Heroes, Tyrants, and Jesus

Hello, friend.

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our devotional today, titled Heroes, Tyrants, and Jesus was written by Mart De Haan. Beethoven was angry. He'd intended to name his third symphony the Bonaparte. In an age of religious and political tyranny, he saw Napoleon as a hero of the people and champion of freedom.

But when the French general declared himself emperor, the celebrated composer changed his mind. Denouncing his former hero as a rascal and tyrant, he rubbed so hard to erase Bonaparte's name that he left a hole in the original score. Early believers in Jesus must have been disappointed when their hopes of political reform were dashed.

He'd stirred hopes of life without the tyranny of Caesar's heavy-handed taxes and military presence, yet decades later, Rome still ruled the world. Jesus' messengers were left with fears and weakness. His disciples were marked by immaturity and infighting.

But there was a difference. The apostle Paul saw beyond what remained unchanged. His letters began, ended, and overflowed with the name of Christ. Christ resurrected. Christ with a promise to return in power. Christ in judgment of everything and everyone. First and foremost, however, Paul wanted believers in Jesus to be grounded in the meaning and implications of him crucified. The love expressed in Jesus' sacrifice made him a different kind of leader. As Lord and Savior of the world, his cross changes everything. The name of Jesus will forever be known and praised above every name.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Paul's writings to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verses 1 through 10. And so it was with me, brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

I came to you in weakness, with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom but on God's power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written, what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived, the things God has prepared for those who love him, these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. Would you pray with me? Father, sometimes it seems that our world doesn't feel that much different than the world Paul wrote about.

The names and faces have changed, but the struggle for power and control is alive and well, and it can be emotionally crushing. Please help us, Lord, like Paul, to see beyond what is immediately before us to the eternal victory Christ has won for us in his death and resurrection. Help us to declare your love and forgiveness to this world filled with turmoil, and may your peace fill us all today. Thank you, Lord, and it is in the name of Jesus Christ that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening in today. I'm Wes Ward, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.