Jesus is the BETTER Messiah.
The people taunt him and insult him asking him to save himself but Jesus stays on the cross and suffers and dies to save those who are taunting him and insulting him.
Luke 12: 32-43
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Jesus does not seek to save himself and use his power to solve only his pain and only his problem but in laying down his power to save himself on the cross solves all the problems of pain and suffering eternally.
May we rest in the truth that Jesus' death kills all the selfish ways we try to save and redeem ourselves. May we stop trying to save our-self-ishness and worship and follow Jesus as Savior.
Jesus is the BETTER reconciler.
Jesus is arrested and is sent to Pilate who questions him then sends him to Herod. Herod asks Jesus questions and then sends him back to Pilate again. Herod and Pilate had been enemies but on that day they became friends. Here is the perfection of reconciliation: Jesus makes enemies friends.
Luke 23:3-12
3 So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
5 But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.
10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe,they sent him back to Pilate.
12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.
May we foremost become friends with Jesus and rest in his love and companionship as the ultimate friendship we need.
May we learn from Jesus that we must make friends of our enemies, especially as an embodiment of God's reconciliatory love and grace that restores.
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