Which Messiah to Follow?

If you are familiar with the gospel accounts in the New Testament, then you know that many people believed that Jesus was the long-anticipated Jewish messiah who would liberate Israel from oppression and drive out the nation’s enemies. But Jesus instead was crucified and buried in a tomb without raising an army or kicking the Romans out of town.

And then his followers claimed that God had raised Jesus from the dead and that, soon thereafter, Jesus ascended to Heaven. And people started claiming faith in him. By the time of the reign of Constantine (about 300 years later), it’s estimated that about 10% of the Roman Empire identified as followers of Jesus (the Empire was around 60 million people at that time). Ten percent might seem small, but come on—in less than positive circumstances, six million is a pretty impressive number.

Some folks say that the resurrection story was all made up by a group of Jesus’ desperate followers in order to get a new movement going. But if that’s true, then they picked the wrong messiah.

There were others, before and after the time of Jesus, who people thought might be the chosen one of God. Unlike Jesus, these guys did rally people to take up weapons and rebel against the Romans. One of them, Simon Bar-Kokhba, showed up around 100 years after Jesus, raised an army, fought the Romans, and actually succeeded in establishing a Jewish state that lasted for three years until the Romans stormed in and killed him.

People should have made up resurrection stories about one of those guys. Seems like they would have had much greater success in using power to get what they wanted.

Instead, people made the claim about Jesus, whose revolutionary words were about love (even toward enemies), forgiveness, peace, caring for others, and the worship of God (who Jesus called Father), who was the source of what Jesus taught. And rather than promote a faith that was ethnically exclusive, Jesus claimed that what God desired was for the sake and blessing of the whole world.

The story about Jesus’ resurrection—whether you believe it or not—should never have had the effect that it did. But it did.

So my question today, my fellow people of faith, is this: What messiah are we hoping to follow today? Is it one who will rally the troops, bring terror and violence upon perceived enemies (including one’s neighbors), and demonize those who stand in opposition? Or are we going to follow the one who invites us to follow in his way (“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”), or are we going to throw our lot in with those that Jesus warned his disciples (and us) about:

“Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. (Matthew 25:4-5)

Let’s keep our eyes open. Let’s be clear-minded. Let’s be civil. Let’s follow in the way of Jesus.