About 2000 years ago the Jews living in the land of Israel were looking for a Messiah – an anointed one – who could lead a rebellion and overthrow the oppression of the Roman Empire. But, Jesus did not present himself to the world 2,000 years ago to be that kind of a Messiah. Why? Because He had a bigger job in mind. Some of the following comes from the book "Final Dawn Over Jerusalem" by John Hagee.
If Jesus came to earth to be that kind of a Messiah – the kind that would lead some sort of a militaristic overthrow of the oppressive Roman government - He would have campaigned like any politician to gain popularity and to gain national attention, so that He could rally public support for the overthrow of Rome. But instead He repeatedly tells His disciples and followers to "tell no man", about the healings and miracles He performed. On 64 occasions in the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus threw a wet blanket over His popularity, instructing those who were excited about His being the Messiah to "tell no man".
He heals the leper (Matthew 8:4), raises Jairus' daughter from the dead (Luke 8:56), opens a deaf man’s ears (Mark 7:36), heals a blind man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:26), and heals two blind men at once (Matthew 9:30), etc. He tells all of them "to tell no one", or "Neither go into the town nor tell anyone in the town", or "See that no one knows it", and so on.
Peter at one time blurts out "You are the Christ" (Mark 8:29) You are the Anointed One, You are the Messiah that will lead the Jews in their revolt against Rome! But Jesus commanded His disciples "that they should tell no one about Him" (Mark 8:30).
At the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John heard Moses and Elijah talking to Jesus. They trembled as the voice of God spoke from a great cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" And as they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded "that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead" (Mark 9:7,9).
Why did Jesus constantly command those who were excited about His supernatural power to "tell no man" prematurely? Because He did not come to be the reigning Messiah!
There were many Jews who would have followed Jesus at the feeding of the 5,000, or the raising of Lazarus from the dead. But He performed these miracles to minister to the needs of the people, not to prove He was the Messiah. The Jews who followed Jesus wanted Him to be their reigning Messiah, but He flatly refused.
To go further into this, John Hagee describes the four cups of wine that are served at a celebration of Passover in a Synagogue, that symbolize the tears of suffering of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt.
The first cup is the cup of Remembrance
The second cup is the cup of Redemption
The third cup is the cup of Salvation
The fourth cup is the cup of Messiah
When Jesus and His disciples came to the final cup during their celebration of the Passover, Jesus refused to drink from the Messiah’s cup. Instead He took it, gave thanks, and told His disciples, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes" (Luke 22:17-18).
In refusing to drink from this cup, Jesus rejected to the last detail the role of Messiah in word or deed. The Jews did not reject Jesus as Messiah; Jesus rejected the desire for Him to be their reigning Messiah. He was the Lamb of God. He had come to die, but even at that point the disciples were not ready to see the truth.
Jesus did not come to earth to be Israel’s reigning Messiah - He chose a bigger job instead - to be the Savior of the World.
By George Konig
July 11, 2004
www.georgekonig.org
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