November 22

Power

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.  ––Isaiah 53:2-3

As God’s men we know that the world’s idea of power is polar opposite to God’s definition. When you ask non-believers to define power, they mention things like money, influence, position, and fame. So by that definition, not only was Jesus a relative unknown on the world’s stage, he utterly lacked power—as the world defines it. He never traveled more than 100 miles from where he was born, his ministry only lasted three years, he didn’t own anything, and He wasn’t wealthy.

For sure, the image of the messiah that Israel was waiting for did not fit the man called Jesus. For centuries the Jews had been waiting for a king to restore Israel to the glorious days it had seen under David and Solomon. This image of the messiah as conquering king became even more urgent after the Romans conquered Judea in 63 BC. But even then, it did not become a province of Rome until 6 AD. So by the time Jesus came of age, the Jews were chafing under the iron fist of Roman rule. Interestingly though, nowhere in the Old Testament does it suggest that the coming Messiah would come wielding military or political power. Here’s what the Jews had been promised by Isaiah:

Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.  ––Isaiah 9:7

At first glance, you’d think, “Well, yeah. Jesus was going to come in military power, overthrow the Romans (restore David’s throne), and rule over a powerful government.” The thing is, in order to understand the proper context of Isaiah 9, you have to view it through a Kingdom lens. The government Isaiah spoke of was a spiritual one, not political. What many did not understand—including some of Jesus’ own disciples—is that He wasn’t coming to wield the weapons of worldly power, He was coming to bring spiritual power.

As God’s men, we can’t miss this. The greatest power the world has ever seen is here, now. When Jesus ascended the Holy Spirit descended upon His people. The power to heal. The power to love others unconditionally. The power to offer hope to a hopeless world. It’s the kind of power that resides in you and me, via the Holy Spirit. And it can’t be bought, acquired, or conquered. Isn’t it amazing that the greatest power in the universe lives within us? That’s real power, man of God. Invite Him to work through you—own it, release it, wield it.

Father, thank You for giving me the power of Your Holy Spirit. May He work through me according to Your will.