This was the kind of Messiah the Jewish people wanted. They wanted a king who would force himself upon them with whatever means were needed to establish his rule—lies, innuendos, grandiose promises, and physical power! The more flash and bang, the better!
“The Jews were looking for a Messiah to be revealed in outward show. They expected Him to change the current of men’s thoughts by one flash of overmastering will. They wanted Him to force from them an acknowledgment of His supremacy. Thus, they believed, He was to secure His own exaltation, and gratify their ambitious hopes” (Desire of Ages, p. 700).
We see an echo of this kind of leadership within our current political world. Some politicians are flamboyant, egotistic, and forceful. If truthfulness doesn’t serve its purpose, they color it to make it more appealing. Some people view laws that prevent politicians from forcing their way as obstructions that need to be removed.
Whenever leaders want to subvert laws designed to protect democracy from promoting their agendas, we can be sure they are up to no good!
This is the attitude and spirit of the devil.
Christ’s Sufferings
Suppose we find it uncomfortable to be under the supervision and heavy hand of such leaders. In that case, we can only imagine how Jesus must have felt when he was bound and brought in the night to the home of Annas, the head of the officiating priests.
“Christ suffered keenly under abuse and insult. At the hands of the beings whom He had created and for whom He was making an infinite sacrifice, He received every indignity. And He suffered in proportion to the perfection of His holiness and His hatred of sin. His trial by men who acted as fiends was to Him a perpetual sacrifice. To be surrounded by human beings under the control of Satan was revolting to Him. And He knew that in a moment, by the flashing forth of His divine power, He could lay His cruel tormentors in the dust. This made the trial the harder to bear” (Desire of Ages, p. 700).
We can draw strength from the gentle yet firm composure of Jesus while under duress. When we allow the Spirit of Christ to fill our minds with joy, even amid turmoil and evil, we become sanctuaries of promise.
“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19, NKJV).
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Rich DuBose writes from Northern California.
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