesus, His statement came across as the words of an insurrectionist. He had claimed He was going to destroy the Temple – Herod’s Temple. Now they were getting somewhere. This was just the kind of evidence they needed to bring before the Romans. The last thing the Roman authorities would want is someone threatening the peace and security of Jerusalem. But to the obvious disappointment of the religious leaders, even the men who accused Jesus couldn’t get their stories straight. So in frustration, the high priest asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” (Mark 14:60 NLT). But Jesus said nothing. The charges were false and He remained silent. Then the high priest asked Him point blank, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” (Mark 14:61 NLT). This was the real issue. When all was said and done, this was the main point of contention between Jesus and the religious leaders. He had claimed to be the Messiah. That was the reason the people followed Him. It was for that reason the people welcomed Him with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna!” when He had arrived in Jerusalem the previous Sunday. He had set Himself up as having been sent by God. Not only that, He had claimed to be the Son of God. Jesus responded to Caiaphas’ question by saying, “I Am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62 NLT). His statement brought an immediate reaction from the crowd because they knew exactly what He was saying. He was claiming to be God. His use of the phrase, “I Am” was intentional. It was the very same way God referred to Himself when He spoke to Moses at the burning bush. Moses had asked God what name He should give when the people ask who it was who sent him. God said to tell them, “I Am who I Am” had sent him. Jesus was clearly associating Himself with God. He was using the same language that God had used in order to refer to Himself. On top of that, Jesus claimed that He was going to be sitting at God’s right hand, a place of honor and power, and that He would be returning some day. That was all they needed. Caiaphas tore his clothes in shock. They no longer needed any witnesses. Jesus had committed the unpardonable sin: blasphemy. He had claimed to be God. In reality, it was Jesus’ words that were the problem. Blasphemy was based on injurious or disrespectful words or speech. In their minds, by saying what He said, Jesus had diminished the holiness of God. He had treated God with disrespect and dishonored His “otherness” or set-apartness. By claiming to be God, Jesus had become an offense to God – at least in their minds.

Their immediate response was violent. They began to spit on Him. They blindfolded him and beat Him with their fists. They mocked Him, telling Him to use His “divine” powers to tell them who it was who was hitting Him. The one piece of evidence they needed, Jesus gave them. And all He did was speak the truth. He acknowledged who He was. To do anything other than that would have truly been blasphemy. If Jesus had denied His deity, He would have been an offense to God. So He spoke the truth, and it set in motion everything that was about to happen. Jesus was guilty as charged. Not of blasphemy, but of being the Son of God and the Savior of the world. His crime was being God. And His punishment would be death. But it was for just that purpose He had come. God had come to die on behalf of sinful men. He had come to sacrifice His own life for the lives of all those who deserved death. It was because Jesus was spotless, sinless, and blameless that He was condemned to die. His worthiness was what led to His demise. He was guilty of being God, and nothing else. And it is for that reason that He made a perfect sacrifice. He was guilty as charged and we are innocent because of it.

Father, Your sinless Son was put to death because He was holy, righteous, and fully God. He was killed because He was who He said He was. He died because He was the only one who was undeserving of death. He was innocent, and we were guilty, but He is the one who died. All so that we might have life. What an amazing turn of events. What an incredible plan.  Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 127 – Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53

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No Other Way.

Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53

“But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” – Matthew 26:56 NLT

It had to happen this way. The moment had finally arrived for Jesus to be arrested and turned over the authorities. This would set in motion a chain of events that would usher in His death. To the disciples it was a nightmare come true. It was their worst fears realized. Their Messiah was being arrested and, to make matters worse, it was at the hands of the religious leaders. The men who had come to arrest Jesus were not Roman soldiers, but members of the Temple Guard who answered to Caiaphas, the high priest. They were shocked at what they witnessed happening. They offered to put up a fight. One of them even took a sword and attacked a slave of the high priest, slashing off his ear. We know from John’s account, that this was Peter, always the impulsive one. It’s interesting that he attacked the one person there who was probably unarmed. Peter didn’t go after one of the members of the Temple Guard. But his action reveals how he felt about what was going on. This was not what he or the other disciples were expecting. It was not how they had dreamed this grand adventure with Jesus was going to turn out.

But Jesus viewed the night’s events from a different perspective. He told Peter to put away his sword and assured him that He didn’t need His help. “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” (Matthew 26:53 NLT). To Peter’s shock and dismay, Jesus was revealing that this was NOT a case of helplessness or powerlessness. Jesus was not being caught off guard or left with no other options. No, this entire evening was exactly as it was meant to be. Jesus could have called down the angelic forces to defend Him, but that was NOT part of God’s plan. Remember, just a few minutes before in the garden, Jesus had prayed three different times, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matthew 26:39 NLT). Every single aspect of this night’s events were part of a well-orchestrated plan by God. They had been prophesied by God centuries earlier. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before his shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away” (Isaiah 53:7-8 NLT). Jesus made it clear that if He chose to call down angels and wipe out those who had come to arrest Him, it would prevent the fulfilling of the plan. “But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” (Matthew 26:54 NLT). Even the timing of His arrest was part of God’s plan. They had had every opportunity to arrest Jesus before, but it was meant to happen on this night and in this manner. “But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures” (Matthew 26:56 NLT).

From this moment on, every single aspect of Jesus’ arrest, His trials, beatings, crucifixion and death, were all in fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. This was not a last-minute, knee-jerk reaction on God’s part. He was not responding out of desperation or attempting to counter the actions of the religious leaders. He was not caught off guard. He was behind every move being made, including the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. What was about to happen in the coming hours was fully under the control of our all-powerful, all-knowing God. He had planned the following sequence of events from before the time when the world was made. Because He knew this would be the only way to redeem mankind to Himself. Once mankind had sinned against Him, there would be no other way to restore them to a right relationship with Himself, unless a high price was paid. His perfectly holy, righteous and sinless Son would have to take on human flesh, live among those He had created and yet who had turned against Him, and then die in their place on a cross. He would take on their sins and the punishment they deserved at the hands of a fully just and righteous Judge, providing them with a way to be reconciled with God. It had to happen this way. As repulsive and repugnant as it all seems to be, it was the one and only solution to man’s dilemma. And Peter had tried to stop it. This was not the first time he had tried to stand in the way of God’s plan. From the first moment Jesus had begun to tell the disciples that He was going to have to die, Peter had taken Him aside and reprimanded Him. He had told Jesus, “Heaven forbid, Lord. This will never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22 NLT). And Jesus responded angrily, “Get away from me Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s” (Matthew 16:23 NLT). By attempting to prevent what was clearly part of God’s plan, Peter was playing into the hands of the enemy. Satan would love nothing better than to prevent Jesus from fulfilling His God-given ministry. But Satan, because he is not all-knowing, had no idea that killing Jesus was part of God’s plan. He thought the demise of Jesus would be the end of the story. But even he had become a pawn in the divine plan of God. It had to be this way. It had to happen just as God had ordained it to happen. There was no plan B. And Jesus knew that His arrest was simply the first stage of the plan. There would be more to come. It would get worse before it got better. But it WOULD get better. Because God had a plan.

Father, it is so easy to forget that You ALWAYS have a plan. You are never caught off guard or surprised by anything that happens on this planet. You are in full control and are never in heaven wringing Your hands in worry. Never let me forget that. Give me the ability to see world events through Your eyes and not my own. Don’t let me be like Peter and see things from merely a human point of view. Help me see Your perspective.  Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 111 – Matthew 25:1-26:5; Mark 14:1-2; Luke 22:1-2

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The King And His Kingdom!

Matthew 25:1-26:5; Mark 14:1-2; Luke 22:1-2

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.” – Matthew 25:31 NLT

One of the themes of the Gospels that most of us seem to overlook or simply ignore is that of the Kingdom of Heaven. When we think of the Gospels, we tend to concentrate on Jesus as the Savior of the world. Because we are 21st-Century believers living in a western context, the whole idea of a King and a Kingdom does not resonate with us. But we have to remember that the New Testament is in harmony with and a fulfillment of the Old Testament. Jesus was the one who had been promised by God to Abraham. “And the Lord came to Abram, and said, I will give all this land to your seed; then Abram made an altar there to the Lord who had let himself be seen by him” (Genesis 12:7 BBE). That word translated “seed” is important. It can be translated “seed, offspring, or even descendants.” So it would be natural to assume that God is promising the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. And that would be a right assumption. But Paul gives us an even better understanding of this passage. He writes, “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ” (Galatians 3:15-16 NASB). In other words, when God made His promise to Abraham, He was saying that, ultimately, He was going to give the land to Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, but also the Son of God and the King of kings. The land would belong to Him as its rightful ruler.

The Gospels are full of references to the Kingdom. In fact, when Jesus came into the world He was a fulfillment of countless Old Testament prophecies that predicted and promised the coming of a King, a descendant of David, who would sit on his throne forever. God had promised David, “Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you – a dynasty of kings!…Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for al time, and your throne will be secure forever” (2 Samuel 7:11, 16 NLT). But it had been hundreds of years since a descendant of David had ruled from a throne in Jerusalem. In fact, since their return from exile in Babylon, Israel had had no king at all. Then there was a 400 year period of oppression under a string of different countries, most recently Rome. The king who sat on the throne when Jesus was born was Herod, an Edomite, and not a descendant of David. But Jesus WAS a descendant of David. The lineage of Jesus found in Luke traces His line back to David through Mary. This establishes Jesus’ legal claim to the throne. The lineage found in Matthew traces the line of Jesus through Mary. This establishes Jesus’ hereditary claim to the throne. When Mary and Joseph obeyed the decree to go to their ancestral home for taxation purposes, they went to Bethlehem. “And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home” (Luke 2: 4 NLT). Jesus was of royal pedigree.

What did the angel tell Mary when he announced to her God’s plan? “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:31-33 NLT). Her son would be a king. He would rule just like David did, but His kingdom would be everlasting. Some time after Jesus’ birth, even the magi came looking for a king. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:1-2 NLT). At the birth of John the Baptist, his father, Zechariah prophesied about the royalty of Jesus even before He was born. ”Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “Praise to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David” (Luke 1:67-68 NLT).

Why is this so important? Because Jesus was not just born to be our Savior, but to be King. The reality is that, one day, He will be King over all mankind whether they believe in Him or not. Paul reminds us, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11 NLT). But we will not all worship Him in the same way. Some will be His loyal subjects. Others will bow in subjugation. Some will be citizens. Others will be slaves – the captives of war. Some will be welcomed into His presence. Others will be cast out. Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, made it possible for men to be restored to a right relationship with God, so that we might live in His eternal Kingdom, under the righteous rule of Jesus Christ, forever. He will be our Savior AND our King. In fact, He is our Savior and King even today. But the problem is that, too often, we want to welcome Jesus as Savior, but refuse to let Him rule in our lives. We accept His gracious offer of eternal life, but we want to be the ones who rule and reign over our own lives.

Jesus spent a great deal of time teaching about the Kingdom. It was going to be drastically different than the one the Jews were anticipating. They were looking for a conquering king who would establish His kingdom on earth and set them free from subjugation to Rome. But Jesus came to establish a different kind of Kingdom. He came to set them free from slavery to sin. He came to release them from captivity to Satan and to release them from the condemnation of death as rebels against God. So much of what Jesus said about the Kingdom had to do with His future return. He was going to come back. And when He did, He would set up the kind of Kingdom the Jewish people had long been waiting for. Jesus taught about His eminent return as King. But it would not take place until He had suffered and died, paying the penalty for the sins of mankind. He would have to redeem mankind before they would accept His rule over them. Without His offer of salvation, we would never accept Him as sovereign. But the whole story of the Bible is about the righteous rule and reign of God over His creation. Jesus was born as King and He was crucified as King. At His trial, the soldiers mocked Him as King. “They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove a thorn branch into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” (Mark 15:17-18 NLT). On the cross, the sign that was nailed above His head carried the charge, “The King of the Jews.” As He hung on the cross, the religious leaders mocked Him as King. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe in him!” (Mark 15:31-32 NLT). Jesus died because He was King. But He is coming again because He is King.

The Return of the King!

Jesus had taught His disciples that He would die, but He would rise again. He also told them that He would go away, but He would return some day. And when He did, He would establish His Kingdom once and for all. The Messianic Kingdom they anticipated would come, but not when they expected it.

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” –  Matthew 25:31-34 NLT

The Gospels record the arrival of the King and the beginning of His Kingdom. They record Jesus’ teaching regarding the Kingdom. They contrast the false view with the true image of the Kingdom. They establish Jesus as the King. It was for His claim to be King that He died. And it will be as a King that He returns.

Father, too often I am more than willing to acknowledge Jesus as my Savior, but refuse to let Him be my King. I take on that responsibility, attempting to rule my life according to my own standards and in an effort to live life on my own terms. But He died that I might live, and do so as His subject, a citizen of His Kingdom, submitting myself to His righteous rule over my life. Show me how to live, not just because of Him, but for Him. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org