This week’s Letter to the Ephesians captures Paul’s spirit and his consistent call for unity: One body, spirit, hope, faith, baptism, and God of all. But, Paul warns, true Christian unity can only be achieved by living the threefold virtues of faith, hope, and love with humility, gentleness, and patience. How well do you live out this trinity of Christ like values? Examine your strengths and weaknesses. What can you do to share your spiritual and material gifts with others so that they and you are satisfied.
They were going to carry Him off and make Him king. Jesus came this close to being King of the Jews the day He fed the crowds. But what good would that do? Israel had had many kings. Kings never brought Israel together, and kings never proved to be the messiahs they were anointed to be. Kings built cities and temples, levied taxes, raised armies, fought battles, occasionally governed, and spawned sons to succeed them.
Kings also betrayed their people, made foolish coalitions, arranged political marriages to cement their alliances, permitted shrines to accommodate their foreign wives’ religions, and drove the nation into the arms of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.
So when Jesus senses the crowd is prepared to name Him rival to Herod, for showing there really is a free lunch, He slips away. He’ll wear a crown one day—made of thorns. They’ll proclaim Him king one day, when He’s sentenced to execution. Till then, He’ll shrug off worldly honors. “The Prophet who is to come into the world” has no need of other titles.
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