“King of the Jews” is what some of the soldiers who played a hand in Jesus’s arrest, captivity, torture and crucifixion called Jesus. There is no mention in the bible of any of the soldiers calling Jesus by his name. They used other words to address him and mock him, like “King of the Jews”. Did they know and fear the power of the name Jesus because of the stories of miracles that they’d heard? Or was the darkness blinding them from seeing the power of Jesus’s name?
Next month we will celebrate Easter. Every year I ask God for a word or a new perspective on the story of Easter because it’s a story we feel we “know” but the danger in that is the story can lose its power because of our overfamiliarity with it. I find myself wondering about the soldiers, what impact was left on them through their encounter with Jesus after his death, whatever their encounter was. In Matthew 27 we read that after Jesus died one of the guard who, after Jesus’s death, pierced his side declares, “Truly this was the Son of God!” What a powerful statement.
Historians say that the guard who pierced Jesus’s side, who was called Longinus, was sent to the Apostle Peter following Jesus’s resurrection. Peter told Longinus about Jesus including prophesies that had been spoken prior to Jesus’s arrival on earth. It’s reported that following his talks with Peter, Longinus left the army and went to preach about Jesus. When Pilate found out about this he ordered Longinus’s head to be cut off. Longinus became a martyr, dying for his faith. There is a sculpture in the Vatican City in memory of Longinus. I believe there would have been many other soldiers that had an unshakeable encounter with Jesus on his journey from Gethsemane to the cross. I wonder what happened in their lives following Jesus’s death.
Fear and intimidation can rob us of the revelation of the power that is in the name of Jesus. We can find ourselves buckling to the pressures of the world instead of standing still and calling on Jesus’s name. Have you had a revelation of the power that’s in the name of Jesus’s? If so do you still hold firm to that revelation? Philippians 2:9-11 says that Jesus’s name is above every other name and it goes onto say that at the mention of his name every knee will bow. Yet why do we not call on the name of Jesus more? Even when we don’t know what to say or do just say “Jesus help”, call out his name. That’s one of the most powerful prays you can pray in and out of the storm.
The soldiers may have understood the power of the name of Jesus and that’s why they never said it. As believers we can understand the power of his name and never truly speak it with the authority it carries and not yield it as a weapon in battle. It’s not just a beautiful song and a beautiful name. His name is all-powerful. It is a weapon. I pray you have a revelation of the power that is in the name of Jesus. And I pray that the soldiers who encountered Jesus knew the power in the name of Jesus.
Next month we will celebrate Easter. Every year I ask God for a word or a new perspective on the story of Easter because it’s a story we feel we “know” but the danger in that is the story can lose its power because of our overfamiliarity with it. I find myself wondering about the soldiers, what impact was left on them through their encounter with Jesus after his death, whatever their encounter was. In Matthew 27 we read that after Jesus died one of the guard who, after Jesus’s death, pierced his side declares, “Truly this was the Son of God!” What a powerful statement.
Historians say that the guard who pierced Jesus’s side, who was called Longinus, was sent to the Apostle Peter following Jesus’s resurrection. Peter told Longinus about Jesus including prophesies that had been spoken prior to Jesus’s arrival on earth. It’s reported that following his talks with Peter, Longinus left the army and went to preach about Jesus. When Pilate found out about this he ordered Longinus’s head to be cut off. Longinus became a martyr, dying for his faith. There is a sculpture in the Vatican City in memory of Longinus. I believe there would have been many other soldiers that had an unshakeable encounter with Jesus on his journey from Gethsemane to the cross. I wonder what happened in their lives following Jesus’s death.
Fear and intimidation can rob us of the revelation of the power that is in the name of Jesus. We can find ourselves buckling to the pressures of the world instead of standing still and calling on Jesus’s name. Have you had a revelation of the power that’s in the name of Jesus’s? If so do you still hold firm to that revelation? Philippians 2:9-11 says that Jesus’s name is above every other name and it goes onto say that at the mention of his name every knee will bow. Yet why do we not call on the name of Jesus more? Even when we don’t know what to say or do just say “Jesus help”, call out his name. That’s one of the most powerful prays you can pray in and out of the storm.
The soldiers may have understood the power of the name of Jesus and that’s why they never said it. As believers we can understand the power of his name and never truly speak it with the authority it carries and not yield it as a weapon in battle. It’s not just a beautiful song and a beautiful name. His name is all-powerful. It is a weapon. I pray you have a revelation of the power that is in the name of Jesus. And I pray that the soldiers who encountered Jesus knew the power in the name of Jesus.