Jesus was the chosen one

JESUS WAS THE CHOSEN ONE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Luke 23:35 35The people stoodwatching, and the
rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved
others; let him savehimself if he is God's Messiah, the
ChosenOne."
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
A Sad Spectacle And The Supreme Vision
Luke 23:35
W. Clarkson
And the people stoodbeholding. "Sitting down they watchedhim there"
(Matthew 27:36). Shall we envy those spectators the scene they then
witnessed? Shallwe wish that we had lived when, with our mortal eyes, we
could have seenthe Saviorcrucified on our behalf? I think not. With this
distance of time and space betweenus, we have a better, truer standpoint
where we are. No doubt we lose much by that distance;but we gain at leastas
much as we lose. To those who "stoodbeholding," or who "satand watched,"
there was -

I. AN EXCEEDINGLYSAD SPECTACLE. Theysaw:
1. A human being suffering the lastextremity of pain and shame. Some among
that company could look upon that scene with positive enjoyment, some with
stolid indifference; but those of whom we think, the disciples, would witness it
with intense, heart-piercing sympathy, with utmost agitationof spirit. His
suffering must, in a large degree, have been theirs also - theirs in proportion
to the love they bore him.
2. A Prophet who had failed to be appreciated, and was now a martyr nobly
dying in attestationofthe truth.
3. A sacredcause losing its Chief and Champion; a cause being wounded and
almost certainly slain in the personof its Founder and Exponent. For who
could hope that there would be found amongst his disciples any that would
take the standard from his hands, and bear it on to victory? For Christ to die
was for Christianity to perish. Such was the spectacle onwhich his disciples
lookedas they gatheredabout his cross. The scene was more vivid, more
impressive, more powerfully affecting, as thus enactedbefore their eyes;but
we see in reality more than they did. We have before us -
II. THE SUPREME VISION on which we can gaze on earth. We see:
1. One who once suffered and died, but whose agonyis over; whose pain and
sorrow are not now to him sources ofevil, but, on the other hand, the ground
and the occasionof purest joy and highesthonor (see homily on vers. 27-31).
Had we been present then, we must have shrunk teem the spectaclebefore us
as too painful for sensitiveness to endure. Now we can bear to dwell on his
dying and his death, because the element of overwhelming and blinding
sympathy is happily withdrawn.
2. A grand spiritual victory. We do not see in the crucified prophet One that
was defeated;we see One that told us all that he came to tell, communicating
to us all the knowledge we need in order to live our higher life on earth, and to
prepare for the heavenly life beyond; that was not prevented from delivering
any part of his Divine message;that completed all he came to do; that was
amply entitled to say, as he did before he died, "It is finished.

3. A Divine Redeemerensuring, by his death, the triumph of his cause. Had he
not died as he did, had he savedhimself as he was taunted and challengedto
do, had he not gone on to that bitter end and drunk that bitter cup even to the
dregs, then he would have failed. But because he suffered unto death, he
triumphed gloriously, and became the Author of eternal salvationto all them
that believe." This is the supreme vision of human souls. We do well to gaze
on nobility as we see it illustrated in human lives around us. We do well to
look long and lovingly on human virtue as manifested in the lives and deaths
of the glorious army of martyrs. But there is no vision so well worthy of our
view; of our frequent, our constant, our protracted and intense beholding, as
that of the merciful and mighty Savior dying for our sins, dying in wondrous
love that he might draw us to himself and restore us to our Fatherand our
home. Before our eyes Christ crucified is conspicuouslysetforth (Galatians
3:1); and if we would have forgiveness ofsin, rest of soul, worthiness of spirit,
nobility of life, hope in death, a blessedimmortality, we must direct our eyes
unto him who was once "lifted up" that he might be the Refuge, the Friend,
the Lord, the Saviorof the world to the end of time. Betterthan the saddest
spectacle manever saw is that supreme vision which is the hope and the life of
eachlooking and trusting human heart. - C.

Biblical Illustrator
He saved others, let Him save Himself.
Luke 23:35-37
God in sovereigntyoften selects as His instruments those who have no desire
to be subordinate to His will
W. Arnot.
Some passengersonthe ship's deck may be walking forward, and some
walking aft, and some standing still; but all, and all alike, are borne onward to
their destiny by the breath of heavenin the sails, and according to the will of
the pilot who holds the helm in his hand. This world in space is like a ship on
the sea. Ofthe teeming multitudes that crowd its surface, some intelligently
and willingly walk in the way of God's commandments, others violently resist,
and others cleave sluggishlyto the dust like clods of the earth; but our Father
is at the helm — he will make all subservient to His purpose. Every atom will
be compelled to take its place and contribute its own share to the
establishment of His kingdom and the redemption of His people. The
sovereigntyof God is a precious doctrine. Providence is sweetto them that
believe: "Casting all your care upon Him; for He carethfor you." Apart from
the meaning of their words, the scuffing of these scribes was overruled by God
for the accomplishmentof His own purpose. By their conduct they
unconsciouslyfulfilled the prophecy of Scripture regarding the Messiah. This
reviling constituted one of the marks by which those who waitedfor
redemption in Israel should know the Redeemerwhen He came. "A rootout
of a dry ground: no form nor comeliness — no beauty that He should be
desired: rejectedand despised:they shall look on Him whom they have
pierced."
(W. Arnot.)
Himself He cannot save

W. Arnot.
The King's Son has offered Himself as hostage forcertain subjects that were
held in captivity by a foreignpower. He has gone into their place, and they
have on the faith of this transactionbeen setfree. Preciselybecausethey have
been setfree, He cannot now escape.He has saved others by the substitution
of Himself in their stead, and therefore Himself He cannotsave. In order to
explain fully how Jesus, having savedothers, could not also save Himself, we
must refer to the history of redemption. Bear in mind that we live under a
Divine administration that has been well ordered from the beginning. When
an architect begins to lay the foundation of a building, he has the perfect plan
already before his eye. Although it be only a man's covenant, it is not carried
forward by fits and starts according to the changing circumstances ofthe
times. The designis completed from the first, and its execution is carried
forward, it may be from generationto generation, all in accordancewith the
first design. Much more certainand evident it is that God, who sees the end
from the beginning, framed His plan at first, and conducts His administration
from age to age according to that plan. The wayof salvationfor sinful men is
not left uncertain, to be modified by the accidents of the day. The gospeldoes
not take its characterfrom passing events. It is, indeed, a transactionbetween
the unchangeable Godand erring man; but it takes its characterfrom the
Source whence it springs, and not from the objects to which it is directed. It
partakes ofthe immutability of its Author: it has nothing in common with the
caprice of men. It has come from heavento earth, not to receive, but to give an
impression. The sun's rays when they reach the earth meet with a various
reception. At one time they are intercepted before they touch its surface by an
intervening subordinate orb; at another time the earth itself keeps out the
light from that side of it whereonwe stand: at one place, even when the rays
are permitted to reach us, they stir corruption into greaterenergy;at another
time they paint the flowers and ripen the fruit, stimulating life and gilding the
landscape with varied beauty. But whether they are keptat a distance or
received, whether when receivedthey make corruption more corrupt, or
make beauty more beautiful, the sun's rays are ever the same;they remain
true to their celestialcharacter, and are never changedby the changing

accidents of earth. They retain all the purity of the heaven they come from,
and contractnone of the defilement of the earth they come to.
(W. Arnot.)
If Christ had saved Himself, man would have been left unsaved
W. Arnot.
A traveller in an Asiatic deserthas spent his last bit of bread and his last drop
of water. He has pursued his journey in hunger and thirst until his limbs have
given way, and he has at length lain down on the ground to die. Already, as he
looks on the hard dry sky, he sees the vultures swooping down, as if unwilling
to wait till his breath go out. But a caravanof travellers with provisions and
camels comes up. Hope revives in his fainting heart. They halt and look;but
as the poor man cannotwalk, they are unwilling to burden themselves, and
coldly pass on. Now he is left to all the horrors of despair. They have saved
themselves, but left him to die. A ship has caughtfire at sea. The passengers
and crew, shut up in one extremity of the burning ship, strain their eyes and
sweepthe horizon round for sight of help. At length, and just in time, a sail
appears and bears down upon them. But the stranger, fearing fire, does not
venture near, but puts about her helm, and soonis out of sight. The men in the
burning ship are left to their fate. How dreadful their situation, when the
selfishship saved itself from danger, and left them to sink! Ah! what heart can
conceive the misery of human kind, if the Sonof Godhad saved Himself from
suffering, and left a fallen world to the wrath of God!
(W. Arnot.)
Refusing to save himself
A soldier on duty at the palace of the Emperor at St. Petersburg, which was
burnt a few years ago, was stationed, and had been forgotten, in one suite of
apartments that was in flames. A Greek priest was the last person to rush
through the burning rooms, at the imminent risk of his life, to save a crucifix

in a chapel, and, returning, he was hailed by the set, try, who must in a few
instants more have been suffocated. "Whatdo you want?" cried the priest.
"Save yourself, or you will be lost." "I can't leave," replied the sentry,
"because Iam unrelieved; but I called to you to give me your blessing before I
die." The priest blessedhim, and the soldier died at his post.
Happiness in saving others
One of the Russianemperors, Alexander, when hunting, and riding in front of
his suite, heard a groanwhich arrested him; he reined in his horse, alighted,
lookedround, and found a man at the point of death. He bent over him,
chafed his temples, and tried to excite him. A surgeonwas called, but he said
"He is dead." "Try what you can do," said the Emperor. "He is dead,"
replied the surgeon. "Try what you can do." At this secondcommand, the
surgeontried some processes;and after a time a drop of blood appearedfrom
a vein which had been opened; respiration was being restored. On seeing this
the Emperor, with deep feeling, exclaimed, "This is the happiest day of my
life; I have savedthe life of a fellow-creature." If being thus useful in saving a
man from death imparted such happiness to the Emperor, how much greater
will our joy and satisfactionbe if any of our efforts result in saving a soul
from death. Let us try what we can do. There is the greatestencouragement
for the largestfaith, for Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come
unto God through Him.
Saving others by sacrifice of self
J. S. Balmer.
The plague was making a desertof the city of Marseilles;death was
everywhere. The physicians could do nothing. In one of their counsels it was
decided that a corpse must be dissected;but it would be death to the operator.
A celebratedphysician of the number arose, and said, "I devote myself for the
safetyof my country. Before this numerous assembly, I swearin the name of
humanity and religion, that to-morrow, at the break of day, I will dissecta

corpse, and write down as I proceedwhat I observe." He immediately left the
room, made his will, and spent the night in religious exercises.During the day
a man had died in his house of the plague;and at daybreak on the following
morning, the physician, whose name was Guyon, entered the room and
critically made the necessaryexaminations, writing down all his surgical
observations. He then left the room, threw the papers into a vase of vinegar,
that they might not conveythe disease to another, and retired to a convenient
place, where he died in twelve hours. Before the battle of Hatchet's Run, a
Christian soldier said to his comrade, "You are detailed to go to the front,
while I am to remain with the baggage.Let us change places. I'll go front, you
remain in camp." "What for?" said the comrade. "BecauseI am prepared to
die, I think; but you are not." The exchange was made. The thought of the
self-sacrifice ofhis friend, and his readiness for the exposure of life or the
realities of death, led the unsaved soldier to repentance and a like preparation
for life. A vesselhad driven on the rocks in a storm, and was hopelesslylost.
Another vesselhad gone out in the blind desire to do something, but a long
way off she stopped and watched. Thatwas all, but it was not very much. The
men, however, dared venture no further; it would be life for life, and they
were not greatenough for that. Nelson, the ship's lad, said, "Cap'n, I'm going
to try and save those men." And the captain said, "Nelson, if you do, you'll be
drowned." And Nelsonreplied — no nobler reply was ever given — "Cap'n,
I'm not thinking of being drowned, I'm thinkin' of savin' those men." So he
and a shipmate took the boat, and went to the wreck, and savedevery man
who was there. Saving others: — A few years ago a vesselwas wreckedonthe
southwest coastofthis country; and with these words I close. It became
known to the hamlets and villages, the towns and districts, that this vesselwas
wrecked, that men were seenclinging to the rigging. The life-boat was
launched, and awaythe men went, and were a long while at sea. Darknessset
in, but the people on the coastlightedfires; they kindled greatflames so that
the sailors might be aided, that the life-boat might be guided on its return to
shore. After awhile they saw it returning, and a greatstrong man, of the name
of John Holden, who was on the coast, criedaloud, as with a trumpet, to the
Captain of the life-boat, "Hi! hi! have you savedthe men?" The Captain
answered, "Ay, ay, I have savedthe men," and all hearts were filled with
gladness. But when the boat reachedthe coastit was found that one man was

left clinging to the mast. "Why did not you save him?" said Holden; "why did
not you save him?" "Becausewe were exhausted," saidthe Captain, "and we
thought it better to attempt to getsafely to shore for those we had rescuedand
for ourselves. We should all have perished if we had remained another five
minutes attempting to save one man." "But you will go back — you will go
back to the rescue? " They said no, they had not the strength, the storm was
so fierce. Holden threw himself on the shingle, and lifted up a prayer to God
louder than the storm that God would put it into the hearts of some of those
people to go to the rescue of this one man, just as Jesus Christcame to rescue
one lostworld. When he had ceasedpraying six men volunteered to
accompanyhim, and John Holden, with six men, were prepared to go and
rescue that one man. If sevenmen will go to the rescue ofone man, how many
men shall we send to save Africa? These men were preparing to start when
the goodold mother of John Holden came rushing down, and threw her arms
around his neck, and said, "John, you must not go. What can I do if You
perish? You know your father was drowned at sea, and it is just two years
since your brother William left; we have never heard a word of him since. No
doubt he, too, has perished. John, what shall I do if you perish?" John said,
"Mother, God has put it in my heart to go, and if I perish He will take care of
you." And awayhe went; and after awhile the life-boat returned, and when he
neared the coasta loud voice was raised, "Hi! hi! John, have you saved the
man?" John answeredin a trumpet voice, "Yes, we have saved the man; and
tell my mother it is my brother William we have saved." Now, there is your
brother man the wide world over; haste to the rescue evenif you perish in the
attempt.
(J. S. Balmer.)
Self-sacrificing love
Sunday SchoolTimes.
The helmsman who stood at the wheel in the burning steamertill he brought
her to the shore, and then dropped backedinto the flames, consciousthat he
had savedthe passengers;the soldier who, to save his fugitive comrades, blew

up the bridge overwhich they had crossed, though he knew that he himself
would be blown up with the bridge; the Arab, dying of thirst in the desert, yet
giving his last drop of waterto his faithful camel, may be cited as types of
Christ in his self-sacrificing love. Notmany years ago there was a colliery
accidentin the north of England. The mine was flooded, and there were still
some of the miners imprisoned below. Rescue parties were made up and sent
down. It was a hard piece of work, and they had to work in relays. One man,
however, it was noticed, kept working all the time. Others told him that he
would kill himself, and asked him to stop and rest. But he answered:"How
can I stop? There are some of my own down there." Is it not in some such way
that Christ came down to seek His ownon earth, and to give His life for them?
(Sunday SchoolTimes.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(35) And the rulers also with them derided him.—St. Luke uses the generic
term for the members of the Sanhedrin, whom St. Matthew particularises as
“chiefpriests, scribes, and elders.” The verb is the same as in 16:14, and
implies the curled lip and distended nostril of scorn.
He saved others.—The words were, like those of Caiaphas (John 11:50), an
unconscious prophecy, in part also an admissionof the work that He had
done, as in the case ofLazarus, in rescuing others from the power of death.
If he be Christ, the chosenofGod.—It may be noted that this is the only
passagein the New Testamentin which the adjective “chosen,”or“elect,” is
directly applied to Christ. The participle of the verb, is, however, found in the
better MSS. of Luke 9:35, and the adjective is used of Him as the “stone, elect
and precious,” in 1Peter2:6.

BensonCommentary
Luke 23:35-37. And the people stoodbeholding — Him hanging on the cross,
being, it seems, not at all concerned, but rather pleasing themselves with the
spectacle.And the rulers — Whom, from their office, one would have
supposedto be men of sense and men of honour, stoodamong the rabble; and
derided him, saying, He savedothers, let him save himself — Thus do they
upbraid him for the goodworks he had done, as if it were indeed for these
that they crucified him. They triumph over him as if they had conquered him,
at the time that he was conquering sin and death for them! They challenge
him to save himself from the cross, whenhe was saving others by the cross!
See on Matthew 27:39-44. Let him save himself if he be Christ, the chosenof
God — If he really be the true Messiah, the electof God, and, in consequence
of that divine choice, be the king of Israel, as he has often pretended, let him
save himself from death, that we may see a demonstration of his saving
power; and we will then believe him. Or, if he, as the Messiah, woulddeliver
our nation from the Romans, (to do which they supposedwould be the
principal office of the Messiah,) let him deliver himself from the Romans that
have him now in their hands. Thus these Jewishrulers ridiculed him, as
captivated by the Romans insteadof subduing them. The expression, ο του
θεου εκλεκτος, the elect, or chosenof God, is taken from Isaiah42:1, and
appears to be one of those titles by which the Messiahwas atthat time
distinguished. The soldiers also — Who kept guard at that time, joined with
the restof the spectators;and mockedhim, coming and offering him vinegar
— To drink in the midst of his agonies. Compare John19:29. And saying —
As the rulers and people had done; if thou be the king of the Jews — As thou
hast frequently pretended to be, before thou undertakestto deliver them, save
thyself — From our power, and thus begin to assert thy claim to a supreme
authority. Their insult, it seems, did not lie in their offering our Lord vinegar,
for that was the soldiers’common drink, when mixed with water; (see note on
Matthew 27:48;) but it lay in what they said to him when they offered it,
reproaching him for pretending to be a king, when he was so poor and mean a
person, and now about to expire as a malefactor. As this claim of being a king,
seemedto the soldiers mostderogatoryto the Roman authority, it is no

wonder that they grounded their insult on this, rather than his professing
himself the Son of God. Thus the priests derided his claiming the title of the
Messiah, andthe Romans his claiming that of a king.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
23:32-43 As soonas Christ was fastened to the cross, he prayed for those who
crucified him. The great thing he died to purchase and procure for us, is the
forgiveness ofsin. This he prays for. Jesus was crucifiedbetweentwo thieves;
in them were shown the different effects the cross ofChrist would have upon
the children of men in the preaching the gospel. One malefactorwas hardened
to the last. No troubles of themselves will change a wickedheart. The other
was softenedat the last: he was snatchedas a brand out of the burning, and
made a monument of Divine mercy. This gives no encouragementto any to
put off repentance to their death-beds, or to hope that they shall then find
mercy. It is certain that true repentance is never too late;but it is as certain
that late repentance is seldom true. None can be sure they shall have time to
repent at death, but every man may be sure he cannot have the advantages
this penitent thief had. We shall see the case to be singular, if we observe the
uncommon effects of God's grace upon this man. He reproved the other for
railing on Christ. He ownedthat he deserved what was done to him. He
believed Jesus to have suffered wrongfully. Observe his faith in this prayer.
Christ was in the depth of disgrace, suffering as a deceiver, and not delivered
by his Father. He made this professionbefore the wonders were displayed
which put honour on Christ's sufferings, and startled the centurion. He
believed in a life to come, and desiredto be happy in that life; not like the
other thief, to be only saved from the cross. Observe his humility in this
prayer. All his request is, Lord, remember me; quite referring it to Jesus in
what way to remember him. Thus he was humbled in true repentance, and he
brought forth all the fruits for repentance his circumstances wouldadmit.
Christ upon the cross, is gracious like Christ upon the throne. Though he was
in the greateststruggle andagony, yet he had pity for a poor penitent. By this
act of grace we are to understand that Jesus Christ died to open the kingdom
of heaven to all penitent, obedient believers. It is a single instance in
Scripture; it should teach us to despair of none, and that none should despair
of themselves;but lest it should be abused, it is contrastedwith the awful state

of the other thief, who died hardened in unbelief, though a crucified Saviour
was so near him. Be sure that in generalmen die as they live.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
See the notes at Matthew 27:41-44.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Lu 23:32-38, 44-46. Crucifixionand Deathof the Lord Jesus.
(See on [1738]Joh19:17-30).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 23:34"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And the people stoodbeholding,.... This dismal and affecting sight; insulting
and reviling him, and wagging their heads at him, as did also those that
passedby: and the rulers also with them derided him; the chief priests,
Scribes, and elders, the members of the sanhedrim, whose characters should
have restrained them from such an inhuman conduct. The phrase, "with
them", is wanting in the Oriental versions, and in one of Beza's copies:saying,
he saved others;by healing their diseases,orraising them from the dead:
let him save himself; from death, by unnailing himself, and coming down from
the cross;See Gill on Matthew 27:42.
if he be Christ; the Messiah, he and his followers give out he is; even the
chosenof God, referring to Isaiah42:1. The Arabic version reads, "the chosen
Son of God", very wrongly; for Christ was not chosento be the Son of God;
he was so by nature; but he was chosento be a servant, as the text cited shows,
to be a MediatorbetweenGod and man, and the Saviour of his people.
Geneva Study Bible

And the people stoodbeholding. And the rulers also with them derided him,
saying, He savedothers; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the {f} chosenof
God.
(f) Whom God loves more than all others.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Luke 23:35-38. According to the correctedtext (see the criticalremarks), it is
not in Luke the people that mock (comp., on the other hand, Matthew 27:39
f.; Mark 15:29 f.), for they rather stand there as spectators, but the members
of the Sanhedrim. δὲ καί refers merely to the ἐκμυκτηρίζεινofthe ἄρχοντες.
To the standing by and looking on of the people (not further sympathizing) is
added, however, also mockeryon the part of the members of the Sanhedrim.
On ἐξεμυκτ. comp. Psalm 22:8, and see on Luke 16:14.
οὗτος]this fellow! with scornful contempt.
ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκλεκτός]Luke 9:35.
Luke 23:36 is not a misunderstanding of Matthew 27:48 (de Wette), but
something specialwhich the other evangelists have not got. A mocking offer,
not an actualgiving to drink; for here the offer was not made by means of a
sponge, so that naturally Jesus couldnot acceptthe drink. The proceeding
was a grim joke!
Luke 23:38. ἐπʼ αὐτῷ]over Him on the cross. The supplementary statementof
the title on the cross (see on Matthew 27:37)explains the fact that the soldiers
scoffedat Him as the King of the Jews.
Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 23:35. θεωρῶν: the people are now mere spectators. Have they begun to
rue alreadywhen they see whattheir demand has come to? Observe the words
θεωρίαν and θεωρήσαντες in Luke 23:48. When they had gazedlong enough it
came to decided poignant regret. Fickle mob!—οἱ ἄρχοντες:they alone, the
rulers of the people, mock and sneer. The σὺν αὐτοῖς (T.R.)is a badly attested
reading and clearlycontrary to the spirit of the narrative.—ὁ ἐκλεκτός, the
ElectOne, and come to this? Incredible? No! thus all the truest sons and elect
of God have fared in this evil world.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
35. beholding] The word implies that they gazed as at a solemn spectacle,
Psalm22:17; Zechariah 12:10. They seemas a body to have been far less
active in insult than the others.
with them] These words are omitted in ‫,א‬ B, C, D, L, &c.
derided] The same strong word which is used in Luke 16:14;1Es 1:51.
He saved others]They saidthis in the same spirit as the Nazarenes, Luke 4:23.
if he be Christ, the chosenofGod] Literally, “if this man (contemptuously) be
the Christ of God, the chosen.” Forother insults see Matthew 27:40-43;Mark
15:29-32. Observe how the universal derision of what appearedto be such
abjectfailure and humiliation enhances our estimate of the faith of the dying
robber.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 23:35. [Ὁ λαὸς, the people) not the rabble (ὄχλοι)indiscriminately
(whether Jews or Gentiles), as in Luke 23:48, but the Jewishpeople is here
meant.—V. g.—θεωρῶν, beholding) The people no doubt feastedtheir eyes

with that spectacle;for Luke states, that the rulers with them.[258]namely,
with the people, derided the Saviour. But, a short while after, a check was put
upon their fondness (lit. itching) for derision, Luke 23:48.—Harm., p. 564.]—
σὺν αὐτοῖς)viz. with those who had crucified Him.[259] [Luke collects into
one passagethe mocking insults with which Jesus was harassedwhen being
crucified, Luke 23:35-39. The inscription on the cross was itselfan insult in
the eyes of the heathens. For which reason, Luke makes mention of the
vinegar also, which was offeredto Him by the soldiers, soonerthan the other
evangelists.[260]—Harm., p. 566. Men of respectabilitydo not usually, under
ordinary circumstances, blend themselves with such scenes;but wantonness
and desire of revenge in the present instance took awayall regard for their
own dignity. No one ever was derided with such sneers as was Jesus. Seethat
you feelgrateful to Him, and learn to endure meekly insults, especiallywhen
for His sake.—V. g.]—[ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκλεκτὸς, the chosenof GOD)It is not
befitting, saythey, that the chosenof GOD (if Jesus were reallyso) should die
upon a cross.—V. g.]—οὗτος,this man) Used as a demonstrative, with
contempt.
[258]σὺν αὐτοῖς is readin A Vulg. and Rec. Text. But BCDLQbc omit the
words.—E. and T.
[259]But the Harm., quoted above, makes it with the people.—E. and T.
[260]Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36; John 19:29. But all these describe the
secondoffering of the vinegar, in compassion, to refresh His thirst, just before
death. Whereas Matthew 27:34, Mark 15:23, and Luke here, Luke 23:35.
describes the vinegar, “mingled with gall,” offeredin mockery, and at an
earlier point of time—E. and T.
Pulpit Commentary

Verse 35. - And the people stoodbeholding. A hush seems to have fallen over
the scene. The crowdof by-standers were awedas they at first silently gazed
on the dying form of the greatTeacher. Whatmemories must have surgedup
in the hearts of many of the gazers - memories of his parables, his mighty
miracles, his words of love; memories of the raising of Lazarus, and of the day
of palms! Such a silent awe-struck contemplationwas dangerous, the rulers
felt, so they hastened to commence their mockery - "to clear," as Stier
remarks, "the stifling air, and deafen the voice which was stirring even in
themselves." "Look now," theywould cry, "atthe end of the Man who said he
could do, and pretended to do, such strange, unheard-of things!" They seem
soonto have induced many to join in their mocking cries and gestures, andso
to break the awful silence.
Vincent's Word Studies
Beholding
See on Luke 10:18.
Scoffed
See on Luke 16:14.
If he
The A. V. does not give the contemptuous emphasis on οὗτος, this fellow.
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
Luke 23:35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were
sneering at Him, saying, "He savedothers; let Him save Himself if this is the
Christ of God, His ChosenOne."

KJV Luke 23:35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with
them derided him, saying, He savedothers; let him save himself, if he be
Christ, the chosenof God.
And the people stoodby, looking on Ps 22:12,13,17;Zechariah 12:10;Mt
27:38-43;Mark 15:29-32
And even the rulers were sneering at Him Lk 16:14;Genesis 37:19,20;Ps 4:2;
35:15,19-25;69:7-12,26;71:11; Isaiah49:7; Isaiah 53:3; Lamentations 3:14
let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His ChosenOne Lk 22:67-70;
Ps 22:6-8; Isaiah42:1; Mt 3:17; 12:18; 1 Peter2:4
Luke 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Matthew 27:38-43 At that time two robbers *were crucifiedwith Him, one on
the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at
Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroythe
temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God,
come down from the cross.” 41 In the same waythe chief priests also, along
with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He saved
others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel;let Him now come
down from the cross, andwe will believe in Him. 43 “HE TRUSTS IN GOD;
LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I
am the Son of God.’”
Mark 15:29-32 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their
heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild
it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the
same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him
among themselves and saying, “He savedothers; He cannotsave Himself. 32
“Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we
may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting
Him.
JESUS'MOCKING
BY THE JEWISHRULERS

In Luke's description of the people and the rulers we are reminded of the
prediction in the Messianic psalm(Ps 22:12)which says "Manybulls have
surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashanhave encircled me." These rulers were
the "strong bulls," who fit well the description for Adam Clarke writes "The
bull is the emblem of brutal strength, that gores and tramples down all before
it.” These rulers are depicted as rapacious beasts! Spurgeonadds "The
priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees, rulers, and captains bellowedround the
cross like wild cattle, fed in the fat and solitary pastures of Bashan, full of
strength and fury; they stamped and foamed around the innocent One, and
longed to gore him to death with their cruelties.”
And the people stoodby, looking on - The Greek word for looking on is
theoreo which describes these onlookersas those who observed the drama
with sustainedattention, like spectators. The Greek wordexpert Marvin
Vincent explains that theoreo "was more than simple seeing. The verb means
looking steadfastly, as one who has an interest in the object, and with a view to
searchinto and understand it: to look inquiringly and intently." Indeed,
crucifixions were popular functions for spectators in Jesus'day. However,
little did the onlookers comprehendthat they were eyewitnesseswith front
row tickets to the final act in God's greatdrama of redemption, in which
paradoxically the Hero dies that He might live to be the Redeemerofthe
world!
It is intriguing that this same verb theoreo is found in the Septuagint
translation of Ps 22:7 which says "All who see (Lxx = theoreo)me sneerat
me." Indeed, Robert Stein suggeststhat "looking on" "may be an allusion to
Ps 22:7." As discussedbelow the reference to sneering is clearlya Messianic
prediction (cf Messianic Prophecy).
It is not certain this first group, the people, is the same as that describedby
Matthew and Mark. They are not described as mocking or hurling abuse as
are those who are passing by the scene ofthe crucifixion. Mark records people
who were "passing by (and) were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads,
and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in
three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” (Mark 15:29-
30)

And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying - Matthew 27:41 identifies
the rulers as "the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders" the
primary instigators of Jesus'crucifixion. One would have thought that now
that the rulers had achievedtheir evil end, they might "back off," and even
show an ounce of sympathy. But Luke tells us such was not to be the case as
they continued to fan the flames of hatred and abuse! These evil doers would
see their evil deed to the very end, to the very last agonizing breath of Jesus.
There is a goodword for this genre of behavior. It's call depravity!
Sneering (1592)(ekmukterizo from ek = out + mukterizo = mock from mukter
= nose, nostril) means literally they were holding up their nose at Jesus!They
were ridiculing Him, sneering at Him, treating Him with disdain and
contempt. This is repudiation in the most severe degree!In the only other NT
use of this verb Luke writes "Now the Pharisees,who were lovers of money,
were listening to all these things (Read Lk 16:1-13+)and were scoffing
(imperfect tense)at Him." (Lk 16:14+).
Over a millennium earlier David had prophesied regarding the Messiah's
unconscionable treatment by His fellow Jews writing...
But I am a worm and not a man, A reproachof men and despisedby the
people. 7 All who see me sneer (Lxx = ekmukterizo) at me; They separate
with the lip, they wag the head, saying, 8 “Commit yourself to the LORD;let
Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” (Ps. 22:6-
8)
Comment: See study of the deeper meaning of the incredible statementof
Jesus - I am a worm.
Just as in Lk 16:14, Luke againuses ekmukterizo in the imperfect tense
signifying that the rulers were sneering a Jesus againand again, over and
over. One can envision them watching His in agonyon the cross, andcasting
one scoffafter another! But oh my were they deceived, for unbeknownstto
them they were perfectly fulfilling the 1000 yearold prophecy of one of their
heroes, King David! The irony deepens when one realizes that the word scoff
means to laugh at with contempt and derision. The Greek Septuagint
translation of sneerin Psalm 22:7 is the verb ekmukterizo and this same verb

is also used in messianic Psalm2:4 which says "He who sits in the heavens
laughs, The Lord scoffs (ekmukterizo)at them." The may have scoffedat
Jesus atCalvary, but woe to them, for God gets the last laugh (or the last
"scoff"). Godgets the last laugh so to speak!Indeed, Psalm 2 says "Now
therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth
(INCLUDING YOU SNEERING JEWISHRULERS!). Worship the LORD
with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not
become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessedare all who take refuge in Him!" (Psalm2:10-12) (cf Messianic
Prophecy)
"He savedothers; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His
ChosenOne" - Notice that they are not even willing to speak directly to Jesus,
so greatis their contempt and disdain for the King of Glory! The exhortation
for Jesus to save Himself is the first of three similar taunts (also the soldiers in
Lk 23:36-37 andone of the criminals in Lk 23:39), while the accounts in
Matthew and Mark have only one similar statement. In Mt 27:42 they taunted
Him saying " “He saved others;He cannotsave Himself."
Saved...save (4982)(sozo)means to rescue, liberate, bring out safelyand as
often used in the NT refers to rescue from God's judgment and eternal death.
The wickedcry of these Jewishrulers shows their ignorance of their own
Scriptures (cf Isa 53:1-12), which teachthat the Messiahdid not come to
conquer Rome, but to conquer sin and Satan by drinking the full cup of God's
holy wrath againstsin. The last thing Jesus would do now is save Himself, for
it was for this hour that He had come to earth. He had come to die in time,
that others might live forever in eternity.
This is one of the few correctthings these evil men ever said about Jesus,
because He did indeed "save others," performing many miracles in Israel,
none of which they could deny. They persistedhoweverin their refusal to
believe He was God and therefore could not save Himself. Note that it is very
doubtful that these sarcastic commentthat "He saved others" is a reference to
salvationof one's soulfrom eternaldamnation, but referred to physical,
temporal salvation. For a few of the examples of Jesus "saving" others in one
form or another see Luke 7:50+; Lk 8:36+, 48, 50; Lk 17:19+;Lk 18:42+.

There hypocritical taunt is ironic, almostprophetic, for it was by His death
that He would save others spiritually and eternally! Glory!
While the statementof the rulers about salvationis not a direct quote it
clearly overlaps with the phrase "let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him."
(Ps 22:8). Matthew in fact has the quote from Psalm 22:8 in Mt 27:43 (“HE
TRUSTS IN GOD;LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN
HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”). In the Septuagint the Hebrew
word for "rescue"is translated with the same Greek verb sozo used in their
disdainful remarks. The upshot is that David was alluding to what they would
say when they mockedJesus a thousand years later. The irony of course is
that in three days God would indeed "rescue" (save)His Son, raising Him
from the dead! God's ChosenOne would be supremely vindicated!
Severalyears later Paul summed up the problem of these Jewishrulers (and
of the nation in general)writing "we preach Christ crucified (stauroo), to
Jews a stumbling block (skandalon - think "scandalized"!) and to Gentiles
foolishness."
MacArthur adds that "The rulers viewed anyone hanging on a tree or a cross
as cursed by God (Deut. 21:23), which was true of Jesus (Isa. 53:4, 10;Gal.
3:10-13). But what they did not recognize was that He became a curse for
sinners to redeem them from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13+). (MacArthur
New TestamentCommentary – Luke)
The parallel description in Matthew adds some detail (the words in bold font
are note in Luke) "In the same waythe chief priests also, along with the
scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He savedothers; He
cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel;let Him now come down from
the cross, andwe will believe in Him." (Mt 27:41-42)How ludicrous was their
hypocritical, sarcastictaunt! Think about the countless miracles Jesus had
already performed! And they are saying in essence"Justone more and I will
believe!" Not so!It reminds me of sharing the Gospelwith folks who tell me if
I could see a miracle I would believe. That is total deception and a
"strawman" maneuver to avoid the Truth of the Gospel!They would not
believe for they are alreadytalking with a miracle -- i.e., if they refuse to

believe your testimony about what the Gospeland the Spirit of Christ did to
rescue you from darkness to light they would not believe some lessermiracle!
Neverforget that you as a Christ followerare literally a walking miracle,
indeed one of the greatestofall miracles!
When I knew my children were telling me a tall tale, I would say"Liar, liar,
pants on fire!" Well that could be said of these rulers. They did not believe
His Gospelwords to them, so obviously they would not believe if He came
down from the cross, anymore than they would have believed in Him when
He rose from the dead, which Jesus alluded to in Lk 16:30-31+. In fact the
rulers bribed the Romansoldiers to spread lies, claiming the disciples stole
Jesus’body (see Mt 28:11-15). As MacArthur says "No miracle would have
persuaded them to believe. They loved their sin far too much." Notice also
that these wickedrulers also mockedHis claim as King. Can you imagine
their faces whenHe returns as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16+)
and they see Him in unhindered majesty, powerand greatglory (Rev 1:7+, cf
Mt 24:30+)!Woe!No, Jesus won't getoff the cross for these fickle fakers, but
He will arise from the dead, ascendto Heaven and and then rise up from His
throne at the right hand of the Father, to return as the conquering Messiah
and victorious King.
If this is the Christ of God, His ChosenOne - There is no "if" to it -- Jesus in
fact is "the Christ of God, His ChosenOne." What bitter irony that they use
these titles sarcastically, but all heaven declares their veracity (cf Rev 5:11-
12+)!The Christ (literally in Greek Christos or "Anointed One")in this
context is clearlyanother way of saying the "Messiah" andin fact some
translations render it as "God's Messiah" (Lk 23:35NLT, Lk 23:35CSB).
Recallthat Jesus had claimed to be just this, but their eyes were spiritually
blinded (Lk 22:67, 70+, cf2 Cor 3:14-16+)and thus that steadfastlyrejected
Him and His claims.
The irony is that the title His ChosenOne used sarcasticallyhere by the
Jewishrulers, is used by God the Fatherin His testimony at the
Transfigurationdeclaring "This is My Son, My ChosenOne; listen to Him!”
(Lk 9:35+, cf 1 Peter2:4+ = Christ "a living stone which has been rejectedby
men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God.").

Note "this" or "this one" is used with a sense ofcontempt or disdain, much
like "this man" is used by the Jewishleaders in Lk 23:2 when they brought
their accusationsofJesus to Pilate.
Jesus as God's ChosenOne is the Greek word eklektos(which usually refers
to God's elect, those chosenby Him for salvation)and is an allusion to God's
declarationin Isaiah 42:1 "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen
(Lxx = eklektos)One in Whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon
Him (Mt 3:16 = anointing Jesus with supernatural powerfor ministry! [which
is also our continual need!], cf Isa 11:2+); He (THE CHRIST, THE
MESSIAH) will bring forth justice to the nations (AT HIS SECOND
COMING AND ESTABLISHES HIS MILLENNIAL KINGDOM IN WHICH
ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD WILL EXPERIENCE THE
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE OF THE KING)." As an aside Jesus is
the ultimate Chosenor "ElectOne," and our electionis really a matter of
being chosenin Jesus for Paul explains that God "chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before
Him.(Eph 1:4+).
"Jesus was chosen. “Awide range of texts throughout the New Testament
identifies Jesus as God’s Chosenor Appointed One” (Klein, The New Chosen
People, 269). RobertShank overstates the case whenhe writes that “outside of
Christ this is no electionof any man” (Shank, Electin the Son, 27)."
unknown
Jesus is the ElectOne
By Jeremy Myers

11 Comments
Did it ever occurto you that Jesus was unregenerate?He never had to be
regeneratedby God because He never lackedeternallife. He always had
eternal life. In fact, Jesus is eternal life (John 1:4-5; 14:6; 1 John 5:11-12). Yet
even though Jesus is eternal life, Jesus Himself was electedby God. Jesus was
chosen. “A wide range of texts throughout the New Testamentidentifies Jesus
as God’s Chosenor Appointed One” (Klein, The New ChosenPeople, 269).
Robert Shank overstates the case whenhe writes that “outside of Christ this is
no electionof any man” (Shank, Electin the Son, 27). Nevertheless, it is safe to
say that Jesus is the premier ElectOne (Isa 42:1). Even when He hung dying
on the cross, He was recognizedby His enemies as being the chosenone of
God (Luke 23:35).
Again, does this mean that Jesus was chosenby God to sovereignlyreceive the
free gift of eternallife from God? Of course not! Yet Jesus was electedby God
from all eternity. What for? As we saw in the case ofIsrael, God chose Jesus,
not to be the recipient of regeneration, but to serve a purpose and fulfill a role
in God’s plan of redemption.
Just as God’s electionof Israelwas an electionto service, purpose, and
vocation, so also, God’s electionof Jesus was to service, purpose, and vocation.
Jesus was to be Israel’s righteous remnant, a light to the Gentiles, and God’s
Suffering Servant (Isa 49:6-7; cf. Matt 12:18). “The Messiah, like the nation
[of Israel], was chosento do a task” (Marstonand Forster, God’s Strategyin
Human History, 147).
What task did Jesus accomplishas God’s ElectOne?
According to Jesus Himself, He came:

to fulfill the law and prophets (Matt 5:17),
to reveal the Father (Matt 11:27),
to serve as a ransomfor many (Matt 20:28),
to preach (Mark 1:38),
to call sinners to repentance (Mark 2:17),
to proclaim freedom for captives, give sight to the blind, and proclaim the
year of God’s favor (Luke 4:18-19),
to preach the good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43),
to save the world (John 3:17; Luke 19:10),
to give life (John 10:10, 28),
to do the will of the Father(John 6:38),
to bring judgment (John 9:39),
to share the words of the Father (John 17:8),
to testify to the truth (John 18:37).
Various New Testamentauthors confirm all of these, and additionally saythat
Jesus came
to destroy Satan’s powerand works (Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8),
to take awaysin (1 John 3:5),
to taste death for everyone (Heb 2:9),
and to become a high priest (Heb 2:17).
This is a significant list, and they revealthat the electionof Jesus as God’s
Messiahwas notan electionto eternal life, but an electionto service.

This fits which what we have alreadyseenabout God’s electionof Israel. Just
as it is best to understand the electionof Israelas electionto service, so also,
the electionof Jesus mostnaturally is understood as an electionto service.
https://redeeminggod.com/jesus-elect-one/
Jesus - The Chosenand Beloved
March 27, 2010 Length: 50:17
In his continuing series onthe names of Jesus, Fr. Thomas looks atthe
meaning behind the scriptural references to God's chosenones through whom
came God's ChosenOne.
00:00
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Transcript
We continue now with our reflections on the names and titles of Jesus found
in the New Testament, and we’re going to reflectnow on the fact that in the
Scripture, Jesus, like Israelas a whole in the Old Covenant Scriptures, Jesus
is calledGod’s chosenone and God’s beloved. He’s calledthe one who is
electedand also the one in whom God is well-pleased, orupon whom or in
whom is God’s evdokia, God’s goodwill, God’s goodpleasure.
That word, “evdokia,” we know it’s in the glad tidings of the angels to the
shepherds in the infancy narrative in Luke where it says, “Gloryto God in the
highest, and on earth peace, goodwillamong men”: evdokia among men,

God’s goodpleasure. But we want to think now about this “chosenand
beloved.”
First of all, it’s obvious, I think, to everybody who knows the Scriptures at all
and the Christian faith at all, that the chosenand the beloved of Godare the
people of Israel. God chose Abraham, and then he chosenIsaac and Jacob,
and that choice ofGod appears even sometimes in Scripture to be rather
arbitrary. We meditated on Ancient Faith Radio about the firstborn, and how
you have this firstborn as a very symbolic personage orreality in Scripture:
firstborn animals, firstborn or firstfruits of plants, and then Israelbeing made
the firstborn, and the firstborn being the one who inherits everything and has
everything.
But God very often doesn’tchoose the firstborn. With Isaac, ofcourse,
Abraham’s child Isaac, in whom the promise continues, he’s the one who
chosen, but he’s not the firstborn. He’s the only-born of Sarah, but he’s
certainly not the firstborn. Ishmael is born before him. And then you have, of
course, Jacob, whosename becomes Israel. Jacoband Esau:and we know all
the story about how the birthright is stolen and deceit is made and God
decides not to choose the firstborn. He choosesJacobrather than Esau. He
choosesIsaacratherthan Ishmael.
And then, even later on, he choosesDavidto be his king, and the king that will
be the one who has the promise that of his kingship there will be no end, and
one of the sons of his body shall be setupon the throne, and that the Messianic
king who brings the final, ultimate kingdom of God to the world is David’s
son. But it’s certainly not David’s firstborn. In fact, God comes and chooses
the seventhson, the weakest, the lowliest; the smallestof the sons of Jesseis
made king by God.
So God often doesn’t operate, so to speak, by the rules. He doesn’t even
operate by his own rules sometimes. He’s not arbitrary, but he knows what
he’s doing, and he’s acting by grace. And he’s doing what he is doing, that he
has to do, in order for his plan to be accomplished, the plan which, according
to St. Paul in the New TestamentScriptures, was his plan from before the
foundation of the world. God had this plan and how to deal and interactwith

people, and, simply put—we just review againthis basic Christian
conviction—andthat is that God createdall people, all human beings, male
and female, in his own image and likeness, to literally share his divine life,
ever more perfectly forever.
That he createdall human beings, male and female, to be prophets and priests
and kings over the whole of creation;to know the will of God; to be wise and
not fools;to consecrateeverything; to offer everything to God; to name
everything properly; to intercede and to mediate for the whole of creation;
and to govern the creation;to be like the pastor of all that God has made; to
be the king and to rule over all things. We know that that’s what God created
human beings for; at least, that’s the Christian conviction.
But we also know that human beings sinned. Whereveryou have human
being, you have an apostasy;you have a rebellion. You have people not
keeping the commandments of God; rebelling againstGod; listening to their
own mind; listening to the serpent, the wisdom of this world; disobeying God;
not trusting God; not loving God; not glorifying God; not thanking God. And
so we have the world the way we know it.
But then the Christian convictionis also that God continues to interact with
his creation, and that he has his chosenpeople, his beloved people, his elect
people. And those people are the children of Abraham, and they’re Isaac and
Jacoband the patriarchs, Jacob’s children; and Josephin Egypt; and then
Moses,the greatseerof God who talkedface-to-facewith God and gave the
covenantto people and led the people out of Egypt and slavery and fed them
with manna in the wilderness and followedthe pillar by day and the fiery
cloud by night and through the desert. And then we know how God chose not
to have Moses enterthe promised land, but it’s Yeshua, it’s Joshua, which is
“Jesus”in Greek:“Iēsous.”He’s the one who crosses Jordanwith Caleb. He
enters the promised land.
So God, as it says in Scripture, does whateverhe wills, but what he wills to do
is to choose certainpeople, to electcertain people. And here, throughout the
entire Old Testament, and here you could just geta biblical concordance and
look up “chosen” as a word. Look up “elect”;look up “beloved” and see how

often that is repeatedabout Israel:“Israel, my beloved,” and even “my son,
my firstborn son; Israel, my chosen;Israel, the one with whom I am well-
pleased.” “Withwhom I give my goodpleasure” is perhaps more accurate:
“upon whom I lavish my own goodwill.”
And we know here, even, that God has sworn and cannotchange his mind, as
it says in Scripture, in the Psalms;that he has chosenIsrael. But we know
also—andthis would be certainly the Christian teaching—thatIsrael is
chosento produce the Christ, in whom all the people of the whole world will
be saved, in whom the Gentiles will hope, who will be the light of the Gentiles,
as Isaiah says, the seedof Abraham, in whom all the families of the earth will
be blessedand saved. And this is certainly the Christian teaching, and so it is
that definitely the Christian teaching that all of Israel, all of God’s people, to
whom God has given the covenant, to whom God has given the
commandments, to whom Godhas given according to the flesh the Messiah
and Saviorof the whole world, that all those people we can sayare reduced to
one Person. And that one person is Jesus of Nazareth.
All of Israelis reduced to that one person who finally fulfills the will of God,
as his chosen, as his beloved, as the one in whom his goodpleasure and his
goodwill is resting, and in whom and through whom it comes to the whole
world. That man, Jesus ofNazareth, is the fulfillment of Israeland the
suffering servant of Isaiah. If you read from chapter 40 to the end of the
Prophecyof Isaiah:how many times that is repeated:Israel, my firstborn son,
my belovedson, my chosen, my elect, the one on whom is my goodpleasure,
the one to whom I have sworn, the one to whom I will be faithful, the one
through whom I will save the whole universe. That’s just repeatedagainand
againand again.
When we getto the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, the
Book ofActs—it is very, very clearthat Jesus is proclaimed by God the
Father himself as his Son: My Son, and the one who is my beloved, the
beloved; and the one in whom my goodpleasure abides.
For example, and there are two wonderful examples, and they’re what we
want to think about exactly most in this presentmeditation, in this present

reflection, and that is: when Jesus is baptized, and the Baptism of Jesus by
John the Baptistin the Jordan is given in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and, of
course, it’s referred to also in John, but in Matthew and Mark and Luke,
when Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan River, the voice of the Father is
heard, and the Spirit descends in the form of a dove and rests upon him; and
that is seen, and John bears witness, the Scripture bears witness.
It says that Jesus knew that the Spirit came upon him. John the Baptist is told
in John’s Gospelthat the one upon whom you see the Spirit descendand
remain, this is the one that God is sending as the anointed one, and that this
one is God’s very own Son, the Son of God. But in Matthew and Mark and
Luke, it’s so interesting that at the baptism, the voice of the Father says these
words: “This is my Son, the beloved (or the beloved of me) in whom I am well-
pleased.”
“In whom I am well-pleased.”So this is a… I’ll read it to you from Mark,
exactly as it’s written in the RevisedStandard Version. In Mark, the words
that exist in Mark, which begin with the baptism of Jesus… It’s simply the
11th verse, right in the beginning of Mark’s Gospel. It says:
In those days, Jesus came from Nazarethof Galilee, was baptized by John in
the Jordan, and when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the
heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove, and a voice
came from heaven: “Thou art my beloved Son. With thee, I am well-pleased.”
Or “in thee I am well-pleased.” Thatcould also be translated, as the note says,
“Thou art my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well-pleased” or“in whom I
express my goodpleasure.” And those words are exactlythe same—exactly,
word for word—in Matthew and in Luke. In Matthew 3:17, Luke 3:22, you
have exactly the same words in the Greek text, exactly the same words. The
voice of the Father is heard, and what the Father says is, again—this time I’ll
read it from Matthew. I’ll even read it from Greek in Matthew, where, when
he is coming to be baptized, the heavens are opened, and you have this saying:
Jesus, whenhe was baptized, went up straightwayout of the water, and, lo,
the heavens were openedunto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending

like a dove and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying, “This
is my beloved Sonin whom I am well-pleased.”
Or “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well-pleased.” And in Greek,
it’s identical in Matthew, Mark, and Luke: “Houtos estin ho huios mou ho
agapētos,enhō evdokēsa.”Now, this is exactly the same:“My Son, my
beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
In Matthew and Mark, these are exactly the same words that are spokenby
God on the Mountain of the Transfiguration. I’d like to mention that if you
read Matthew, Mark, and Luke chiastically—whichmeans you have an
introduction, a beginning activity, a high point in the middle, and then an
ending that refers back to the beginning and recapitulates it, and then ends in
the Passionof Christ and his death and Resurrection—ifyou read that
Scripture that way, if you see how that’s constructedliterarily, the centerof
Matthew, Mark, and Luke is the Transfiguration.
The beginning is the Baptism, the center is the Transfiguration, and the end is
the Crucifixion and Resurrectionand the empty tomb. That’s the order of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke; that’s how the material is arranged, even though
these three authors, three Evangelists, are inspired to tell the story differently
and to make different emphases and different theologicalpoints and for
different purposes, Matthew, Mark, and Luke appear to be very much the
same. They’re called“synoptic,” but at the same time, when you read them
really carefully, you see that there are very remarkable and interesting
differences in eachof them. But the same, identically the same words,
however, in eachone, are at the Baptism: “This is my Son, my beloved, in
whom I am well-pleased.”
In the Transfiguration, you have Matthew and Mark having exactlythe same
words. At the Transfigurationof Christ, after Peterconfesses Jesus to be the
Christ, then Jesus tells him that he has to be crucified. Petersays no, Jesus
says yes. Jesus calls PeterSatan, says, “Getbehind me if you’re againstthe
crucifixion. I came to be crucified.” Then Jesus says in Matthew, Mark, and
Luke, “And if you will be my disciples, you will have to take up your cross;

you will have to be co-crucifiedtogetherwith me in order to enter into the
kingdom and to reign with me.”
And then after that exchange takes place,in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, then
Jesus atthe FeastofBooths, which was the feastof the indwelling of God with
his people of the Old Covenant, the feastof Sukkot, Jesus goesup to the
mountaintop, and he transfigures in front of the disciples and he shows his
divine glory. And Moses andElijah are there, and, of course, they stand for
the Law and the Prophets. They stand for heavenand earth: Elijah’s taken
into the heavens; Mosesis buried in the earth. They stand for the living and
the dead, because Elijah never dies and Mosesdies. This is showing that Jesus
is the whole fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He is the fulfillment of
all that is given through Mosesand all that is given through the Prophets.
Then on that mountaintop, Peter, James, and John are there, and they behold
the glory and the splendor shining from the face of Christ. St. Paul will use
this very same imagery. For example, in Ephesians and Colossians,he’ll say,
“Thatlight of glory that in the past shone from Moses onthe mountaintop
and Elijah was takenin the fiery chariot, now all of this is tabernacling among
us, on earth, in person of Jesus, in the face of Jesus.” So Paulwill say that
glory of God, the kabodYahweh, the doxa Kyriou, that is all now shining
radiantly apo tou prosopoutou Kyriou, from the face of the Lord, from Jesus
Christ himself.
And this is what Peterand James and John see on the Transfiguration
mountain. And all this takes place according to our interpretation, certainly to
our liturgical interpretation, so that when we would behold him crucified, that
we would know his suffering is voluntary, that he is God’s Son, that he is the
beloved, that he is the chosenone. So what you have here, in Matthew and
Mark, are exactlythe same words as at the Baptism. God the Fathersays,
while there is this cloud overshadowing them, and it says, “And behold, a
voice came out of the cloud, which said, ‘This is my beloved Son’ ” or “ ‘This
is my Son, my beloved, in whom I am well-pleased.’” And then it adds, “
‘Listen to him.’ ” Listen to him. Hear him.

So you have exactly the same words: “Houtos estin ho huios mou ho
agapētos—Thisis my Son, the son of me, the beloved of me, in whom I am
well-pleased.” And then there’s an imperative added: “Listento him.” Listen
to him; hear him. And then it says, “Whenthe disciples heard this, they fell on
their faces and were afraid, and Jesus touchedthem and said, ‘Stand up.
Don’t be afraid.’ “And then they lifted up their eyes and they saw Jesus alone,
and then they descendedfrom the hill, the mount of Transfiguration. Jesus
againrepeats that he has to be crucified and die and be raisedand glorified.
And then, as one of my students once said, “It was all downhill from there.”
Then he’s in contestationwith the leaders of the people, they have these
conversations back andforth, and then ultimately they decide to kill him. And
they particularly decide to kill him when he uses the text of Psalm 110, “The
Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put all the enemies under
your feet.’ ” He says, “If David in the psalm calls the Messiah‘Lord, Kyrios,’
and enthrones him at the right hand, how canyou say he’s David’s son?” And
then they decided to kill him.
An interesting point here, and very pertinent to mention, is that in the Gospel
according to St. Luke, the Transfigurationaccountin the Gospel according to
St. Luke, it is not exactlythe same as Matthew and Mark at the
Transfiguration, and in Matthew and Mark it would be the same at the
Baptism, nor is it the same as you would find in Luke at the Baptism. In the
Baptism narrative in Luke, you have exactly the same words as in Matthew
and Mark, but not at the Transfiguration. At the Transfiguration, you have a
slightly different sentence, a slightly different sentence whenthey’re on the
mountain in Luke.
This is how it goes in Luke. It says:“While he thus spoke, there came a cloud
and overshadowedthem, and they feared as they entered into the cloud.” This
is on the mountain of the Transfiguration, right? “And then there came a
voice out of the cloud, saying…” And then in Luke it says, in the King James
version, it simply says, “This is my beloved Son. Hear him,” but in Greek, it’s
not that; and in the RevisedStandard, it’s not that. In Greek, it says: “Houtos
estin ho huios mou—This is my son.” Then it doesn’t say, “ho agapētos—the
beloved of me” or “my beloved.” It says, “Ho eklelegmenos”:the one who has

been chosen, the chosenone, the one having been chosen, presentparticiple.
And then it does add, “Aftou akouete—listento him; hear him.” And then it
ends the same way: after they hear that, the voice is past, Jesus is alone, and
they descendfrom the mount of Transfiguration.
So here you have the word, not “ho agapētos,”but “ho eklelegmenos”:“my
chosenone.” Now, this is very, very nice—in the British sense ofthe term
“nice”:very clever, very nuanced—that change, because, in the Old
TestamentScriptures, the elect, the chosen, the electand the beloved, the
chosenand the beloved—are the same!And they’re God’s Son: elect, chosen,
beloved, on whom is God’s goodpleasure.
In the New Testamentalso, beside at the Baptism and at the Transfiguration,
in Matthew’s Gospel, you have a very long quotation of the Prophet Isaiah,
which is very, very instructive. In Matthew’s Gospel, it’s the twelfth chapter
where Jesus is doing all the Messianic signs:he’s healing people; he’s casting
out demons; he’s pronouncing the goodnews;he’s walking on the water;he’s
calming the winds; he’s raising the dead. He’s doing all the things that it was
promised that the Messianic figure would do, that Messianic prophetand the
priest, the high king, the chosenone of God. And in Matthew, you have
actually a direct quotation of the Prophet Isaiah.
This is what it says. It says Jesus is doing all of these things—healing on the
Sabbath; forgiving sins; casting out demons; calming winds—doing
everything that Godalone cando, and now he is doing this as a man. Then it
says that as he was doing all of these things and the greatmultitudes followed
them and he healed the people, then it says he commanded them—he kind of
warned them, he entreatedthem—not to manifest him, that it should not be
made manifest yet. They should not make him known. They should not reveal
him yet.
Then it says the reasonbeing that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby
Isaiahthe Prophet, saying… And now I’ll read it to you from the King James
version: “What was spokenby Isaiah the Prophet, saying, ‘Behold my
servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved (the beloved of me), in whom my
soul’ ”—Godspeaks abouthaving a soulhere; it’s interesting: my life—” ‘is

well-pleased.’” And you have that same verb: “evdokisen.”You see? In the
Baptism, it was “evdokisa.”“In whom my spirit”—or there, it was simply
“I”—“have my goodpleasure,” my goodwillis upon him.
And then it continues: “I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall show
judgment to the Gentiles. I will put my Spirit upon him—thēsō to pnevma
mou ep’ afton—I will put my Spirit upon him and announce,” it says. Or even
“evangelize—apangeleion.”It’s the same word that you get the word
“Gospel” from. “Pronounce the glad tidings of krisis, of judgment, to all the
nations of the world.” All the Gentiles.
Then it continues: “He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his
voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break; a smoking flax shall he
not quench, until he sends forth judgment unto victory.” That’s a wonderful
[saying]: “eōs anekvalē eis nikos tēn krisin”: until he has put forth unto
victory, he has led into victory, the judgment of God; until he is victorious.
And then this little quotation ends, “And in his name—kaitō onomati aftou—
in his name will the Gentiles, the nations, place their hope, place their trust—
elpiousin—place their trust.”
So this quotation from Isaiah, it’s a very important quotation, actually,
because it is that quotation that this servant of Yahweh, “My servant, the pais
mou,” and remember, we reflected on that term, “slave” or“servantof
Yahweh”; the servant of the Lord is “pais.” It can mean “son”;it can mean
“servant”;it canmean “my boy.” It means the one that is belonging to me, the
one who does my will. This “my servant” is also “my beloved” and “my
chosen.” He’s calledhere “my chosen.” “Myservant, whom I have chosen, my
beloved.”
I’d like to just point out: there’s a very interesting connectionof this text with
the Magnificatof the Virgin Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel, and I think it’s
worthwhile taking the time to reflect on this. In the Gospelof St. Luke, as you
probably know, when the Virgin Mary receives the glad tidings from the angel
Gabriel, that she will give birth as a virgin, to the one who will be God’s very
Son, and in that particular text, Mary asks how that can be, and then [he says]

the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and the one to be born of you will be
calledholy, the Sonof God, and he will be the Saviorwho is Christ the Lord.
All this is found in the Gospelaccording to St. Luke, but when Mary hears
that, and she greets Elizabeth and John the Baptist leaps in the womb of
Elizabeth and Jesus leaps in the womb of Mary, and Elizabeth says, “Blessed
are you among women; blessedis the fruit of your womb. Blessedis she who
believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spokento her by the
Lord,” Mary sings her son. It’s calledthe Magnificat, and it’s used in
Christian church services ofthe ancient Church consistently eversince. In the
WesternChurch, it’s sung at vespers; in the EasternOrthodox Church, the
EasternChurch, it’s sung at matins.
But that song of Mary goes like this: “My soulmagnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.” That’s what Mary says.
For he has regardedthe lowliness (the emptiness, the nothingness) of his
female slave (his handmaiden). Forbehold, henceforthall generations willcall
me highly favored, greatlyblessed, full of grace. Forhe who is mighty has
done greatthings for me, and his name is holy. His mercy is on those who fear
him from generationto generation. He has scatteredthe proud in the
imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones.
He has exalted againthose of low degree (the tapeinous). He has filled the
hungry with goodthings, and he has sent the rich awayempty (kenous).
It actually rhymes in Greek. And then it says—andthis is the line I want for
today—it says:
And he has upheld his servant Israel…
His pais his slave Israel, the suffering servant Israel.
...in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and
to his seedforever.
Interestingly, this sentence:“He has upheld his slave Israelin remembrance
of his mercy,” that term “slave” or“servant,” it’s a singular and it’s a male
singular. So as the Magnificatbegins by saying, “He regardedthe low estate of

his female slave,” then the Magnificatends poetically, with a poetic inclusion.
It ends with, “And he has upheld his male servant, Israel.” But all the
Christian tradition understands that as referring to Jesus himself, that it is
Jesus who is upheld, and that is exactly what is just quoted, what I just read to
you from St. Matthew’s Gospel.
What he says in St. Matthew’s Gospel, he begins by saying, “Behold, my slave,
whom I have chosen, my beloved, and the one whom I have upheld.” And then
it says, “In whom my soul is well-pleased.” So Godsays about him, that God
says his own soul, his own life, is well-pleasedin Jesus, whereasMarysays in
her song that her soul magnifies the Lord. Well, at the end it says that the
Lord is well-pleasedin her child, and his soul is well-pleased.
And then, when Mary says, “My spirit rejoices in God my savior,” this
particular sentence ends in Isaiahby saying that “I will put my spirit upon
him, the one in whom my soul rejoices. It’s on him that I will put my Spirit.”
And then, of course, in Luke, Isaiah is also quoted, that text, “The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, to pronounce the Gospelto the poor, to preachfreedom to
those who are in captivity, to pronounce the glorious freedom of the children
of God to the world, the beginning of the new age.” That’s whatIsaiahis
predicting about Jesus.
But in that text again, I just want to read it to you as it exactly says in Isaiah.
It puts it this way here. He says:
Behold my servant whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. I
have put my spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will
not cry or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street. A bruised reed he
will not break; a dimly burning wick he will not quench.
In other words, he’s not going to quench anything; he’s going to keep
everything going.
He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not fail or be discourageduntil he
has establishedrighteousnesson the earth, and the coastlands will all wait for
his law.

That means the Gentiles. So here you have Israelbeing called “my servant,
my chosen, the one [in] whom my soul delights,” and therefore “the one who is
my beloved, the one in whom is my goodpleasure.”
All of this is Jesus. That’s the point today: all of this is Jesus. He is the elected
one; he is the chosenone;he is the beloved one; he is the one in whom is God’s
goodpleasure. And you have this expression, “chosenofGod,” repeatedvery
often in the Scriptures. For example, at the Passionnarrative in St. Luke’s
Gospel, they say, “Well, why is all this happening to him? Why is he being
crucified? Why is God not helping him? Why is God not saving him? He
savedothers; let him save himself.” So, for example, in Luke’s Gospel, you
have this sentence:Jesus is on the cross;they’re crucifying him, with thieves.
Jesus cries out from the cross, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they
do.” And then they castlots to divide his garments;that’s the fulfillment of
the psalm. And then it says the people stoodby, watching, but the rulers
scoffedat him, saying, “He saved others;let him save himself if he is the
Christ of God, the chosenone, the one who has been chosen.”
And then they even continue: “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
And they had the inscription over him: “This is the king of the Jews.”So you
have this: “If he is the chosenone.” And in the other letters in the New
Testament, you have Jesus calledthe chosen, and those who are in Jesus are
also calledthe chosen, those who belong to Jesus, becausehe’s the firstfruit
and the firstborn of many brethren. All who are in Christ now become chosen
and beloved of God. They become sons of God.
For example, in I Peter, the author writes that this man who was crucified,
who was raisedand glorified, who is God’s Son and Lord, he is rejectedby
men, but, it says in I Peter, chosenby God. Rejectedby men, but chosenby
God. And that is a statement also that you can apply even to the followers of
Jesus, becauseallthose who follow Jesus and keepthe commandments are
also basicallyrejectedby men, but chosenby God. So you have [this] example
in [I Peter]; I’ll read the text totally. It says to the Christians:
This is the goodnews, the Gospelwhich was preachedto you: So, put awayall
malice and all guile and insincerity and all slander, but like newborn babies,

long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you make grow up to salvation, for
you have tastedthe goodnessofthe Lord. Come to him, to that living stone
rejectedby men, but in God’s sight chosenand precious. And like living
stones, be yourself built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer
spiritual sacrifices acceptableto God through Jesus Christ.
So this is what it says: “Come to him, that living stone rejectedby men, but in
God’s sight chosenand precious.” Whenwe know that Jesus is the chosen, the
beloved, God’s own Son, in whom is God’s goodpleasure, we know and we
affirm and Scripture teaches andthe Liturgy prays and the Creed says that
all this is done for us and for our salvation. He is chosen;he is elected;he is
beloved; he is sent. He is revealed, for our sake, as the chosenone of God.
That means that in him, by faith and by grace, we become everything that he
is. St. Maximus the Confessorput it so nicely when he said, “A human being is
a creature with a commandment to be by grace and by faith everything that
Christ is by nature.” And Christ by nature is God and man. And Maximus
even was mutilated and persecutedand put in prison, and died because he
insisted that as a man, Jesus had a realhuman soul, a realhuman will, real
human energies;he was a real human being. He became really like us in every
respect.
He’s really human, but he’s also really divine, and his divinity is revealed
through his humanity. And that divinity is revealed not only through his
actions as the Messiahandhis preaching and his teaching, but it is ultimately
revealedwhen he is crucified. When he is crucified, the powerof God is
revealed, the truth of God, the wisdom of God, the glory of God, the love of
God, the mercy of God, the forgiveness ofGod. All [of] this is given through
him, and he is chosenand beloved exactly for that particular purpose.
What this tells us is this: those who are chosenin Christ, who is the Chosen
One, those who are beloved of God in Christ as the BelovedOne, are calledto
keepthe commandments of God. They’re calledto show forth the love of God,
perfectly and totally. They are calledto do the will of God, without
qualification or condition. They are chosento serve God in every possible way
for the salvationof all the nations and the whole world. They are calledto be

holy as God is holy, and we’ll see that Christ, one of the titles of Christ is the
Holy One of God. The chosenone of God and the beloved one of God, who is
the Sonof Godand the Word of God, is also the Holy One of God.
Those who are calledand chosenin him are called to be saints. It’s very
interesting that practicallyevery letter of the Apostle Paul in holy Scripture
begins with the words “Klētoi agiois—calledto be saints.” So we are all called
to be holy. We’re calledto be what Christ is, to do what Christ does, to live
the Christ-like life. Now, ofcourse, we know also when we think of this word,
“chosen”—no one canknow the Scripture without remembering right away
how the Lord Jesus Christsaid, “Many are called”—infact, “many” there
means also “the multitude.” In fact, it means “everyone”:Everyone is called.
But he said, “Few are chosen.”Only few are chosen.
Many are called, but only few are chosen, and those who are chosenare
chosenbasicallyto suffer with Christ. And in the Letter to the Romans, in the
eighth chapter, you have this put very nicely again, very [clearly], very
sharply, without any doubt, without any nuance, where you have the following
said, that in that eighth chapter it says that the Spirit of him who raised Jesus
from the dead dwells in us, and God, who raisedChrist Jesus from the dead,
will give life to our mortal bodies through the Spirit dwelling in us. And then,
through the Holy Spirit, we are led by the Spirit of God and are calledsons of
God, and we cry to God, “Abba, Father!” And then we become heirs of God
and fellow-heirs with Christ. But then it adds, “Providing we suffer with him,
in order that we may be glorified with him.”
Then Paul speaks aboutthe sufferings about the present time, and what the
Christians have to go through with patient endurance, but then he says, and
we use this text when we were speaking about predestination in one of our
talks on the radio, you have these words:
We know that in everything, God works for goodwith those who love him and
are calledaccording to his purpose. Now those who love him are those who
know that they are belovedby him.
So it’s only the beloved who love God. As St. John puts it, we love God
because he loved us first. So the beloved are the lovers. And then it says:

For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
So if he’s the calledand the beloved, then he’s the first of many who by faith
and grace through him become what he is and have his Spirit and have his
relationship to God as Abba, Father. So then it says:
And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he
also justified as those who were chosen. And those whom he justified, he also
glorified.
So then it says:
What, then, shall we say to this? If God is for us, who canbe againstus? He
who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give
us all things through him and with him and in him?
We know that we are called. Christians are called. The baptized are called.
Those who are sealedwith the Spirit, those who participate in the broken
Body and shed Bloodof Christ, they are the ones who prove that they are
chosen. And we have this wonderful line in the psalterthat’s used, perhaps in
a little bit of a different way in the prayer for the dead: “Blessedare they
whom thou hast taken and chosen, O Lord.” But those who are chosenby God
are the ones who are chosento suffer with him. And here, this is very
important, because if anyone can claim, “I have been chosenby God. I am
beloved of God and Jesus. I am togetherwith him, one of many brethren who
are firstborn and who have all of God’s electionupon me,” then what I’m
saying is, “I’m called to suffer. I’m calledto keepthe commandments. I am
chosen.”
And you could even say that whom God foreknew and he called, those whom
he chose are the ones whom he knew would keephis commandments; those
whom he knew would love him in return; those whom he knew who would
love everyone, including their worstenemies, the wayChrist did and the way
Christ commanded; those who would love with the love that Christ himself
has loved us. And, by the way, it’s interesting that in the Letter to the

Colossians, Jesus is not… It’s sometimes translatedin English “belovedSon,”
that Jesus is called the beloved Son in the Letter to the Colossians. It’s right in
the beginning of the letter. This is what it says in the RSV. It says:
May you be strengthenedwith all poweraccording to his glorious might for
all patient endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Fatherwho
has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
And that means in Christ Jesus.
He has delivered us (or ransomed us) from the dominion of darkness and
transferred us to the kingdom…
And it says here in English:
...ofhis beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
So God has takenus and with endurance and patience and joy and eucharistic
thanks to God, we are [inheritors] of the saints in light, together with Jesus
and in him, because in him we have been delivered from the dominion of
darkness. But here, where it says, “andtransferred us to the kingdom of his
beloved Son,” it’s interesting that literally it says in Greek, “has transferred
us to the kingdom of the Son of his love—ho huios tēs agapēs aftou.” Not
“belovedSon,” not “ho agapētos,”but “the Son of his love.”
So we become sons of God’s love in Jesus. That’s what the beloved son means:
to be the son of his very love, made sons by his love, made sons because he
loved us. But we repeat, and we complete our meditation here today by
remembering and forcefully saying, as forcefully as we can: If we are indeed
calledand chosenin Christ, or, to use the words of the Apocalypse, the Book
of Revelation, where it says that those who enter the kingdom are called, but
they’re also chosen, and they’re also faithful. They are called; they are
chosen;and they are faithful. It’s a wonderful statement. Let me see;I will
find it here immediately to read it to you, because it speaks aboutthose who
have conquered in Christ. Those who have conquered in Christ as the King of
kings and the Lord of lords, that they are the ones who are calledand who are
chosenand who are faithful. Let me try to find it here.

But what it is saying about them [is that] they’re the ones who conquer with
the Lamb, who is Jesus, andthey conquer because they suffer togetherwith
him; that it says those who conquer, or those who have conquered together
with him, they’re the ones who enter into the kingdom. But you only can enter
if you have suffered with him. So this is what it says. It says:
They, the evil of the world, will make war on the Lamb…
The Lamb of God: that’s Christ.
...and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is the Lord of lords and King of
kings, and those who are with him are calledand chosenand faithful.
“Klitoi, eklektoiand pistoi,” it says in Greek. I like it in Slavonic also:
“zvanih, izabranih, i vjerni.” I always, whenI think of that text, I like to say—
I’ve said it before on the radio—that the MetropolitanHilarion of the Russian
Orthodox Church, who’s now the head of the External Affairs, his mother,
when he was a small boy, wrote a book, under the Communists, about being a
Christian under Communism, and she named her book:“Zvanih, Izabranih, i
Vjerni”: Called and Chosenand Faithful.
But those who are called, chosen, and faithful, are those who suffer. That’s the
point. Only the suffering servant is the chosenand the beloved. Only those
who suffer togetherwith him are chosenand beloved. Only those who suffer
with him are chosen, beloved, and [upon] whom the goodwillof God,
announced at the birth of Christ by the angels, rests. The “goodwillamong
men,” that goodwillof God is only on those who keep the commandments of
God, who do the righteousness ofGod, who serve God, who are slaves ofGod,
even, by which they become sons.
They are only those who co-sufferwith Jesus, who are co-crucifiedwith him,
who die with him, not just in the sacramentof baptism, but really, literally,
every moment of their life; who are sealedwith the gift of the Holy Spirit, not
only at their baptism, but are constantly sealedand acting by the Holy Spirit
every moment, with every breath of their life; only on those who eat and drink
at the table of the kingdom the broken Body and shed Blood of Christ, so their
bodies could be broken and their blood could be shed, so that they could

demonstrate and prove that they are indeed the chosenand the beloved of
God, those who have answeredthe call.
Many are called, but only the few are chosen, and the chosenare those who
suffer with him. That is clearly the teaching of the holy Scripture, and it’s
clearly the witness of the saints. So Jesus alone is chosenand beloved, but we
are chosenand beloved in him. But the chosenone and the belovedone, in
whom God’s soul rejoices, as it says in Isaiah, on whom God has placed his
Spirit, as it says in Isaiah, making him the Christ, the anointed one—that
Jesus ofNazareth is the fulfillment of the calling and the choosing ofIsrael.
In fact, he is Israel. He is the male child, Israel, as the end of the Magnificat
says:“Forhe has upheld his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as
he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed”—that’s Christ—
“forever.” But he is that servant, the chosenand the beloved. And the Father
himself, God himself, testifies to this when Jesus is baptized by John in the
Jordan, and he testifies to this when Jesus is transfigured on the mountain
before Peter, James, and John: “This is my Son, my beloved, my chosen.
Listen to him.”
And then, when he’s on the Cross in total silence, the leaders of the people
scoffat him: if he was the chosen, why can’t he save himself, come down from
the Cross? Butthere they make that tragic error: he is hanging on the Cross,
crucified and silent, because he is the chosenone, and as the chosenone, the
beloved one, he gives his life to the Father. He fulfills all righteousness. He
ransoms us from all sin. He forgives everything. He destroys death, as the
chosenone, the belovedone. And he fulfills it all, as he fulfills everything, as
he hangs dead upon the Cross. “Itis fulfilled.”
So when he says in St. John’s Gospel, “Itis fulfilled,” it means, “My being
chosen;my being beloved; my being God’s real, only Son; my being the
firstborn of creationand the firstborn of the dead is now being fulfilled. My
chosenness, my belovedness is being demonstrated, when I give up myself for
the life of the world.” And all those who belong to him, by faith and by grace,
and by the Holy Spirit’s power, are called to be chosenand faithful and
beloved for doing exactlythe same thing, for being what he is and doing what

he does, because he does it, not so that we don’t have to do it, but he does it so
that we may do it togetherwith him; that we, with him, may be chosenand
beloved and be shown to be those upon whom the good pleasure of God
descends, remains, and lasts, filled with the very Spirit of God, that made him
the Christ and us the anointed; him the Sonand we sons in him; him the
chosenand beloved, and we also chosenand beloved in him.
https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/namesofjesus/jesus_-
_the_chosen_and_beloved
When did John The Baptist know Jesus was God's ChosenOne according to
John 1?
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John 1:29-34:
The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb
of God, who takes awaythe sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I
said, “A man who comes afterme has surpassedme because he was before
me.” I myself did not know him, but the reasonI came baptising with water
was that he might be revealedto Israel.’

Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a
dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who
sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit
come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.” I
have seenand I testify that this is God’s ChosenOne.’
To me the implication is that John did not know that his own cousin / relation
was the Messiahuntil His baptism!
Is this the correctunderstanding of "I myself did not know him"?
john jesus john-the-baptist
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edited Dec 18 '13 at 14:37
askedDec 18 '13 at 13:25
Reinstate Monica
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My understanding is that John is basicallysaying that he didn't know that
Jesus was the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, because this is the
appositive statementto "I myself did not know Him." But I don't have time
now to do the researchrequired for a full answer;I'm sure someone else does.
– Niobius Dec 18 '13 at 14:40
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John was not saying that he did not recognize Jesus as the Messiahin the way
that we do not perceive or recognize a person's identity, like an old
acquaintance or relative, but instead that Jesus had receivedrecognitionnot
from him (John), but from heaven that he (Jesus)was the Christ. The Greek
word εἴδω is used the same way that we use the word "recognize" in English,
such as when you are "recognized" in a police line-up as the suspectthat
committed the crime (identity), or when you are "recognized" forexceptional
academic achievementby the Deanof the College (distinction). John is saying
that it is not he who has made the formal recognitionof Jesus as Christ, but
God. It is not that he is unaware that Jesus is unique (identity), but that the
formal recognitionof being the Messiahis not from John, but from God
(distinction).

So it is interesting that John uses these two meanings of this Greek verb in this
passage. We see the former in John 1:26, when John accusesthe Phariseesof
not recognizing the person within their midst who is the anointed (like not
recognizing an old acquaintance);and againin this passage, whenJohn denies
that it is he who is making the formal recognitionof Jesus as the Christ
(instead that distinct recognitionis coming direct from heaven). So these two
facets of the meaning of εἴδω occur in this chapter.
The sign from heaven, which John was to watchfor, was that the Spirit would
descendfrom heaven like a dove, at which time the voice from heaven had
declared, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." It was this
heavenly "recognition" that made Jesus to be the Christ, not John. John was
the prophet by whom heaven made this recognition;thus it was not John who
"recognized" Jesus as the Christ, but God in heaven. When John says that
Jesus is the Son of God, he is making the connectionthat Jesus is the anointed
"son" as describedin the David Covenant (2 Sam 7:14) and in Psalm 2:7,
where in both passagesthe "son" nexus appears in the Hebrew Bible in
connectionwith the Anointed Christ. That is, the voice from heaven (God) is
saying that Jesus is his son.
So here is the passagein question with my amplification [bracketedin bold]
basedon the previous paragraphs -
John 1:29-34 (NASB)
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of
God who takes awaythe sin of the world! 30 This is He on behalf of whom I
said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed
before me.’ 31 I did not [formally] recognize him [as the Christ], but so that
He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” 32 John testified
saying, “I have seenthe Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He
remained upon Him. 33 I did not [therefore formally] recognize Him [as the
Christ], but He who sent me to baptize in watersaid to me, ‘He upon whom
you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who
baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I myself have seen[the descending Spirit as a

dove], and have testified [basedon the explicit voice heard from heaven] that
this is [the Christ,] the Sonof God.”
To reinforce this interpretation, Jesus was very explicit that John was not the
source of his authority, although John had testified to his authority as the
Christ.
John 5:32-37 (NASB)
32 There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which
He gives about Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the
truth. 34 But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these
things so that you may be saved. 35 He was the lamp that was burning and
was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the
testimony which I have is greaterthan the testimony of John; for the works
which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—
testify about Me, that the Father has sentMe. 37 And the Fatherwho sent Me,
He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen
His form.
The form was the dove, which they had not seen, and the voice from heaven
was the declarationof his anointing, which they had not heard either, but it
was still John who had testified this truth to them. So Jesus was saying that
his authority did not come from man (John), but from heaven (God). Jesus
also mentions his works (miracles), which were superior to the miracles of
Moses -for example, Jesus healedthe blind, which was never recordedin the
Hebrew Bible, and of course Jesus walkedon waterwhereas Moseshadto
split the waters. The multiplication of bread came not from heaven(manna),
but from his own hand, etc. So Jesus declares himselfthe be "Christ" based
on his works and the truth evident from heaven, which John had seenand
heard, and who therefore had testified to the truth.
Finally, and not unrelated, Jesus once askedthe Scribes whether the baptism
of John was from men or from heaven (Mark 11:29-33). While the Scribes
refused to answerJesus, basedonthe preceding paragraphs, Jesus could have
answeredthe following: (a) If they believed that the baptism of John was from
man, then John denied that he ever "recognized" Jesusas the Messiah, but

instead testified that he saw the Spirit in the form of a dove and heard the
voice, which was what "recognized" Jesus as the Anointed One; or (b) If they
believed that the baptism of John was from heaven, then the authority of
Jesus to teach stemmed from John's baptism, when the Spirit in the form of a
dove descendedand the voice declaredhim the "Son," whichwas the formal
"recognition" thatJesus was the Anointed One.
In summary, the "recognition" ofJesus as Messiah(Christos = Anointed One)
did not come from man on earth (such as John the Baptist), but from Godin
heaven.
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edited May 1 '14 at 4:23
answeredMay1 '14 at 4:04
Joseph
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