Our "tough guy" culture tries to tell us that only those who are strongest will survive, and sometimes you just gotta beat up on your enemies. Culture says that, but not Jesus. He brought a whole different method of defeating evil -- surrendering to it, absorbing it, in order to free us.
Isaiah 50 describes a servant who would not
rebel against the suffering he had to go through as the servant of the Lord: "The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away. I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will." This sounds much like what Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount: "“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also." (Mat. 5:38-39).
The way of Jesus is the way of seeming defeat in order to assure victory. In John's Apocalypse, the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" is revealed as a lamb who had been killed, and is deemed worthy because he has "won the victory" (Rev. 5:5-12). Winning a victory by dying? That's how the system of salvation worked: Jesus surrendered himself to death for us, and the result was life for everyone (1 Cor. 15:22 -- For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive).
Christians around the world are being killed, every day, for their belief in Jesus. None of these "defeats" is the end of the story. "We have read the end of the book, and we win" is a phrase we often use, and it's true -- our ultimate assurance is that the full battle has already been won and we are already victorious because we are "in Christ."
You may be facing persecution; or tough times in your family; or problems at work; or health issues as you get older, like me; or financial problems; or a host of other issues on the outside. You may also be struggling with temptation, addiction or negative emotions. Whatever it is, you can be sure that you are not facing it alone, because Jesus tells us "I am with you always" (Mat. 28:20). And on a spiritual level, we do not win a victory by pulling out all of our own tools and weapons against it -- we win by surrendering it all to the healing, grace and already-assured victory of Jesus. By being "determined to do his will" as Isaiah wrote about the Messiah, which does include our effort, but in the end, rests on the power of God in us to be victorious.
Our victory is in surrendering all our problems to the healing hands of Jesus. Can you pray that way today?
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