Good News for All Nations

Despite his miraculous deeds, Christ’s own village rejected his ministry and took offense at his humble origins – Mark 6:1-6. Jesus experienced growing conflict as he began his journey to the city of Jerusalem. In Galilee, he displayed his authority over nature, demons, disease, and even death, and the crowds welcomed him. However, among his own people, he was met with unbelief and rejection.

Jesus submitted to a shameful death on the Cross, and he summons us to follow his example and path . Jesus tells us that if we wish to be his disciple, we must “ d eny ourselves, take up his cross, and follow him .” This was more than metaphorical language when he made this pronouncement on his final journey to Jerusalem. In the City of David,  he would demonstrate just what it means “ to take up the cross .”

To follow Jesus requires a lifetime of self-denial and sacrificial service for others and a willingness to lose everything for the Gospel . 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 ,” and they would be hated “ by all men for my sake .” That was the harsh reality Christ’s disciples discovered when they proclaimed his message to the world.

Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, which bears little resemblance to the political systems and regimes of this age . Jesus appeared in Galilee proclaiming the Kingdom of God – “ Repent, for the kingdom is at hand .” The Kingdom promised by God was arriving in Christ’s life and ministry. He is the Messiah and King of Israel who summons all men to turn from their wicked ways and submit to his lordship while the opportunity remains.

The New Testament applies messianic promises from the Psalms to Christ's present reign.  He is the Lord and our Messiah! Since his Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, Jesus has reigned as absolute Lord over the Earth, indeed, over the Cosmos. He is seated on David's Messianic Throne. The Messiah rules from “ Mount Zion ” as promised. Because of his “ obedience until death ,” Christ is the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth .” Before his Ascension, he declared, “ I have all authority in Heaven and on Earth .”  His present sovereignty is limitless.

The submission of Jesus to an unjust death is the pattern of the love and service to others that his disciples are called to imitate . The obedience of Jesus to his Father becomes the model for how we, as his followers, emulate Christ. His willing submission to death on the Roman Cross is the pattern for our conduct and attitude toward others. The elevation of the Nazarene to the Messianic Throne resulted from his submission to “ death upon a cross .” Conforming our lives to this example is how we learn to “ follow him wherever he goes .”

Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, which is ruled by the Servant of Yahweh, the one who gave his life “to ransom many” . Jesus arrived in Galilee proclaiming the Kingdom of God. In his ministry, the reign of God began to invade the Earth. But the nature of the messianic kingdom differs radically from the governments, rulers and ideologies of the present age, and it defies human expectations, experience, and wisdom.

Jesus admonished his disciples - If anyone wishes to come after me, “ Let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me !” This was more than metaphorical and certainly not hyperbolic language. He declared this when he was on his final journey to Jerusalem where he would demonstrate just what it meant to “ take up the cross ,” and the historical context shows just how challenging his words were.

The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirmed the calling and identity of Jesus - Son, Messiah, and Servant – Mark 1:9-11. Jesus first appears in the Gospel of Mark when John baptizes him in the Jordan River. The narrative identifies him with his hometown, Nazareth, a village of no consequence. Jesus is the Son and the Servant of the Lord, and the Messiah who does not conform to popular expectations.

The figure of the Son of Man in the Book of Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation - The Son of Man . The term “ Son of Man ” is the self-designation heard most often on the lips of Jesus in the gospel accounts. It is from the vision of Daniel of the “ one like a Son of Man ” who received “ the dominion and kingdom .”   All the tribes of the Earth will mourn when “ they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of Heaven .”

Christ’s disciples are called to self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life to ransom many from sin’s bondage  – Mark 10:35-45. After predicting his death, two disciples began jockeying for high positions in Christ’s Kingdom. Thinking according to the ways of this world, they did not comprehend just what kind of Messiah Jesus is and what it meant to follow him. Nevertheless, he would demonstrate in Jerusalem how his followers become his disciples and achieve “ greatness ” in the Kingdom of God.

In the  Gospel of Mark , Jesus is “ on the way ” to Jerusalem his death at the hands of his enemies. The theme of his inexorable journey is repeated in  Mark , beginning with John the Baptist who came to “ prepare THE WAY of the Lord .” He would complete his mission as the ‘ Suffering Servant ’ of the  Book of Isaiah  when he was tried by the priestly leaders of the Temple and faced death outside the walls of the City of David at the hands of Rome.

The theme of fulfillment is prominent in Matthew’s gospel. In Jesus, the promises of God find their intended fulfillment. He is the Son of God sent to redeem Israel and rule the nations. Peter, for example, confirmed that he was the “ Messiah .” Nevertheless, he failed to understand that he would undertake that role as the suffering “ Servant of Yahweh ” who came to “ bear the sins of many .” His true identity was revealed in his self-sacrificial act.

In the  Gospel of Mark , Jesus first appears when he is baptized by John in the Jordan River. The passage identifies him with his hometown of Nazareth, a small village of no consequence, though its very insignificance plays an important part in the narrative. He is the Messiah and the  “ Servant of the LORD ”  who does not conform to popular expectations even as he is anointed by the Spirit of God in fulfillment of Scripture.

The mission of the Messiah included suffering and death on behalf of others, and he summoned his disciples to follow His same path – Mark 8:31. Jesus explained what being the Messiah meant as he approached Jerusalem: suffering and death . His declaration was contrary to popular messianic expectations, including those of his disciples whom he also summoned to take up the Cross and follow his example. Failure to do so could render them objects of shame before the Lord of Glory on the Last Day.

When Jesus dispatched his disciples to announce the “ Good News ” to the “ lost sheep of Israel ,” he warned that they would become like “ sheep among wolves .” Hostile men would haul them before “ councils and whip them in their synagogues .” Moreover, his followers would be hated “ by all men .” That was the harsh reality they discovered, one faced later by the early church. The very men who should have welcomed Israel’s Messiah instead fought what he represented tooth and nail.

Disciples are summoned to adopt the same mind that Jesus had when he poured out his life unto death for the sake of others – Philippians 2:5-11. Jesus 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 ,” but he humbled himself and submitted to a shameful death on the Roman cross. Therefore, God 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.

Jesus is the Son of David and heir to the Messianic Throne, the beloved Son of God, and the Servant of the Lord . The Gospel of Matthew declares that Jesus is the Son of David, and in his ministry and sacrificial death, this same Jesus demonstrated exactly what it means to be the Messiah of Israel and the king of the nations, for he was also the Servant of the Lord who suffers for his people.

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.