Blessed are...

Crucified Savior

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

In the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God’s Kingdom broke into our world. A new authority was established, whose King and Head would suffer and die upon a Cross. By His coming, and especially by His resurrection, Jesus gave us a foretaste of the Last Days, when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[1] During His life, this gentle Savior, who went about doing good, was opposed by those who saw His authority as a threat to their own. From the massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem, to the jealous rantings of the High Priests, from the fearful and insecure to the arrogant and proud, men opposed Jesus because He represented the Kingdom of heaven, a Kingdom without end.

There were only two possible responses to the claims of Jesus – you could follow Him, or you could attempt to silence Him. When the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of heaven met and vied for the hearts of men, the result was a Cross. On Calvary, cruel men believed that they had triumphed. The self-styled King of the Jews was dead. Surely, His Kingdom would die with Him? They dealt with the incarnation of the Son of God by ridiculing Him, and by rejecting Him, and by raising Him on a Cross of wood. And they thought it was all over. But it was not.

Today, wherever Christians gather, His Kingdom is proclaimed. Like a seed, buried deep in the earth that Kingdom grows, despite the best efforts of those who would like to stamp it out for ever. And, one day, the King will come again.


Crucified Savior,
Though Your crown may be made of thorns,
I will praise You.
Though Your robe may be a borrowed cloak,
I will bow down.
Though the symbol of Your Kingdom may be the instrument of Your death,
I will live in hope.
For I believe that You are not done with us yet.
Amen.



[1] Philippians 2:10