The Unexpected Messiah

Jesus is revealed as the Savior of Mankind in his sufferings and self-sacrificial death for others, including his enemies.

The inability of men to recognize Jesus as the Son of God until after his crucifixion is a central theme of the Gospel of Mark. Ironically, the first man to do so is the Roman centurion on duty at his execution. Christ’s self-identification as the suffering “Son of Man” made him unrecognizable to unregenerate men. He was the kind of savior and redeemer no one expected.

The identity and mission of Jesus can only be understood in the light of the Cross of Calvary. As Paul wrote, the proclamation of a crucified Messiah, “the Word of the Cross,” is “God’s power and wisdom” – (1 Corinthians 1:18-24).

By stressing the necessity of Christ’s death, the Gospel of Mark establishes his identity as the “Son of God,” and it demonstrates what it means to be the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the World. Demons recognized him and declared who he was, but men remained confused.

[Cross - Photo by Vince Veras (Netherlands) on Unsplash]

While he was at the Jordan River, the Scriptures, John the Baptist, the Voice from Heaven, and supernatural signs all attested that Jesus is the “Son of God.” The heavens were opened, or more literally, they were “rent asunder.” This English rendering translates the Greek verb ‘schizō’, meaning “to rend or tear asunder, to cleave or split open.” The term occurs once more in Mark’s account when the veil of the Temple was “torn in two” as Jesus died - (Mark 1:11, 15:37).

The “rending asunder of the heavens” was predicted by Isaiah when the prophet longed for God to “tear open the heavens” and make His name known “to your enemies, that the nations may tremble at your presence” - (Isaiah 64:1-2).

The declaration by the heavenly voice at the Jordan River, “You are my Son, the Beloved One; in you, I delight,” echoed the Second Psalm and another passage from the Book of Isaiah. The Nazarene was the promised Messiah, and both passages described him bringing justice to the nations:

• “I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, You are my son! This day, I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession” - (Psalm 2:7-8).

• “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations” - (Isaiah 42:1. Compare Matthew 12:18).

• “Oh, that you would tear open the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence, as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil, to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!” – (Isaiah 64:1-2).

One of the first acts of Jesus while in Galilee was to cast out an “unclean spirit.” The demon knew him to be the “Holy One of God” and declared it, but he commanded the demonic spirit to remain silent. The men present that day asked one another, “Who is this?” Despite his impressive deed, they could not understand who Jesus was, although the demons knew (“Are you come to destroy us?”) - (Mark 1:23-27).

This pattern was repeated during his ministry. Although demonic spirits recognized the “Son of God,” men and women could not, including members of his family. Proximity to Jesus did not guarantee a correct understanding of who he was - (Mark 3:11-12, 3:21, 5:1-7).

The Scribes could not deny his ability to expel demons from men and women. However, rather than acknowledge that he did so by the authority of God, they charged him with casting out demons by “Beelzebub, the prince of demons.” Demons recognized him, but not the religious leaders or the priestly authorities of Israel - (Mark 3:22-30).

By his word alone, Jesus calmed a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee that threatened the disciples. In great fear, they asked, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Even this display of power was insufficient to prove he was the prophesied “Son of Man” - (Mark 4:36-41).

Christ healed the dying daughter of a local synagogue leader, leaving the crowd dumbfounded but unenlightened. Even his ability to raise the dead did not convince those who witnessed him doing so could convince them that he was the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of Mankind - (Mark 5:21-43).

When Jesus returned to his hometown, he began teaching in the synagogue. Many who heard him began to ask:

• “Whence has this man these things <…> Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? <…> And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief” – (Mark 6:1-6),

Rather than rejoice that the Messiah was present in the village of Nazareth, “they were offended by him.”

REJECTED AND SLAIN

On the way to Jerusalem, Peter was about to grasp Christ’s identity. When Jesus asked, “Who do men say that I am,” Peter declared, “You are the Christ!” Then he explained to his disciples:

• “The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the Chief Priests and the Scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” - (Mark 8:31).

Peter objected rather vehemently. The notion of a Messiah who would be subjected to suffering and death was unacceptable. Whatever insight Peter may have gained momentarily was lost when he was confronted with the idea of the execution of the Messiah by the nation’s enemies. However, that is what Messiahship meant - suffering, rejection, and death rather than displays of supernatural power or military or political might.

Likewise, as recorded in Mark 9:31-32, Jesus stated that he must be “delivered up into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise again.” Once again, the disciples did not understand his words. They remained incapable of comprehending who and what Jesus was.

While “on the way up to Jerusalem,” Jesus explained again how he must be “delivered to the Chief Priests and the Scribes, and they will condemn him to death.” James and John responded by requesting to sit at his side when he came into his glory. However, the Nazarene retorted:

• “You know not what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with <…> whoever would become great among you will be your servant, and whosoever would be first among you will be the slave of all, for the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” - (Mark 10:32-45).

The path to God’s Kingdom is self-sacrificial service, not dominion over others or outward glory. Jesus demonstrated this by giving his life to liberate men and women from enslavement to sin and Satan.

When the High Priest examined Jesus, he asked, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Christ responded, “I am he. And you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

Before the highest religious authority, Jesus identified himself as the Messiah. There could be no more doubt. However, rather than recognize him, the High Priest charged God’s Messiah with blasphemy, and the “Chief Priests and the whole council” condemned him to death - (Mark 14:60-64).

The Roman governor confirmed Christ’s Messianic status when he had “King of the Jews” inscribed on a board that was then mounted on his cross. As he was dying, Jewish spectators mocked Jesus, declaring, “You who were pulling down the Temple and building one in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross.” The Chief Priests and Scribes likewise ridiculed him despite the confirmation of the voice of God, Scripture, his miracles, and his testimony before the High Priest - (Mark 15:26).

The demons knew who he was before he did anything, yet the Temple authorities remained clueless despite the evidence of their eyes and ears. Instead, they challenged Jesus, “Let him come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even the two brigands who were crucified alongside him “were casting it in his teeth.”

Finally, Jesus was declared the “Son of God” by a human voice. As death overwhelmed him, he uttered a loud cry. At that moment, the “veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom,” and the Roman centurion declared, “Truly this man was the Son of God” - (Mark 15:37-39).

Just as the “rending asunder of the heavens” at his baptism produced a declaration regarding his status, the “tearing in two of the Temple veil” put the same confession on the lips of the centurion. Just as the prophet Isaiah hoped, the Gentiles did indeed “tremble at his presence,” only in repentance and submission. The Roman officer was the first of many Gentiles to submit to Jesus Christ.

Only as he was crucified did a human being understand who Jesus was, and paradoxically, not a devout Jew, the High Priest, or even one of his closest disciples, but a Gentile who was probably the officer in charge of the execution squad.

Thus, Christ’s sacrificial death defined his Messiahship and ministry, but the kind of savior that no one wanted. Only in his suffering and death can we begin to understand Christ’s true identity, the nature of his mission, the heart of his message, and what it means to become his disciple and “follow him wherever he goes.”

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SEE ALSO:

• Rend the Heavens Asunder! - (The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirmed the calling and identity of Jesus – Son, Messiah, and Servant of the LORD)

• The Suffering Servant - (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)

• The Son of Man - (The one like a Son of Man in Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation as the Son of Man and his authority to reign)

• The Cruciform Path - (To follow Jesus requires a lifetime of self-denial and sacrificial service for others and a willingness to lose everything for the Gospel)