Becoming the Kind of Warrior Jesus Was

Becoming the Kind of Warrior Jesus Was

What if there were a fundamental part of the very Identity of Jesus that you almost never hear about, and many Christians miss? You might find this episode very enlightening as we dig into Jesus’ identity as a WARRIOR, and why joining him in his fight matters so much today. From Genesis to Malachi, the pages of the OT promise that one day the Anointed One (Messiah) would be a WARRIOR who would come to liberate God’s oppressed people.

OT Teaching that the Messiah Would Be a Warrior

Here is an example that we recognize from celebrating Christmas, in Isaiah 9:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined…. For the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this (vs 2-7).

The king, who would establish this new order, was understood by most Israelites to be an earthly ruler who would overthrow the enemies of Israel who routinely oppressed her. Even after Jesus’ resurrection, his own disciples still seemed to expect Jesus to usher in a political/military kingdom. Just before his ascension, they said to him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6)? Despite the widespread notion that the kingship of the Messiah would be in the form of a political/military state, the messianic prophecies had always contained clues that the oppressors of God’s people to be overthrown were more deadly than earthly rulers. The real oppressors the Messiah would come to overthrow would be the triumvirate that had usurped Adam’s kingdom and enslaved his race—Satan, Sin, and Death. For example, in the messianic prophecy mentioned above (Isaiah 9) the Messiah sets up a kingdom of peace, righteousness, and justice. It is SIN that must be overthrown to establish such a kingdom. Similarly, a messianic prophecy in Isaiah 61 ends with:

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause RIGHTEOUSNESS and praise to sprout up before all the nations (Isa 61:10-11).

The only kingdom the Messiah came to inaugurate was a kingdom of righteousness—a kingdom where sin has been overthrown. Moreover, implicit in the messianic prophecies was the elimination of death. At the birth of Jesus, the angel said to Mary, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end" (Lk 1:31- 33). Clearly, he was to be a king in the line of David. This king would reign over a kingdom that had vanquished death; it was to be an eternal kingdom.

Another text, which stresses the everlasting kingship of the Messiah, is Psalm 110.  The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! (Ps 110:1-2). This psalm is one of the most often cited OT texts in the NT with quotations or illusions appearing in the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline epistles, Hebrews, and Peter’s epistles. It is especially significant that the opening verses are quoted by Paul in his argument in 1 Corinthians 15:24-26: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 also make clear that the Messiah’s enemies in Psalm 110 were more than earthly oppressors of Israel. The enemies Christ must vanquish are “death” and “every rule and every authority and every power,” which refer to the evil angelic hosts. Hebrews 2:14 makes clear that Jesus’ foe was Satan himself: Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” This third oppressor to be overthrown always was the Evil One and his minions. The seed of the woman would crush Satan’s head. The Messiah was a WARRIOR—the only human warrior—God himself come in the flesh—who could free Adam’s kingdom from slavery to the triumvirate, Satan, Sin, and Death.

John the Baptist Understood the Messiah to Be a WARRIOR

John the Baptist not only envisioned the Messiah as a coming king but understood his kingdom to go far beyond the borders of Israel. He warned of the transcendent and universal judgment which would come with the appearance of the Messiah, warning his listeners to “flee from the wrath to come” and that “the axe is laid to the foot of the trees” (Mt 3:7-10). John thus shows the real enemy of God’s people, who needs to be vanquished by the Warrior King, to be SIN. John’s concept of the messianic kingdom is further revealed by his mention of Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire, referring to the Spirit’s sanctifying work of purifying human hearts. The kingship of Christ begins with the work of God’s Spirit in the human heart to vanquish sin.

The Messianic Warrior King is the Second Adam

Genesis 1-3 reports the story of the first Adam coming into the world, being tempted by Satan, surrendering to sin, and losing his kingdom to Satan, sin, and death. The gospel tells the story of the second Adam. He was also made of human flesh. He was also tempted by Satan, but in his case, it was not in a lush garden surrounded by delicious fruit but in a barren wilderness. The second Adam did not have the companionship of another human at his side but was alone in his temptation. The second Adam was not tempted to eat fruit on a full stomach but after forty days of fasting. The second Adam was not silent in the face of Satan’s lies but responded by restating God’s truth. The second Adam did not yield to Satan’s temptation but totally obeyed The High King. Because the second Adam passed his test, he defeated Satan, sin, and death winning salvation for all who are in him. “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22).

Christ’s resurrection proves that victory has been won. “Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’ the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Cor 15:45). It is hard to see in the text, but Paul’s contrast here is between the temporal life passed on to his descendants by the first Adam, (made temporal by Adam’s sin), and the everlasting life passed on to his descendants by the last Adam, (made everlasting by Christ’s righteous life). In summary, the kingdom won by Christ, the second Adam, is the kingdom lost by the first Adam. Christ does everything that the first Adam should have done and more. He defeats Satan, sin, and death at the cross then inaugurates his kingdom—the reign of righteousness over Adam’s original kingdom. Just as the first Adam was the head of the FALLEN WORLD, the second Adam is the head of a REDEEMED WORLD. His perfect life and sacrificial death are the basis for a new orientation for all creation. The scope of deliverance in Christ is magnificent—redemption is as wide as creation itself!

The GOSPEL of Jesus Is the Good News that Adam’s Kingdom Has Been Set Free from Slavery to Sin and Is Becoming Christ’s Kingdom of Righteousness

The chief subject about which Jesus’ disciples learned was the kingdom of God. THE KINGDOM OF GOD, or the Kingdom of Heaven, is one of the most central concepts in the history of revelation. Jesus opened his public ministry with the words, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15). The gospel Jesus proclaimed was not simply the good news that an individual could be delivered from an eternity in hell. It was never just the gospel of personal, private salvation. It is that, but more. The true gospel has always been the gospel of the kingdom. It takes just a few texts to make this clear: “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Mt 4:23). “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction” (Mt 9:35). “Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God” (Lk 8:1).

Not only do the gospel writers describe Jesus’ ministry as proclaiming the good news of the kingdom; they record Jesus himself describing his preaching ministry the same way: “He said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose’” (Lk 4:43). Furthermore, until Jesus returns his followers are to proclaim the good news of the kingdom: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Mt 24:14).

Messianic Kingdom Arrival Means the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Darkness

When we understand that the Messiah was a WARRIOR come to overthrow Satan, Sin, and Death, we understand why Satan’s empire is filled with alarm (Mt 4:3; Mk 1:24; Mt 12:29). A deliverer has come to overthrow the masters whose control of Adam’s kingdom had caused every ounce of human suffering. The glorious beginning of a new order, where there is no longer any mourning or crying or pain, has broken into human history. This king, who overthrows the corruption of the fallen order caused by Adam’s sin, demonstrates the arrival of the new order in all that he does. By his healing power, he shows that the kingdom of God reverses the curse on Adam’s race and kingdom brought about by their sin. The deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk. Human bodies, broken by paralysis or disease, are made whole. Even destructive forces of nature are overpowered as the wind and waves obey the voice of Jesus. The curse upon them, because of Adam’s sin, is temporarily overcome by the command of earth’s rightful king. He empowers his disciples to heal and commands them to explain that such healing is proof that the kingdom of God is near (Lk 10:11.).

The ultimate vanquishing of the destructive effects of sin’s reign over the earth is Jesus’ overthrow of death. He raises Jairus’ daughter from the dead, the widow’s son, and his friend Lazarus. In so doing, Jesus demonstrates more than his divine power. He is showing that he has come to overthrow the brokenness and havoc spread through all of creation by sin. Every part of human culture and the created order are to be redeemed by his power and rule. The arrival of the new order brought to earth by King Jesus is further manifest by his power over Satan’s kingdom. In Matthew 12:26-29 Jesus interprets his own mission to be the invasion of Satan’s kingdom. The strong man is being bound so his house may be plundered. Not only does Jesus repeatedly cast out demons, but he empowers his disciples to show that the kingdom is near, by casting out demons. The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Lk 10:17-18). Satan’s fall from heaven is the beginning of the end for the devil’s kingdom. The righteous kingdom of God has invaded earth. Jesus’ exorcisms are not merely proof that Jesus is God come in the flesh. Jesus himself said their significance was in proving that the kingdom of God had come.

Jesus was reluctant to publicly identify himself as the messianic king—because nearly everyone in his culture misunderstood the nature of his kingship and who the real enemy that needed to be overthrown was, i.e. SIN, not Rome. In his trial before Pilate Jesus finally clearly admitted his kingship: Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world.” (Jn 18:37). Despite his reluctance to publicly use the word, king (BASILEUS), to identify himself as the king of the kingdom he was inaugurating, Jesus did clearly identify himself as the king of the coming messianic kingdom by taking to himself the title, Son Of Man. As the Geneva Study Bible points out, “The expression Son of Man is used 69 times by the synoptic gospels and 12 times in the Gospel of John to refer to Christ. It is the title Jesus most often used for himself.” Here is Daniel’s prophecy about Christ, the Messiah, of divine origin coming on the Shakina glory cloud, speaking to God the Father who is called, the Ancient of Days:

And behold, 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 (Dan 7:13-14).

In Jesus’ teaching, the coming of the Son of Man (Mt 10:23) is synonymous with the coming of the kingdom of God. Thus, Jesus’ frequent reference to himself as the Son of Man is a claim to be the King of kings and Lord of lords, the messianic king who would recover Adam’s lost kingdom and establish The High King’s righteous rule over earth.

It is important to remember that this “divine kingly rule” descending from heaven, as King Jesus arrives, is NOT the sovereign rule of God, but his preceptive rule. God has always ruled sovereignly over the earth. The kingdom inaugurated by King Jesus is the new heaven and new earth to be established by his overthrow of Satan, sin, and death. That kingdom is the realm where there will be submission to the righteous standard of The High King. Christ’s kingdom is being manifest to whatever degree Christ’s righteous agenda is being followed in each sphere of life on planet earth. At the very core of Christ’s identity, he is THE WARRIOR who has come to overthrow sin, fix everything broken by sin, and establish his kingdom of righteousness. Though he will not complete this process until his final return, Jesus’ IDENITITY AS A WARRIOR has enormous implications for his followers. Disciples follow their master and totally embrace their master’s cause:

Practical Implications of Our Master Being a Warrior

1) Christ’s followers are to SEEK first God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS. Tragically this calling is often missed because it sounds like many wrong approaches to Christianity.

  • It sounds like works righteousness—trying to save ourselves by our works.
  • It sounds like moralism—thinking we can earn God’s love and favor by works.
  • It sounds like legalism—being like the Pharisees and knit picking and focusing on extreme outward performance instead of a heart righteousness.

But in the fourth beatitude, Jesus teaches us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. The righteousness, he commands us to seek means allowing his Word to penetrate and transform our hearts, and then seeking to establish Christ’s agenda in every area of our lives. Being a warrior like Jesus means fighting, striving against, struggling to combat sin in our own lives, through his resurrection power.

2) Christ followers are called to intentional PRAYER WAREFARE. Right now, Jesus is interceding that his kingdom of righteousness will prevail over the kingdom of darkness. In a sense, he has already broken Satan’s back, disarming (Col 2:15) Satan, guaranteeing that when Christ returns, Satan and Sin will be destroyed. But in another sense, we are all called, in this age, to join with Jesus in his intercession that his kingdom of righteousness with prevail over earth.  He taught us to pray “May your kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (where righteousness prevails.)”  How might God be leading you to pray, following Paul’s example, asking that God may grant (YOUR LOVED ONE) to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in their inner being, so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through their faith.

May our eyes be opened to see what a might warrior Jesus was, and fight for the defeat of evil and the restoration of wholeness—righteousness—over planet earth for the honor of earth’s rightful king!