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The Titles of Jesus in Luke

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Cory Doctorow (2014), Creative Commons

All authors employ names and titles to convey meaning in their work. The biblical writers are no exception.

I’m in the middle of a project examining the use of titles and names for Jesus in the Gospels. My first article laid out my methodology and looked at the top 10 titles of Jesus in the Gospels. I recently wrote about the titles of Jesus in Matthew and Mark, and today we turn to the Gospel of Luke.

Top 7 Titles

Luke uses 122 titles for Jesus. So while Luke contains 30.5% of the verses in the Gospels, it contains only 27.5% (122/443) of the titles.

Here are the top 7 titles in Luke. (I’ve included 7 instead of 5 because of equal numbers at the end of this list.)

  1. Lord (35 times)
  2. Son of Man (25 times)
  3. teacher (13 times)
  4. Christ (7 times)
  5. Master (5 times)
  6. Son (5 times)
  7. Son of God (5 times)

Titles Used by Luke

Luke is notable in that he himself used titles for Jesus more than Matthew (10 times) or Mark (5 times). Luke referred to Jesus by a title 16 times. He called Jesus “Lord” 13 times, “Christ” two times, and “son (as was supposed) of Joseph” once.

Compared to the writers of the first two Gospels, it seems Luke had a favorite way of referring to Jesus. This is likely related to why that particular title is used so much by other characters in Luke’s Gospel.

Titles and Luke’s Purpose

Courtesy of my co-blogger Peter Krol, we have an abundance of resources on this website related to the Gospel of Luke. Most of these articles are linked from Peter’s Interpretive Overview of Luke.

Peter stated the main point of Luke this way.

The hope of Israel, God’s plan of salvation for the world, has arrived in Jesus.

Can we draw any connections between this main point and the titles of Jesus that Luke uses?

We must remember that Luke was a historian. He wrote these investigative accounts (Luke and Acts) to “most excellent Theophilus” so that he might “have certainty concerning the things [he has] been taught” (Luke 1:3-4).

In addition to being a historian, Luke was a companion of the apostle Paul. There are moments in the narrative of Acts (such as in chapter 21) where Luke’s account shifts from “they” to “we.”

I noted above that Luke himself used the title “Lord” for Jesus quite a bit in his Gospel (13 times). When I look at those occurrences, I can’t detect any trends or patterns. I can only conclude that “Lord” was simply a natural way for Luke to refer to Jesus.

And upon reflection, this makes sense, doesn’t it? Who better to write an accurate historical account of Jesus’s life and ministry—in addition to an account of his followers in the years after his death—than someone who called him “Lord”? Luke could masterfully write about God’s salvation for the world arriving in Jesus because that same salvation had come to him.

Luke was not a modern historian, writing in stuffy remove and objectivity. Luke wrote as an ancient historian—accurate, yes, but with an accuracy compelled by love of his subject.

The Titles of Jesus in Mark

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Picture filled with name tag stickers containing different names
Travis Wise (2014), Creative Commons License

All authors employ names and titles to convey meaning in their work. The biblical writers are no exception.

I’m in the middle of a project examining the use of titles and names for Jesus in the Gospels. My first article laid out my methodology and looked at the top 10 titles of Jesus in the Gospels. I recently wrote about the titles of Jesus in Matthew, and today we turn to the Gospel of Mark.

Top 5 Titles

There are 61 titles used for Jesus in Mark, accounting for 13.8% of the titles used for Jesus in all four Gospels combined. As Mark contains 17.9% of the verses in the Gospels, we see that there are fewer titles in Mark than we might expect.

Here are the top five titles in Mark.

  1. Son of Man (14 times)
  2. teacher (12 times)
  3. king of the Jews (5 times)
  4. Christ (4 times)
  5. Rabbi (4 times)

The title “Lord” is missing from this list, as it is only used twice in Mark compared to 23 times in Matthew. (“Lord” is the second most-used title in Matthew.) We see “the king of the Jews” only show up toward the end of Mark; it is used three times by Pilate, once by the Roman soldiers, and once on the inscription above the cross.

Titles Used by Mark

The author of this Gospel himself used a title for Jesus five times. He called Jesus the “Son of Man” twice and referred to him as “Christ,” “Son of God,” and “Lord” one time each.

We should not skip past these references simply because they are small in number, as two of these titles occupy a key position in the book. Here is the beginning of Mark’s Gospel.

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)

As Peter Krol has shown in his interpretive overview of Mark, the two titles in this opening verse (“Christ” and “Son of God”) give a road map for the book. Mark aims to show his readers that Jesus is both the Christ (the Messiah) and the Son of God (the rightful king).

Titles and Mark’s Purpose

When writing about the titles of Jesus, I have emphasized that we cannot learn everything about a Gospel by looking at this small bit of linguistic accounting. And Mark’s writing provides an excellent example.

When Peter wrote about Mark for our feeding the 5000 and resurrection of Jesus series, he noted that Mark is more of a show you book than a tell you book. In other words, Mark uses narrative more than discourse to get his points across.

If this is true, then it shouldn’t be a surprise that Mark contains relatively few titles of Jesus. Many of the times when a character refers to Jesus by a title, it is in the context of a dialogue (often “Lord” in Matthew) or it precedes some extended instruction from Jesus (often “teacher” in Matthew). If Mark uses these narrative tools less frequently, then the use of titles will decrease as well.

But what about Mark’s main point? If he wanted to stress that Jesus is the king, wouldn’t we see more royal titles?

Again, Mark just doesn’t use titles very much. We have “king of the Jews” in the top five, but this is used questioningly or ironically each time.

I will write a separate post on this in the near future, but “Son of Man”—the most frequently used title in Mark—is a royal title. We often assume that “son of God” emphasizes Jesus’s divinity while “son of Man” emphasizes his humanity, but the difference is not quite this easy. Some scholars might even say that “son of Man” is the more exalted, divine title of the two.

While there are some interesting details to notice in Mark regarding the titles of Jesus, this book is a good reminder that titles were never meant to tell us everything. Names and titles are crucial observations to make when studying a passage, but we had better not stop there if we want to understand an author’s meaning!

The Titles of Jesus in Matthew

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Photo of name tags attached to a chain link fence
Daniel Thomas (2019), public domain

The names we call others provide a snapshot of our relationship. It is drastically different, for example, to hear a child refer to an adult as “Mr. Smith,” “Officer Thomas,” or “Daddy.”

Names and titles matter throughout the Scriptures, and I’ve recently started a project examining the use of titles and names for Jesus in the Gospels. My first article laid out my methodology and looked at the top 10 titles of Jesus in the Gospels.

In this article we’ll consider the titles used for Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

Top 5 Titles

By my accounting, there are 131 titles used for Jesus in Matthew. There are 443 in all four Gospels, so the titles in Matthew account for about 29.6% of the all titles. (Matthew contains about 28% of the verses in the Gospels.)

Here are the top 5 titles in Matthew.

  1. Son of Man (30 times)
  2. Lord (23 times)
  3. Christ (13 times)
  4. teacher (10 times)
  5. the child (9 times)

The next few entries on the list are also interesting: Son of David (8 times), Son of God (8 times), and Son (6 times). The top four titles used in Matthew are the same as the top four titles used in all the Gospels, just in a slightly different order.

Perhaps also of interest: the title “Lord” comes from Peter five times, and five of the 13 uses of “Christ” are by Matthew himself.

Titles Used by Matthew

Most of the titles used in the Gospels are put in the mouth of someone else by the Gospel author. But there are times when the author himself refers to a name or title of Jesus.

There are ten such occasions in Matthew. He refers to Jesus as “Christ” five times, as “the child” four times, and as the “Son of David” once. Nine of these occasions are found within the first two chapters of the Gospel; the other one (“the Christ”) is found in Matthew 11:2.

Old Testament References and “the child”

Matthew is the only Gospel writer who uses titles for Jesus within Old Testament quotations. He does this five times.

  • Immanuel (Matt 1:23)
  • ruler (Matt 2:6)
  • son (Matt 2:15)
  • servant (Matt 12:18)
  • beloved (Matt 12:18)

Another unique aspect of Matthew is that he is the only Gospel writer who uses the title/role “the child” to refer to Jesus—and he does this nine times. These all occur in the second chapter of Matthew, as we learn of the prophecy about the coming Messiah. This title is used by Matthew four times, by an angel of the Lord four times, and once by Herod.

Relation to Matthew’s Purpose

In my co-blogger Peter Krol’s series on the feeding of the 5000, he provided a nice overview of Matthew. In my article about the resurrection of Jesus in Matthew, I summarized Peter’s work this way.

Matthew wrote to convince his audience that Jesus was the king of the Jews. He spends much of his book explaining the kingdom of heaven and its subjects.

Given this purpose, it might be surprising not to find a title like “king” among the most-used in Matthew. (The title “king of the Jews” is only used four times in Matthew.)

We must remember, when looking at these titles of Jesus that I’ve compiled, that everything must be examined in context. We cannot draw any concrete conclusions by just counting occurrences or omissions. Further, different authors write differently—some might use titles more frequently, others might display Jesus as the king by showing him in kingly settings or performing kingly acts.

In what we have discussed so far, Matthew’s purpose is not hard to see. He is writing to a people who understood the Old Testament prophets, so references to “the child” (from Is 7:14) and other OT titles would situate Jesus within a rich, expectant tradition.

Matthew himself calls Jesus the “Son of David” once, and this title is used a total of eight times in this Gospel. (It is only used 12 times total in all Gospels.) We will explore these titles in a later article, but “Son of David,” “Son of God” (8 times), and even “Son” (6 times) are all royal titles. Even though the word “king” is not present, the first hearers of Matthew would have known Jesus was being described as the king.

Reading to Know Jesus

Looking at the titles used for Jesus can be interesting and illuminating, but let’s not leave it as a mere intellectual exercise. Matthew was not just writing to convey information; he wanted his readers to know that Jesus is the king of Israel.

By the titles he used, we know that Matthew did not just think of Jesus as a historical figure. He was the Christ, the promised Messiah, the one sent to save his people from their sins (Matt 1:21).

Top 10 Titles of Jesus in the Gospels

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Jon Tyson (2018), public domain

Names and titles are important in the Bible. They are one of the key features to observe about a passage, because an author uses names and titles of characters to convey meaning. Titles can even provide clues about the author’s main point of an epistle!

Like many of our readers, I have found my co-blogger Peter Krol’s research on the NT use of the OT valuable, and I thought a similar project involving the titles used for Jesus in the Gospels could be useful.

The Criteria

In order to make the project tractable, I needed to define my terms. What do I mean by a title of Jesus? To start with, I considered roles, job names, or honorifics. I also required that the reference in the text be explicit, not merely implied.

Finally, I decided to view the titles of Jesus through each Gospel author’s perspective. In other words, if the author saw something as a role, job, or honorific of Jesus, then I would include this in my count. (Many thanks to Peter for his help in nailing this down.)

What are the implications? I included all references made by Jesus to himself as the “Son of Man,” because the Gospel authors seem to want their readers to attach this title to Jesus. (Not everyone who heard Jesus refer to himself in this way knew what was going on!) Additionally, I did not include the metaphorical references by Jesus to himself as “the vine,” “the light of the world,” etc., in John, because while understanding these self-references is important, these are not roles, jobs, or honorifics.

Additionally, I have collapsed some of the titles for the sake of counting commonality. Though you may think of “good teacher” as a separate title from “teacher,” I have just listed the title as “teacher” for Mark 10:17 and Luke 18:18 to match the many other uses of that title.

Other people may conceive of the Titles of Jesus differently than me, and that’s okay! I had to draw the lines somewhere, and this is where I landed. You can see an exhaustive list of the titles of Jesus in this spreadsheet.

If you catch any mistakes I’ve made (and I’m sure there are plenty), please point them out. I’d love for this work to be as accurate as possible.

Top 10 Titles

With all this as preamble, here are the top ten titles of Jesus as they appear in the Gospels. Do any of these surprise you?

  1. Lord (97 times)
  2. Son of Man (80 times)
  3. teacher (39 times)
  4. Christ (35 times) — includes “Christ of God” and “Christ the Lord”
  5. Son (30 times)
  6. Son of God (30 times) — includes “Son of the Blessed,” “Son of the living God,” “Son of the Most High,” and “Son of the Most High God”
  7. king of the Jews/Israel (22 times)
  8. Rabbi (13 times)
  9. Son of David (12 times)
  10. Jesus of Nazareth (10 times)

In future articles, I will look at each Gospel writer’s use of titles for Jesus as well as some of the most common titles themselves.

Titles themselves are just words; they never tell a whole story without a proper look at the context. However, the way an author consistently refers to a character can reveal a lot about how the author wants the reader to view that character.

Let’s Not Employ the Gospel as Justification to Keep Sinning

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In Romans 6:1, the apostle Paul asks a crucial question to clarify a potential misapplication of his gospel: “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” In other words, does the grace of God give believers permission to continue in their sin without ever having to change?

By no means!

Photo by Ray Harrington on Unsplash

An Old Problem

Misconstruing God’s grace in this way was not unique to Paul’s mission or Paul’s gospel. This problem is not a strictly Pauline one. Consider Jeremiah’s fiery words in the Jerusalem temple of his day, shortly before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar:

Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: …Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?

Jeremiah 7:3-11

The people of Israel committed all kinds of sin against their God, yet they trusted in God’s grace to get them through. They believed God’s grace was big enough to prevent them from having to actually change their behavior.

So the Lord goes on to tell them to look at the ruins of their previous sanctuary in Shiloh (from before the Philistines conquered them centuries earlier). This temple would end up the same way.

Today’s Gospel

Of course, we must be careful to preach Christ and him crucified whenever we lead Bible studies and teach the Scriptures. The good news about the Christ is the center of all of God’s revelation.

But we have misunderstood that message if we make it sound in any way as though people won’t have to change. As though coming just as they are means always remaining just as they are. As though repentance (change) were not the indispensable companion to belief (Mark 1:15).

I’ve found we must use caution with such phrases as “struggling with sin.” If by that phrase you mean that it is hard to put sin to death—but you are making progress in that direction—then well and good. Keep on keeping on!

But if by that phrase you really mean, “I’m sad about it, but I’m just going to have to live with it for the rest of my life,” then please reconsider what the whole point of the “struggle” ought to be (Col 3:5, Titus 2:11-14).

Titus: From Sound Faith Flow Character and Devotion to Good Works

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Ezra Jeffrey-Comeau (2018), public domain

Paul’s letter to Titus was written to help a young pastor set up churches in Crete. While many of Paul’s other epistles are rich with doctrine, this one is not. Instead, Paul writes about what sound doctrine brings: godly character and a zeal for good works.

Divisions of Titus

Paul marks the sections of this letter using logical connectors and thesis statements. He begins the letter with a greeting (Titus 1:1–4) and then moves into qualifications for elders (Titus 1:5–9) and why these leaders are necessary (Titus 1:10–16). Paul then explains that Titus should teach and model the behavior that adorns sound doctrine (Titus 2:1–10) because this is what God’s grace trains us to do (Titus 2:11–15). Paul ends with an emphasis on the saving work of God leading to good works (Titus 3:1–8), instruction to avoid controversies and division (Titus 3:9–11), and final instructions (Titus 3:12–15).

  1. Greeting, rebuking false teachers (Titus 1:1–16)
  2. Character and behavior as a result of grace (Titus 2:1–15)
  3. God’s salvation leading to good works (Titus 3:1–15)

(I previously looked at repetition in Titus, and while that showed me what was on Paul’s mind, by itself it didn’t provide the structure for an interpretive outline. It was an important first step, though!)

Section 1 Walkthrough

The connection between faith and behavior is evident from the very beginning of this letter.

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness (Titus 1:1)

Famously, Paul lists qualifications for elders in Titus 1:6–9. However, we must not jump to those qualifications before reading why they are there. Titus must “put what remained into order” in Crete by appointing “elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). These elders will help establish order.

Elders must be “above reproach”—this requirement is repeated (verses 6 and 7), and in fact this is an umbrella requirement for all of the others involving character (not arrogant, not violent, self-controlled, etc.). The only skills that are mentioned in these qualifications come in verse 9, and it seems those skills may be acquired. Holding firm to the trustworthy word is key, because elders are needed “to give instruction in sound doctrine” and “to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).

Paul then explains why these elders—those who will instruct and rebuke—are necessary. There are many false teachers in Crete, upsetting many people (Titus 1:10–11). These false teachers need to be rebuked for they are “devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth” (Titus 1:14). Though they claim to know God, “they deny him by their works” (Titus 1:16). Paul’s plan for appointing elders is now coming into sharper focus: he wants leaders who will help everyone be “sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13).

Section 2 Walkthrough

Paul returns to the connection between theology and character at the beginning of the second section, telling Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).

Paul mentions what should be taught to older men, older women, young women, younger men, and bondservants (Titus 2:1–6, 9–10). These teachings are almost entirely in the realm of character (self-controlled, reverent in behavior, kind, submissive, etc.), as good character will “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10). Titus himself must be a “model of good works” (Titus 2:7). Additionally, Paul knows that in his confrontations with false teachers, Titus’s uprightness will matter almost as much as his arguments—he must “show integrity, dignity, and sound speech” in his teaching so that opponents will be “put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us” (Titus 2:7–8).

In the next paragraph, Paul connects character and behavior to the work of Jesus. God’s grace has appeared, bringing salvation and “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:12). We wait for the appearing of Jesus, the one who “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness”—we were devoted to evil works—and to secure a people “who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). God’s people gain zeal as his grace does its ongoing training work (Titus 2:12).

At the end of this section, Paul emphasizes that Titus should feel empowered to “declare these things” and to “rebuke” with all authority (Titus 2:15).

Section 3 Walkthrough

Titus must remind his people to be “ready for every good work” and all of the characteristics that implies (Titus 3:1). Paul shares that he was once not this way—embodying the very opposite of these qualities (Titus 3:2). But God saved him, not because of Paul’s works, but because of God’s mercy (Titus 3:5). The center of this section (Titus 3:4–7) is arguably one of the only portions of doctrine in this slim book, where Paul explains how merciful salvation happens and what the results are.

Paul wants Titus to “insist on these things”—this “saying” he’s just written—”so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works” (Titus 3:8). On the other hand, topics that will promote controversies should be avoided (Titus 3:9). In fact, any people who stir up division should be warned and then avoided. Division and quarreling among God’s people is not a fertile environment for good works to grow.

Paul ends the letter with some personal greetings. But he returns to one of his primary themes in these final sentences.

And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. (Titus 3:14).

Conclusion

For Paul, character and a zeal for good works lie downstream from sound faith. So, Titus needs to put leaders in place to help him rebuke bad teaching and provide instruction from the trustworthy word. The same grace that appeared for salvation becomes our trainer, helping us to renounce our unfruitful ways and to devote ourselves to good works.

Interpretive Outline

  1. Greeting (Titus 1:1–4)
  2. Establish order through leaders who are above reproach and who can instruct and rebuke (Titus 1:5–9)
    • For there are many false teachers who need to be rebuked (Titus 1:10–16)
  3. Teach and model the behavior that adorns sound doctrine (Titus 2:1–10)
  4. Here is the connection between our works and our Savior (Titus 2:11–15)
  5. Emphasize the gospel, so that believers may devote themselves to good works (Titus 3:1–8)
    • Controversies and divisive people will get in the way of good works (Titus 3:9–11)
  6. Final instructions (Titus 3:12–15)

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

Beware The Leech’s Daughters

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I’ve always been puzzled—but fascinated—by Proverbs 30:15a:

The leech has two daughters: Give and Give.

Prov 30:15a, ESV

The NIV puts the “gives” in their mouths rather than in their names:

The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry.

Prov 30:15a, NIV

Regardless of whether “give” is their label or their lingo, what is going on in this proverbial saying?

Image by István Asztalos from Pixabay

Notice what follows

The next stanza, about four things that are never satisfied, certainly relates.

There are three things that are never satisfied, 
four that never say, ‘Enough!’: 
the grave, the barren womb, 
land, which is never satisfied with water, 
and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

Prov 30:15b-16, NIV

The demands (or names) of the leech’s daughters are parallel to these four things that never say “enough.” Just as the grave is never satisfied with the size of its membership, and fire never decides it’s time to pack up and go home—so also there are leech fathers and daughters who will always demand more and more and more.

Okay, that makes sense, but what is the point? What wisdom is the sage trying to teach here?

Notice what sandwiches

These sayings about perpetually dissatisfied things come right between two stanzas about a generation that rejects the wisdom of ages past. A generation that believes itself to be on the right side of history, having developed beyond the antiquated wisdom of its ancestors.

There are those who curse their father
and do not bless their mothers.
There are those who are clean in their own eyes
but are not washed of their filth.
There are those—how lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!
There are those whose teeth are swords,
whose fangs are knives,
to devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mankind.

Prov 30:11-14

The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be picked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.

Prov 30:17

Can’t help but ask

So what is it that drives such a generation to reject the wisdom of previous generations? To curse and mock fathers and forefathers?

Could it be an insatiable drive for more? A perpetual lack of satisfaction?

Or is it the other way around? Is it the rejection of ancient wisdom that causes the perpetual dissatisfaction of a generation of leeches? Such that, when you lose your grounding in the reality of God’s world, you have nothing left but to make increasing demands of the people and the world around you?

The leech has two daughters. Not only in ancient Israel, but quite alive and well today.

How Jesus Overcame His Enemies

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I’ve been writing on the theme of strife in Proverbs. It’s wise to avoid it whenever possible. But when that’s not possible, we must recognize its complexities. This enables us to overcome our enemies by dying, because “when a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov 16:7).

For Real?

But is that for real? Is it possible to achieve peace? Is it possible to please the Lord?

Well, it’s not a magic formula, such that if you plug in certain inputs you are guaranteed an immediate output of peace. Often that peace is a long time in coming, and it comes through much sweat and pain.

‌But the Lord can do it.

‌And If you wish to have peace with your enemies, you’ll never get there by shouting, defending, attacking, or taking revenge. You can’t earn true peace by winning the argument. And you can’t win true peace by letting the enemy steamroll you. Such peace is only God’s to grant when a person’s ways please him.

‌So the big question is: What does it take to please him? What must God’s people do in order for God to grant them victory over their enemies?

Image by Elmer L. Geissler from Pixabay

‌Look at Christ

The best thing we can do is look at our Lord Jesus Christ to see how he did it, because, make no mistake: He certainly triumphed over his enemies.

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Colossians 2:15

‌Jesus conquered all the demonic spiritual powers who declared war on him. He put them to shame and triumphed over them.

‌But what was his tactic? How did he do it? The two verses immediately prior to this explain it.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:13-14

‌We were Jesus’ enemies. We were dead in our sins. And if you pledge your allegiance to him, it shows that he made you alive by forgiving all your trespasses. Every vile thought, and every rebellious word we spoke—all of it was forgiven, having been nailed to the cross along with Jesus.

‌And his death was his greatest triumph.

‌1 Corinthians says that if the demonic powers of the world knew what was happening, they never would have crucified him (1 Cor 2:8),‌ because they thought they were cutting off his work once and for all.

‌But in reality, his death was his victory. The cross was his throne.

‌So Jesus makes the spiritually dead come to life, and he defeats the supernatural powers by giving his life so we could be forgiven. This. This is what empowers our obedience to God’s call of wisdom, because the call of wisdom is a call to come and die with Jesus.

‌Not to defend your rights or set the record straight. Not to win the argument or get your way. But to die to your self-interest for the good of others. These are the Bible’s marching orders for God’s people when they are surrounded by enemies.

‌Because in dying, we transmit life. By pursuing peace, we win the war. By laying down our arms, we disarm those who attack us.

‌This is the only way we could ever waive our rights, ask questions when we want to explain ourselves, persuade with truth, when it would feel better to just win, or confess to our own wrongdoing, when the other person’s wrongdoing seems so much bigger and clearer.

‌The Christian’s Fight

‌So in the end, Christians see their enemies the way the Lord Jesus saw us: Not as vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, but as needy sinners awaiting redemption. That shift in perspective will empower you to do something they’d never expect.

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

Proverbs 25:21-22

‌If you try to win the fight, you will lose. But if you are willing to die to your own interests, if you waive your rights, ask questions instead of making demands, speak compelling truth, make authentic confession whenever appropriate, and in all things seek only to please the Lord—

You will overcome your enemies, and the Lord will reward you for it.

What Comes After Resurrection?

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Bruno van der Kraan (2018), public domain

We tend to think of Jesus’s resurrection as his last act on earth, the final event in the Gospel accounts. But this isn’t so.

While the empty tomb is the last major episode of the Gospels, we must read on to know what Jesus did afterward. The Gospel writers did not end their accounts with the resurrection!

What Jesus spent his time doing and saying after the resurrection was crucial, both for the disciples and for us. In this article we’ll look at the Gospel of John, and we’ll see that Jesus spent his time confirming the resurrection and sending his disciples on their mission.

Jesus Confirms His Resurrection

I will not focus on the resurrection itself, as Peter has already written about the resurrection as Jesus’s final sign in John’s Gospel.

Jesus’s meetings with the disciples after his resurrection take up most of the last two chapters of John. Jesus took care to reveal himself and show that he was the same man who had recently died and been buried.

When Jesus first appeared to the gathering of the fearful, hiding disciples, he showed them his hands and side (John 20:20). Thomas had not been present, and he (famously) wanted to see the proof for himself. Jesus encouraged Thomas to touch his hands and side—something we are not told he did for the other disciples. Thomas believed, and said “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24–29)

John understood that Jesus aimed to persuade. He said that Jesus did many other signs for the disciples beyond those which were recorded (John 20:30). John was on board with this mission—he wrote his Gospel in part so that readers would believe Jesus is the Christ (John 20:31).

Jesus also appeared to seven of the disciples on the sea shore. They recognized Jesus when he told them to fish on the other side of their boat. He invited them to the shore and made them a breakfast of bread and fish. John emphasizes the importance of these appearances: “This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead” (John 21:14).

In these encounters, Jesus repeatedly confirmed that he was alive. His disciples could see and touch and eat with him. He was not a ghost or a hallucination; the resurrection really happened, just as he had said.

Jesus Commissions the Disciples

Jesus also took time after his resurrection to send his disciples on their mission.

When Jesus greeted his disciples at that first post-resurrection meeting, he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” He breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:21–22). John connects the power of the Holy Spirit with the sending of the disciples, just as Luke does (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8).

Jesus commissioned the disciples as a group, but he paid special attention to restore and empower Peter. Three separate times Jesus asks Peter if he (Peter) loves him (Jesus). When Peter says that he does, Jesus points him to his work: “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” “Feed my sheep.” Jesus also told Peter directly: “Follow me” (John 21:15–19).

Later, when Peter asked Jesus about John, Jesus cut through the question to remind Peter of what was most important: “You follow me!” (John 21:22)

An Important Connection

After his resurrection, Jesus focused on confirming his resurrection and sending his disciples on their mission. But these are not separate tasks for Jesus.

Jesus’s resurrection confirmed all of his teaching and prophecy. Since the disciples were sent out to proclaim the good news of the Messiah, it was vital that they had this validation for themselves. Because they would face intense persecution and hardship for their message, they needed to be convinced of the truth. Jesus sent them on their mission, emboldened with resurrection hope and power.

What was true for Jesus’s disciples in the first century is true for us today as well. This is, after all, why John’s Gospel was written (John 20:31).

Are you convinced that Jesus rose from the dead? If so, does this give you courage and hope to go on the mission God has for you?

Overcome Your Enemies by Dying

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What do you do when people turn against you? When those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ come after you for daring to follow him? When nitpicking and backstabbing are the standard operating procedure in the workplace? When family members use guilt and pressure to manipulate you into doing what they want?

‌What do you do when your friends turn against you and become your enemies?

‌The book of Proverbs refers to such situations as “strife,” and I’ve previously addressed the causes and complexities of such strife. It’s one thing to try to avoid strife. But what do you do when the dam breaks and the water has come rushing out (Prov 17:14)? When your enemies come after you, and there’s no possibility of staying away?

God does not ask his people to live as idiotic simpletons or punching bags. God wants his people to overcome strife and evil (Rom 12:21). But the way you overcome it matters. To win the fight in the wrong way is to lose.

Image by David Bailey from Pixabay

Fundamental Mindset: What You Can Control

To begin with, the Lord doesn’t expect you or me to try to take his place. None of us can get what we want or predetermine any outcomes. That means we can’t control what others will do; we can control only what we do.

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Proverbs 3:3-4

When we focus on what we can do in the midst of strife, we are best equipped to live in a way that pleases the Lord. To speak and act with steadfast love and faithfulness and so imitate the God who has shown steadfast love and faithfulness toward us.

Five Tactics: Overcome by Dying

Once we’ve got the right mindset, we’re ready to practice five tactics found along the way of wisdom.

Waived Rights

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Proverbs 20:22

Strife often tempts us to assert our rights—especially the rights to make a defense and to see justice served. But the middle of a heated conversation is typically not the best time for asserting such rights.

The repayment of evil could take the form of vengeance. Even socially acceptable vengeance. For example, if a bully trips a kid walking down the hallway, nobody would complain if that kid got the bully back by tripping him in another hallway. Similarly, when someone shouts and swears at you, it might feel like justice to shout and swear back. But the wise wait for the Lord to deliver them.

The repayment of evil can also take the form of simply seeking to set the record straight or present your resume of good deeds. But it’s usually better to keep quiet and let your enemy show off his folly for all to see.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Proverbs 29:11

The Lord honors such wisdom, when a person waives their right to speak their mind or to defend their actions. But it feels like death to do this.

Genuine Questions

If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Proverbs 18:13

The fool always comes out swinging, spouting accusations. But the wise person knows that there is always more to a situation than meets the eye. So—even when they feel great offense by the terrible and false things said about them—they know they don’t have all the facts, and they take the time to hear out their accusers.

And no matter how ridiculous the accusations may appear, something remarkable happens when—instead of going right into their defense—a wise person instead asks questions.

  • I didn’t realize you felt that way. Can you please tell me more?
  • What did I say or do that caused you so much pain?
  • What did you think I meant by it?
  • How could I have done it differently?
  • How would you like to see our relationship improve?

It’s amazing how disarming such questions can be. Perhaps you really screwed up, and your enemy is just not expressing his concern in a wise manner. If you are wise, you can still learn from it. And if your opponent’s perspective is foolish and unreasonable, your honest questions may give every onlooker the opportunity to see that folly and unreasonableness for themselves.

The Lord honors such wisdom, when a person chooses not to defend themself but makes sure they first have fully understood their opponent’s perspective. But it feels like death to this, especially if you are the only person who cares about trying to understand before being understood.

Compelling Truth

When it’s eventually time for you to speak and offer some of your own answers, you’ll want to do it as compellingly as possible.

That means minding your tone:

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

It also means speaking only verifiable truth:

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

Proverbs 15:2

If you have done the work of calming your enemy down by asking loads of questions, and by communicating how much you desire to understand their perspective, why would you then wreck the whole thing by responding with a harsh word? Why would you let your disappointment and frustration take over? A harsh word will accomplish nothing except stirring their anger back up.

And if you are wise, your tongue will commend knowledge. In other words, it will formally praise the truth. It will present what is true as something worthy of approval and acceptance.

‌Maybe that sounds self-evident, but most of us don’t do it.

  • ‌If your response to your enemy begins with, “You always…,” then you are not commending knowledge. You are pouring out folly, because nobody “always” says or does the wrong thing.
  • ‌If you frame your response to your enemy as, “I feel that…,” then you are probably not commending knowledge, because the main issue is not how you feel but what was actually said or done.
  • If you allow your severe emotions to warp the facts in any way, you are not commending knowledge, because we’re never justified to twist reality or rewrite history in order to get our own way.

The Lord honors such wisdom, when a person minds their tone and speaks only verifiable truth. This is how they make the truth compelling. But it feels like death to do this, especially if you are the only person in the room who seems to care about such gentle truth.

Authentic Confession

When our self-protective alarm systems kick in, we’re generally quick and eager to defend our every word and deed. But the way of wisdom is to be patient and not be hasty in rendering such self-acquittal.

It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows.

Proverbs 20:25

So don’t be so quick to label your actions or motivations as holy in the heat of the moment. Don’t be quick to judge yourself as being without guilt. Don’t let fear drive you to make irrational excuses for yourself.

Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?

Proverbs 20:9

It is true that we must not make stuff up or apologize for things that aren’t sins (Isaiah 5:20-21). But even with that said, it is simply a fact of reality that I am still a sinner who has not yet been made perfect. I should be able to find something in the accusations against me that has a ring of truth. I can take ownership of that, call it what it is, and confess it authentically, without a hint of bitterness or resentment.

The Lord honors such wisdom, when a person doesn’t make excuses, but takes ownership to confess everything they can legitimately confess as sin or weakness. But it feels like death to do this, especially if you are the only person in the room who seems to take any responsibility for their own actions.

God Pleasing

In the midst of strife, some people are desperate to please themselves, so they fight until they win. And other people are desperate to please their enemies, so they stop fighting and roll over, just to calm things down.

‌But the Lord says there is only One whom we must please. And if we do, in fact, please him, it changes everything.

When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Proverbs 16:7

Is this for real? We’ll need one more post to examine how the Lord Jesus overcame his enemies so that our ways might please the Lord.