Sabbath Devotional :: Who Is Jesus to You?

“*Christ Healing the Ear of Malchus*,” by Louis Finson.
In the public domain at Wikimedia Commons

I love the gospels of the New Testament. What it would be like to be alive while Jesus was doing his ministry captivates my intense imagination. I especially find it fascinating the discrepancy between what the people wanted Jesus to be and what Jesus’ actual mission was. And even more fascinating to me is that the disciples who were with Jesus every day were not immune to completely missing the point of Jesus’ ministry.

We know from historical political context that the Jews were under Roman rule at the time of Christ. We can assume they weren’t happy about it, and that there was a decent amount of oppression against the Jews. We know that the Jewish religious leaders were allowed to exercise some of their authority, but it was limited in scope and power. We know that the Romans feared revolt and that the Jews craved it, but that the Jewish religious leaders were afraid of rocking the boat and losing the power they already had. Does anyone else love the Chosen for putting all this context into light?

The first time Jesus told his disciples “how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day . . .” they must have been so confused. (See Matthew 16:21-23 and Mark 8:31-33) This man they were hoping to be the one to save them from the Romans just foretold his death, and of course they had no concept of his resurrection. I love how Peter then tries to rebuke Jesus. And what does Jesus tell Peter, one of his apostles? He says, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”

Later, just before his death, Jesus and Peter have some more moments that suggest that at least one disciple, but likely most of them, were struggling to be on the same page with Jesus. Right before Jesus suffers in Gethsemane Luke records this conversation. (Luke 22:31-32) “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Wait, what? Peter had given up years of his life, his profession, his family, to learn from Jesus, and he wasn’t converted yet? Gosh. But when I read the next verse, I have to wonder if Peter just still hadn’t given up the dream of political revolt. Peter says, “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.”

Shortly after Christ suffers in Gethsemane the high priests and the Pharisees come to arrest Jesus. John 18:10 records that it is Simon Peter who cuts off the ear of the servant, Malchus. Jesus immediately heals Malchus and tells Peter to sheath his sword.

Then Peter wanders off and denies Christ three times. I like to think this is when he wrestles with his own expectations of what kind of Savior he wants.

If the moments with Jesus and Peter aren’t enough, I also like to look at how the people as a whole react to Jesus. I find it so interesting that on Palm Sunday people welcomed Jesus into the city as king with palm branches, only to turn on him in a couple days. Matthew 21:10 says the people asked the question, “Who is this?” I love to ask myself this question, “Who is Jesus to me?” Did the people turn against Jesus a couple days later because they had the wrong idea of who Jesus is? I don’t think it’s coincidence that the man the crowd begged to have released was Barabbas, an insurrectionist (see Mark 15:7). I can’t help but wonder what their hopes were for releasing Barabbas.

We live in a time where our politics feel so pressing, where it’s easy to imagine political triumph becoming our salvation. I think these lessons from the gospels can teach us to beware of this kind of thinking. Jesus is bigger than a political win. The mission of Jesus has always been a big picture ordeal. His goal has always been to save people, regardless of which side they might be on, and to do it by love. The most oft quoted scripture of the early church was “Love your enemies.” As the book Proclaim Peace says, “We are drawn in by the power of his meek love and realize that the fruit of our violence is a crucified God.”

Who is Jesus to you? And how does that transform how you see your enemies?