If Jesus was suppose to be a warrior king, then why did He come as a peacemaker? Why did Jesus associate with the poor, prostitutes, tax collectors and those who were considered to be sinners? Why was Jesus crucified when all He did was good works during His lifetime?
Many great theologians of the Bible try to answer these questions by asking even more questions. They wondered why a man who could heal the sick and perform many miracles would come and not a warrior who would drive the Roman government out of the Jewish land.
Jesus came as a servant to people with a message of hope for those who would place their faith in Him. They expected a king that would lead them to war against Rome. Instead, Jesus told them if a Roman soldier asked you to carry his load for one mile, you were suppose to carry his load for two miles.
They expected a Son of God who would fight against everyone that was oppressing them. Instead, Jesus told them to turn the other cheek. They expected a Prince, instead they received a man who told them to love your enemies and to do good to those who persecute you.
Everything about Jesus was unexpected and totally opposite from the fierce, sword welding man they anticipated. They got a man full of love, a man who had a spiritual wisdom that far surpassed the teachings of the Pharisees.
Jesus was a poor carpenter, a man who told them stories in parables, who refused to draw lines separating the poor from the rich, and treated everyone alike.
Many great historians of the Bible have told the story of Jesus, but many today do not understand why He had to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. They just accept the story without really understanding the concept of grace.
Many years ago God spoke to me supernaturally and explained that I had a lot to learn in this world. At the time I thought I was living a righteous Christian life believing that I did not sin. It wasn't long before God turned everything that I thought I knew upside down and revealed to me the truth about my life and the purpose behind the world.
We live in a teaching world. Each of us has an appointed destiny to fulfill that can only be achieved in a corrupt and evil world. Each of us has spiritual goals that must be accomplished so we will learn the difference between right and wrong.
Galatians 1: 15 & 16, "But God in his grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve him. And when he decided to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the Gentiles, I did not go to anyone for advice."
I learned to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and I began to see the world for what it was. In my quest to understand my call, I immersed myself in the Bible and biblical history books. I found proofs from what I read and through the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
God explained to me that I was to look at the world as if I was in a huge multifaceted game. A world game that challenges us to learn the difference between right and wrong. A game that demanded that I trust Him completely.
Hebrews 11: 1 & 2, "To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. It was by their faith that people of ancient times won God's approval."
Adams' sin created the game of life when he ate the apple in order to be as wise as God. Wisdom demands differences that can only be interpreted through good and bad examples. The only way we can humanly learn is by going through different levels of difficulties in the game of life. Our goal is to master the sin that wants to control us.
This is the reason why grace had to come into being. Jesus changed every concept of life by making it simple for people to receive forgiveness of sin. This means that we can fail the tests we go through in life. We can sin and have the freedom to once again seek forgiveness for our sins. Grace allows us to be bad so we can learn from doing wrong.
Galatians 2: 16, "Yet we know that a person is put right with God only through faith in Jesus Christ, never by doing what the Law requires. We, too, have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be put right with God through our faith in Christ, and not by doing what the Law requires. For no one is put right with God by doing what the Law requires."
When Jesus refused to be a warrior king He showed us that our world's complexities extended far beyond the families we were born in or the countries we were apart. He illustrated this to the people by refusing to acknowledge a difference between a Samaritan woman, a Roman soldier or a Jewish priest. Jesus came to bring us a new teaching.
One of the very first lessons that God taught me was to pray for protection from Satan. Satan was created by God and is the source of all evil in the world. He tempts people and persuades them, by the things of the world, to give into their desires.
Galatians 1: 4, "In order to set us free from this present evil age, Christ gave himself for our sins, in obedience to the will of our God and Father."
Jesus' ministry was not about the Laws of Moses, but rather about placing our faith in Him for the forgiveness of our sins. This made believing in God easy. The Law demanded ritual sacrifices for sin that put a heavy burden on people. But surrendering ourselves to Jesus and believing in the power of His name brings everyone into fellowship with God equally and sets us free from the power of sin.
During the time of Jesus the Pharisees and Sadducees were the wealthiest families in Israel. They were not only rich, but they were highly respected by the people and the Roman government. When Jesus came preaching a simple path to God, they were outraged because it would destroy their luxurious lifestyles. This is why they wanted Him dead.
Galatians 2: 3-5, "My companion Titus, even though he is Greek, was not forced to be circumcised, although some wanted it done. Pretending to be fellow believers, these men slipped into our group as spies, in order to find out about the freedom we have through our union with Christ Jesus. They wanted to make slaves of us, but in order to keep the truth of the gospel safe for you, we did not give into them for a minute."
Paul describes in this passage how important it is to hold onto the concept of grace. Grace makes us all equal. We do not have to follow the regulations of the Law because we are all destined to make mistakes that can only be forgiven through our faith in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3: 22, "But the scripture says that the whole world is under the power of sin; and so the gift which is promised on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ is given to those who believe."
When you are in a life game you will go through persecutions and difficulties in order to learn from what you experienced. Satan uses families, societies, and governments to destroy anyone who is trying to do what is right. He uses the people of the world to fight against every person who is determined to follow Jesus.
Our world is a teaching world. The only way we can see our need for Christ is for us to go through some kind of injustice to reveal to us why the wealthy and influential are wrong. In order to find right we must experience wrong.
During the time of Jesus many people were not allowed to go into the temple area. People who had deformities from birth to people from foreign descent were not allowed to worship God. This is the reason why Jesus opposed the teachers of the Law over the difference between the Law compared to grace. Grace allows everyone access to God. Grace brings the Holy Spirit into peoples lives and allows people to worship God in Spirit.
We are born into a corrupt and evil world where everyone agrees that injustice reigns supreme. Jesus came to give life to people who were destined to follow God. People who would fight in different levels against injustice in the game of life against all people who love the world.
Jesus came to train up Christian soldiers who would fight against the evil practices of people who choose evil. Jesus is opposite from the world and when we follow Him we simply do not fit in this world.
When Jesus began to talk to me I changed. He showed me how the world is our greatest teacher. He proved to me that if I would place my faith in Him, He would save me from the world
Author: Linda Dipman
