Nov 8 - Luke 23:37

"If you are

the King of the Jews,

save yourself!"

Luke 23:37

Kings have authority. If the king snaps his finger, he's brought a cup of wine. If the king claps his hands, he's brought the fatted calf, roasted with potatoes and onions. If the king raises his voice, armies go to war and soldiers die. Kings have authority.

It was natural to think that if Jesus was a true king, he could snap his fingers, clap his hands, wiggle his toes, and raise his voice, and some army would race to his side.

In the wilderness, Satan tried to tempt him with that very thing. Jump off the pinnacle of the temple, snap your fingers, and wiggle your toes, and see if the angels won't rush to your side.

True kings have authority. And apparently, the true king -- Roman and Caesar's legions -- put this imposter on the cross. Therefore, when no army rushed to Jesus' side, the world -- and Satan -- thought that they had won.

That is, of course, how the world thinks. The world thinks: "Save yourself." Let's simplify that ... The world thinks: "Self." God, on the other hand, thinks: "Others."

Jesus showed no great earthly power when the world nailed him to the cross. Rather, he did something counter-intuitive: He thought of you before he thought of himself. He loved you, rather than loving his life here. He saved you instead of saving himself.

Jesus' kingdom, if it hadn't occured to you already, is different than other kingdoms. It's based on love rather than armies. Forgiveness rather than wars. Hope rather than curses. Blessings rather than despair.

If the people at the cross had known what they were doing, they would have said, "If you are the King of the Jews, save us."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to

snap his fingers,

wiggle his toes,

clap his hands ...

Why? Because the king loves me like a son!!!