Tuesday of Passion Week: The Wrong Response

The first time I visited Israel, I kept hearing about a group of people that were quite foreign to me: the Byzantines. We would look at the ruins of an old church or the walls of a particular city, and the tour guide would explain: “These structures date all the way back to the Byzantine period.” Any time I heard the word “Byzantine,” it would trigger an odd sense that I had probably learned about them in a bygone history class, but I could not articulate any meaningful explanation of who they are or their contribution to the world. However, since they obviously left quite a large footprint in the Land of Israel, I came home determined to learn more about them.

I found a podcast that gave an overview of Byzantine history, entitled, “12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of the Byzantine Empire.” The podcast is based upon a book by Lars Brownworth, Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization. The book title immediately encouraged me. Apparently, I was not alone in my Byzantine ignorance. It seems that on a larger scale, the Byzantine empire is “forgotten” and “lost” to Western consciousness.

As I listened to the podcast, I learned something about transitions in power throughout most of world history. They are typically very turbulent. When an emperor dies, there is a competitive power grab between opposing successors. Or, when an emperor’s reign is unsatisfactory, ambitious leaders may take it upon themselves to hasten that emperor’s death. Family members betray each other. Fathers have killed sons, and sons have killed fathers. Poison, knives, lies, and intrigue drive the storyline. All this seems fantastical to our Western, democratic minds, but a peaceful transition of power from one person to the next is the exception in human history, not the rule.

How does all this relate to Passion Week and our understanding of Jesus as King?

Though He lived in the midst of empire and in a day of emperors, Jesus didn’t play by those rules. Jesus did not seek to dethrone Caesar the way another king would. He did not capitalize on the momentum of His own popularity in order to thrust Himself into power. He chose another way.

After Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish to feed the 5,000, the people are ready to make Him their king (see John 6:1–15). What further proof do they need that Jesus is the promised Messiah? They’ve heard Him preach the kingdom. They’ve seen Him perform signs of healing “on those who were diseased” (John 6:2). Now, they’ve literally tasted miracles as He has met their needs. The people are ready to bring about a transition in power from one kingdom to the next.

However, consider Jesus’ response: “Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone” (John 6:15). When Jesus perceives that the multitude want to make Him king in the same way this world makes their kings, He hides Himself from their ambitious efforts. He refuses to ascend to power in that way.

To human eyes, that looks like the wrong response. Any other leader would have ridden the crescendo of popularity to a climatic battle and a celebrated throne. But Jesus is not any other leader. The way He chooses looks strange to our eyes, but like the donkey on Palm Sunday, it looks right to God’s eyes. In fact, because Jesus refuses to be made king according to the ways of man, God exalts Him to the place of highest honor. In Philippians 2:5–11, the apostle Paul describes how God “has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” because He was willing to be a servant and He humbled Himself “to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

According to the world, poison your adversary and maximize your popularity to become king. According to the kingdom of God, humble yourself before God and before man. Do not force your way into power. Exaltation from God comes through surprising avenues. Humility, suffering, and death. Even the death of the cross.

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Devotional by Pastor Micah Wood