More Than Savior

Things looked pretty grim on Friday afternoon. For six hours Jesus, the self-proclaimed "Son of God," was strung up on a cross. The point was public humiliation and fear. The Romans invented crucifixion for that very purpose - public humiliation and fear. There Jesus hung, humiliated, dishonored, mocked, scorned, rejected, and despised by Jews... Romans... even the criminals on either side. From Noon until three o'clock darkness covered the entire land. Then, He cried out and gave up His physical life. Things looked grim indeed.

Just a few days before, Jesus told His disciples-students-followers all this would go down. He told them they'd go into Jerusalem, He'd be arrested, mocked, flogged, crucified, and killed. But Jesus didn't leave it there. He said, "After three days I will rise again."

Maybe that was playing through their minds on some subconscious level. Maybe it was merely stored away, like novelty clutter in an attic. It probably didn't matter much now anyway. He was dead. Buried. Laid in Joseph's tomb. End of story. Game over. Maybe they all questioned their own sanity for following this guy in the first place. Christ. Son of God. Immanuel. Dead.

But early in the morning, the day after the Sabbath, the two Mary's were headed to the tomb. Just then, the heavens opened and an angel of the Lord descended! The earth shook with a violent earthquake! This heavenly being beamed like lightning, clothes white as snow, rolled back the stone to reveal... an EMPTY TOMB! Sitting atop the stone he said, "Jesus, the one you're looking for, He's not here. He's RISEN just as He told you! Come, have a look."

The focus of our attention often shifts to the plausibility, or defense, of resurrection. Bad call.

The point isn't the resurrection, eggs, bunnies, or even Jesus as Savior. The point is who the gospel writers tell us Jesus is: Christ. King. Almighty Eternal Sovereign. Son of David. Son of Abraham.

When we reduce Jesus to merely Savior... merely Healer... Great Physician... Redeemer... and miss the truth and reality of Him as Almighty Eternal Sovereign, we tend to treat Him like an app on our phone or like 911... a trophy god behind trophy glass to be broken out only in case of emergencies.

Jesus is more than Savior. He's Christ.

Jesus is more than Redeemer. He's King.

Jesus is more than Healer. He's the exclusive, almighty, eternal Sovereign.

Today is an opportunity to see Him as more than Savior. It's an opportunity to see Him as He truly is: Messiah. Christ. King. It's an opportunity to give ourselves over to Him in worship as Jesus, Christ, son of David, son of Abraham, risen on the third day just as He said!

If nothing changes, nothing changes.

He's coming back soon. Will He find us resting on our salvation? Or will the King find us doing the good works God prepared in advance for us to live out, i.e. promoting and proclaiming HIM to the ends of the earth?

Is He your King? The answer comes exclusively as faith in action. Does your life reveal Him as more than Savior?

Blessings,
-Kevin M. Kelley
aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com