Agony, majesty, pride, and surrender—all in one short passage
By Dean Collins
The crowds seemed to keep growing as Jesus continued to meet human needs in miraculous ways. Some on this occasion had likely filled their stomachs with bread and fish not that many days earlier. When they saw Jesus and a few of his disciples descending the mountain, maybe they hoped for another meal. But those who follow Jesus know all too well that Jesus can give so much more than just physical food. Maybe it was curiosity that caused more and more people to search for Jesus and see what he would do next.
The enemy of God
Today it was a miracle involving a boy possessed and tormented by an evil spirit. The boy’s father described the recurring experience: “A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.” The boy was not the only one in agony. The father was in great distress watching this torment, helpless to make it go away. We can only assume the boy’s extended family were all in despair.
The father had tried everything, including taking his son to some of Jesus’ disciples and begging them to cast out the evil spirit. They were not able. Jesus told the father to bring the boy to him. The demon boldly tormented the boy for the last time. The enemy of God is arrogant, but often careless. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. No doubt tears of relief and joy streamed from the father’s face.
The majesty of God
Luke tells us that everyone was astonished at the majesty of God. Think about that. While many were wondering who this Jesus was, suddenly they were clear that his actions displayed the very majesty of God. There was no question that God was moving through Jesus. We know what they were beginning to wonder about, the real identity of Jesus, the Word who became flesh and chose to live here awhile with us and like us, for us.
And as the crowd began to talk about the wonder and majesty they had seen right before their eyes and the way Jesus changed everything he touched, Jesus spoke to his disciples with instructions. “Let these words sink in,” he said. “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
The surrender of Jesus
It was impossible for them to take in this thought. How could Jesus, who so clearly displayed God’s majesty, be delivered into anyone’s hands? The presence of God was so prevalent! Surely no one could overtake him. But the harder thought to embrace was that he would deliberately allow anyone to take him captive to do with as they wished. Jesus would fulfill his mission by surrender.
The idea of surrender was hard to imagine for the Jewish people who had waited centuries for a mighty Messiah to deliver them. The idea of surrender doesn't sit well with us, either. We are taught to be winners. Surrender sounds like losing, which is no one’s life goal.
Jesus told his disciples to think seriously about what he said, but they did not understand. Soon something triggered an argument about which of them would be the greatest. Maybe they were just playing out what Jesus had introduced. If Jesus gave in and surrendered, then who would be in charge? I imagine several disciples floated their own names as the ones with the proper credentials.
A picture of greatness
But before the argument got out of hand, Jesus shut it down by introducing a new picture of greatness. His definition was actually consistent with his willingness to surrender. His definition involved humility, childlike wonder and imagination, and trust in God’s ways over man’s. “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,” he said, “and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
Jesus clearly did not understand ladder climbing. He must not have read any career advice about developing more competencies, taking more leadership classes, and developing a good network. Jesus wasn’t offering advice to his disciples; he was simply describing how his kingdom worked. It works very differently from the world’s. It is rooted in humility and service with complete confidence that God will advance his purposes best when we lead by service to others.
When we choose to accept the definition of greatness that Jesus gave his disciples, then our path of servant leadership will lead to many being astonished at the majesty of God at work around us. And astonishment might lead to wonder and wonder to surrender to God’s ways over man’s. These little steps of obedience translate into God’s glory and watching God’s kingdom flourish.
Your time with God’s Word
Luke 9:37-50 ESV
Photos by Papaioannou Kostas and Shravan K Acharya at unsplash.com
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