“And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” (Luke 9:21-22 KJV).
In these verses, we see the Lord Jesus instructing the apostles to keep His identity secret. In our view of understanding, this is a bit perplexing. But in the full context of the Lord’s mission and the political condition of the Jewish people who needs help in their pursuits for freedom from the Romans, it is a human reality. It is understandable that the Lord does not want people to redefine His being the Messiah as someone in a political mission. Many, including the apostles and disciples are on the impression that the Messiah is on the mission to establish a physical political kingdom.
The Lord Jesus also states plainly that He must suffer in many ways, be rejected by the religious leaders and priests. He declares His sacrifice towards our redemption. He will be killed, and be raised again on the third day. So, by faith in Him, we can have a new life. This is a direct contrast to the disciples' expectations of Him to be a glorious earthy king of Israel.
As the Son of Man, yes He is king given authority, glory and sovereign power. Having received Him by believing, in grace He saves us and makes us citizens of His kingdom forever. His kingdom is everlasting, not political, not temporal and will never be destroyed, as Daniel prophesied. It is written: ““In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14 NIV).
And I say, AMEN!
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment