Jesus the Conqueror

So often, when I think of Jesus, I think of his love. A love so incredible that for our sake he chose to become a man, to speak to us in our own words, to show us that he understands our plight, and then to purchase salvation and freedom for us at so terrible a cost to him. I took so long in understanding that Jesus was fully man, not just God with skin, that this revelation has really held my attention for quite some time. It comforts me to know that Jesus had family, and the weird complications that family bring to our lives. He had friends, friends who were true, friends who were weak, even a friend who turned out to be a backstabbing jerk. And Jesus even told these guys that they were his friends, not just his servants or followers. He called those who follow him his family. All of this appeals to me, it helps me know that I have a God who doesn't just put up with me, but he truly loves me and can understand my life, my difficulties, my struggles. This is what makes me love him so much, not just as some servant to his lord, some citizen to his king, but as a man to his father.

However, sometimes I need to remind myself that Jesus was more than a man. I need more than understanding, I need more than his infinite patience. I need a conqueror who will lead me to victory in my struggles. I get so caught up with the wonder and joy of his infinite love and never failing grace that I feel comfortable. But do I really need to test that infinite grace over and over to make sure it really is there? I feel like in my life I really do seem to think that Romans 6:1 is the way: "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" There is some emotional roller coaster I am stuck on, where in some perverse way I can find closeness to God by sinning, then coming to his presence all weepy and experiencing the comfort of how deep and wide his grace is. Am I truly that child, who thinks the only way he can know his daddy still loves him is to test that love through disobedience over and over?

Clearly, I need more than a God who understands. I need more than infinite grace and infinite love. I need to expand my view of Jesus to beyond who he was as a man.  One time, during his ministry on earth, he showed himself in a form that was beyond his flesh:


Matthew 17:1-8
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and khis clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.


Once again, if you have read previous entries in my blog you may recall, I have a hard time remembering to be amazed by the Bible. I grew up with these stories, I accepted them as fact, as part of my world view as a child. Now, as an adult, I have to shake myself out of the "Yeah, I know" mindset when reading the Bible. If I come at this fresh, if I reset my brain to think of the world that I daily interact with, all of a sudden, this moment in Jesus' life seems way more awesome.

I am glad he didn't start his ministry as Glowing Man, straight out of a Marvel comic book, I would have found him as hard to relate to as Super Man. Instead, Jesus came as a 30 year old carpenter with sisters and brothers and a mom who think he's gone a little nuts. It takes quite a while before people start to believe him, put their  trust in him, and to recognize him as more than a rebel preacher. Only AFTER Peter has the guts to say “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) does this man reveal his glorified form. Thus, I still get to have my God who became a man, who understands me and my struggles, who loves me with infinite love and patience and grace, despite who I am and what I do. Yet, by displaying his glory, I get to see that he is more than a prophet, more than a rebel preacher, more than a man. And by displaying his glory, we can recognize him in the Old Testament, showing that he did pre-exist his earthly ministry.

Daniel 10:5
I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.

Amazing, just by one little camping trip to the top of a mountain, Jesus showed himself to be this man who spoke to Daniel 600 years previous. He also showed that Moses and Elijah respected him, which put him as an equal (at least) with the greatest men of the Jewish Bible. Also, we see that he is a warrior who is doing battle in the Old Testament. People question if this man in Daniel is Jesus because he said that he needed help from Michael to get past the prince of the kingdom of Persia. I disagree, I think that yes, Jesus could have come down to Adam and Eve in the garden, he could have had Adam nail him to a cross right there, and he could have died, beat death, come back to life, given Adam and Eve new and holy bodies, and let Adam and Eve back into the garden. However, no-one would have understood what happened, the significance, the cost, or the amazing love involved in so short a story. I think God chose to let man live in sin long enough to know just how bad it was, just how much we need him and his way of salvation, so that we could gain some insight into his love and the terrible cost of salvation.  Therefore, since God chose to allow some time to go by before sending Jesus, I think it is quite reasonable to assume that Jesus allowed limits to be placed on his victories so that time could go by. If he automatically went out and won every battle, once again there would be little point in waiting a few thousand years before coming as a man, and waiting more thousands of years before coming back to end the story of sin. So, I am perfectly comfortable in seeing this man as Jesus, especially when he looks a lot like the glorified Jesus during his transfiguration, and he looks even more like the returning Christ. In fact, these verses in Daniel really help us recognize the one who is coming back.


Revelation 1:13
...one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.


So what changes in our view of Jesus? I thought of him as a man, one who understands me. Now I can think of him as a man who has bright white hair, eyes of fire, feet of bronze, face like the sun, some sort of sword coming out of his mouth, and a face I shouldn't look at because we aren't supposed to look at the sun. Oh, and a voice that sounds like flowing water, or like a bunch of voices together. So... what? What does all this fancy appearance and bright light and all mean to me? Well, now that we know how to recognize him, we can now know where to look for him in action:


Revelation 19:11
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Daniel 7:13

I saw in the night visions,

and obehold, with the clouds of heaven

there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.

Wow, so now we see Jesus as a warrior, who wins all and takes all titles, all authority, upon himself. He is the ultimate victor who will set up an everlasting kingdom. There is nothing that can stand in his way.

So how does this affect me, personally? I mean, my relationship with Jesus is personal, and if I am to change my view of Jesus, it needs to change in some personal way. Here we see that when Jesus comes back, nothing will stand in his way. We see that he conquers. But millions of Christians have lived and died since Jesus lived here on Earth, and they did not experience this victory of Christ in a personal way, at least not during their earthly lives. So, if I am to end up joining those, if I am not going to end up seeing Jesus win the battle with my flesh-eyes, how is this in any way personal?


James 4:1
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but dgives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.


Yeah, that's a bit more personal. I am at war with my passions. You bet I am. In fact, if I keep returning to my sin over and over, just to taste that grace over and over, I have just rolled over like a dog in my war with my passions. Yet the man in me is stirred. I am called to war. I am called a warrior, and I am called to battle. I am called by the ultimate conqueror to do war with the passions of this world within me. I am called to resist the devil. I am called to war.

When Jesus resisted the Devil, he had fasted for 40 days. He had iron control over his body and its earthly passions. In what way have I trained, in what way have I prepared, for a war with my passions? It is time hear the bugle call, to stand up like a man and go to war, and win victory against the passions of my flesh with the Ultimate Victor at my side.