The document discusses the significance of Jesus' crucifixion, emphasizing the profound suffering he endured and the importance of his sacrifice for the salvation of humanity. It contrasts the immediate despair witnessed by his disciples with the spiritual victory recognized by believers today, affirming that his death was necessary for the triumph of his cause. The text also highlights the necessity of self-sacrifice in saving others, drawing parallels to other acts of devotion and bravery throughout history.

1. 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 -

2. 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. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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."

18. 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

19. 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)

20. 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

21. 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+.

22. 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

23. 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.").

24. 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

25. 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:

26. 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.

27. 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,

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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;

35. 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.

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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]

39. 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

40. 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.

41. 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,

42. 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

43. 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:

44. 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

45. 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.

46. 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

47. 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

48. 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.’

49. 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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Reinstate Monica
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50. 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).

51. 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

52. 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

53. 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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answeredMay1 '14 at 4:04
Joseph
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54. Would you say that when John “leapedfor joy” in Elizabeth’s womb he was
recognizing the presence ofthe spirit, but he could not yet have recognized
specificallyJesus (who hadn’t been born or even named at that point)? – John
Martin May 15 '14 at 13:49
Interesting. But when I look up the link on eido that you provide (Blue Letter
Bible), i do not see 'recognize'as you suggestas a translation. The NASB and
WEB translate it as recognize, but, even there, the sense seemsto be more
akin to know someone than to recognize as you suggest. Further, if the word
does mean that, to translate it to the English word 'know', as at least9 other
translations do would be wrong. This description appears to be at odds with
the translators understanding. – user6152 Nov27 '14 at 0:34
@BenjaminHoogterp- Ben, have you ever seenthose maps at the backs of
Bibles that describe and depict the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul?
There is one verse in the New Testament(Rom 15:19)where Paul mentions
his travels to (the Roman Province of) Illyricum, which is modern day Croatia
(former Yugoslavia). I have never seenany Bible map anywhere reflect Paul
ever having traveled to Illyricum. Is it fair to say, that Bible editors over the
years missed this oversight? In other words, re-checking whatthe Bible texts
say sometimes leads us to new discoveries. – JosephNov 27 '14 at 2:30
@JosephSome have it on his 3rd MissionaryJourney, betweenThessaloniki
and Berea. I do tend to doubt its a freshly noted detail, just not always
included when constructedfrom Acts. Albeit, this is a little more than a stray
detail. Issues concerning the direct translation of a text in Greek have always
been the subject of intense scrutiny through the agencyof many diverse and
qualified panels. To recognize in a lineup is not to "formally recognize", but
to merely identify by sight. I just think when one questions the actual
translation, it demands a greaterproof. I dont see that here. – user6152 Nov
27 '14 at 8:54

55. @BenjaminHoogterp- Berea is 45 miles from Thessaloniki. Anyway, I must
approachthis subject with much humility and be very concernedthat I may
be wrong, which is my greatestfearand upon which I pray often, so that I
would not lead others astray. – JosephNov27 '14 at 14:53
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Lots of discussionon this subject. But if i may clarify on the key question.
Although previous scripture indicates that John knew Jesus as a great
teacher, a prophet, and perhaps even as one defined as the Messiahby his
mother and aunt, the statementin John, Chapter 1:29-34 declares that until
the moment of confirmation wherein the prophesy from God was physically
and spiritually fulfilled, John could not officially declare nor confirm that
Jesus was and is the Lamb of God.
Thus we have: “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain
is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit,” establishedas the defining
moment. In my article, "Before Baptizing Jesus Did John Baptist Know Jesus
Was God?" I coverthe full text, including a discussionon how the scripture
from Matt. 3:13-17 fits into this line of reasoning.
Let there be no confusionhere. No matter how men desire to interpret the
events of the baptism as describedin Matthew chapter three, our full
understanding must also take into considerationthe accountas given in John
chapter one. By his own words, John the Baptist defines the sign that was
necessarybefore he could know or confirm that Jesus was and is the Lamb of
God. They were:
A baptism with water
The descending from heavenof the Holy Spirit

56. And the abiding presence of the Spirit as he remained upon Jesus.
Clearly a prophesy of this sign was given to John the Baptist by “he that sent
me.” Therefore, before the conclusionof this prophesy, John could not
earnestlyand honestly define Jesus as the Sonof God. He may have thought
it. He may even have believed it. But so long as that word from God remained
unfulfilled, John the Baptist lackedthe solid ground necessaryfor full belief.
I do not say that John the Baptists did not leap in the belly of his mother when
the expectantMary came to visit. Neither do I claim that he did not, perhaps,
have a conviction and an expectation. I say only that before baptizing Jesus,
John had a word from God which declared how and when John would be able
to identify the Sonof God. And prior to the baptism, even John the Baptist
must contain his judgment in the matter.
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answeredNov26 '14 at 4:51
Rm Harrington
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57. John the baptist knew when he was in his mother womb. It says in Luke 1:41-
44:
and it came to pass, that when Elisabethheard the salutation of Mary, the
baby leaped in her womb; and Elisabethwas filled with the holy ghost. And
she spake out with a loud voice, and said, blessedart thou among women, and
blessedis the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of
my lord should come to me. For, lo, as soonass the voice of thy salutation
sounded in mine ears, the babe leapedwith joy.
So soonas Mary was pregnant with Jesus she went to go see her cousin
Elisabethwho was pregnant with John the Baptist, came and said hello, and
John inside the womb jumped with joy. John knew before he was evenborn
that Jesus was the son of God.
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Jas 3.1
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58. davidx6
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Yea it does elisabethknew that mary was carrying our lord. So when mary
walkedin with jesus. The babe jumped with joy and elisabethwas filled with
the holy ghost. – davidx6 Dec 18 '13 at 23:43
Sorry for the late reply. Why then did John say, "I myself did not know
him"? – Reinstate Monica Apr 11 '14 at 7:04
So, what exactly is the answerto the actualquestion. It doesnt ssemclear. –
user6152 Nov27 '14 at 0:17
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There are two possibilities for this statement.
Either John did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but knew He was his
cousin.
Or John did not recognize Jesus as as Messiah, andalso didn't recognize Him
as his cousin.

59. Whether John recognizedhim as his cousinis not relevant, and not necessary
to know. John lived in the wilderness, and so it is quite understandable that he
would not have recognizedJesus by sight.
The primary sense ofthe phrase, however, is that He did not know Jesus was
the Christ. From the text, John receivedinstructions for his Baptizing from
'someone', presumably an angel. The angel told him that the personwhom the
Spirit would descendupon and remain was the Messiah(the one who would
baptize with the Spirit). It is conceivable that the Spirit may have 'descended'
upon some, but did not remain, although this is conjecture, even as He filled
Elisabethduring pregnancy.
When John was in the womb, as a non-aware infant, his spirit responded to
the presence ofMessiahand his mother being filled with the Spirit by leaping
for Joy. This does not necessarilyequate with him having the same conscious
knowledge ofwho Jesus was. Likewise, towards the end of his life, he sent
disciples to ask if Christ truly was the Christ, or if they should look for
another, because he had not seenthe fulfillment of what he lookedfor (Christ
would not actually baptize with the Spirit until after His resurrection).
But, John confessesboth that he did not know him as Messiahas anadult,
although, given other circumstances and calling, one could conjecture that he
would have come to believe in due time just like the apostles did. But, it is
clearthat he is saying that what he was doing, he was doing only in his role as
prophet, and he was only ministering as the 'voice of one crying in the
wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord'.
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Jesus knew John, because Jesus knowswho everyone is.
Jesus spenta lot of time living in Egypt. It's possible that they had met
infrequently as John's parents lived some way from Nazareth. There is no
record of them meeting even at a barmitzvah, as cousins would normally do.
But if they had, 17 years will have flown by.
Before they meet at the Jordan, John has a kind of premonition that the
Christ has arrived and is standing in the crowd. John, although not a miracle
worker, was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb as the angel
promised his father .when Jesus mother was expecting Jesus, she visited
John's mother. At that moment John had an inside of body experience and
was filled with joy at being close to the unborn Jesus. Like his priest father,
John is one who heard from God So it's no surprise that John recognised
Jesus before he baptised him.
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answeredNov24 '17 at 1:38
Tony Nelson
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I have always understood that John knew Jesus was the Messiahfrom the
womb. Then Yahweh hid this knowledge until the baptism of Yeshua. So that
both could carry out their paths Yahweh had planned. I have been trying to
understand the prison proclamation. In Matt. 11:3. I wish I could read the
original txt. As I feel it would translate differently than what was translated
into English. Does anyone have insight on this.
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answeredMar10 '18 at 19:31
Turtle Davis
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Welcome to BH.SE!Please take the tour to geta feel for how the site
functions. It is not sufficient to simply make a claim, you are required to
provide support for it. For example, your claim that John knew Jesus from

62. the womb, that Yahweh hid knowledge, andthat Matthew 11:3 means
something different than the English already written, have no weightwithout
evidence to back them up. – enegue Mar12 '18 at 6:11
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The good, the greatthing is what God wantedmankind to know is that; The
Father sent Jesus, and that Jesus Christ whom the Prophets prophosied about
came according to the time God said.
Who knew that Jesus is that sacrificialLamb of God?
Thank you Father, you gave many to know. You openedour understanding
and enlightened many.
Perhaps knowing you Jesus Christ, intimately will help others to know you
also. Perhaps our focus on our relationship with you will spill out & overflow
into a world to those whom desire to know you, that need to know you.
DearJohn the Baptist, as a young believer in Jesus Christ, where I read what
you said:
John 1:29 KJV — The next day John seethJesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which takethaway the sin of the world.
I was bought under such a convictionby the Holy Spirit! My heart could
recognize Jesus Christas That SacrifucialLamb! I did and do behold The
Savior, of the world and my Savior, full of Light, Life and Love!
Thank you Father, the work that you did in John the Baptist spilled over to
many, and to me!
https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/7699/when-did-john-the-
baptist-know-jesus-was-gods-chosen-one-according-to-john-1

63. Jesus is the ChosenOne
Postedon Mar 1, 2019 in Uncategorized
Luke 9:28-36 (Exodus 34:29-35, Psalm99) I am amazed eachand every time
I encountera well-known biblical text and see something I had not seenbefore
– not in a life-time of textual engagement. The same is true of the making of
connections (joining of the dots) which help the text come alive. Here are a few
examples in Luke’s accountof the Transfiguration:
Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took withhim Peterand John
and James, and went up on the mountain to pray (Luke 9:28). The
Transfigurationcomes a week orso after Peter confessesthat Jesus is the
Messiah(9:20); and following Jesus’declarationthat “there are some
standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God:
(9:27). So, Peteris on something of a spiritual “high” at this point. No wonder
he gets the wrong end of the stick in this encounterin which he sees not the
kingdom but Jesus’glory! (v. 31)
Peter, James and John are drowsy (“weigheddownwith sleep” v. 32), as they
hear Jesus, Moses andElijah talking about Jerusalem, and about Jesus’
departure. At that very moment, Moses andElijah begin to leave. The Greek
word used here means literally a gradualdeparture or disappearance. In
other words, it is while these two greatfigures of the Hebrew Scriptures begin
to fade awaythat Peter voices his heart-felt desire that this moment not end:
“Master, it is goodfor us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you,
one for Moses, andone for Elijah” (v. 32). Preachers tend to make fun of
Peter’s lack of understanding. Yet, don’t we all (we humans) reachout toward
things and people that mean the world to us, as they fade and leave us?
“Stay!” is the cry of humanity.

64. The word translated as “departure” (v. 31) is literally exodus. For our Jewish
cousins, the Exodus was the beginning of a long journey towards the land of
destiny. The Transfiguration comes atthe very end of Jesus’Galilean
ministry. Now Luke gives a lengthy account(9:51-19:28)of Jesus’journey to
Jerusalem;beginning with his setting his face towardthe Holy City and
ending with his arrival at the city gate. So, although Jesus’exodus may refer
to his Passion, itmight also describe the beginning of his long journey towards
the city of destiny – “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are
sent to it!” (13:34).
The voice of the Fatherthat was heard at Jesus’baptism (“You are my Son,
the Beloved;with you I am well pleased” Luke 3:22), is heard again at his
Transfiguration. But, now there is a new audience. The Father doesn’t
address Jesus, but rather the three disciples who are to carry out Jesus’
ministry: “This is my Son, my Chosen;listen to him!” (9:35). The Galilean
ministry began with Jesus’baptism, and the revelationthat his ministry is
poweredby the Spirit: Jesus’journey to Jerusalembegins with the
Transfiguration, and the revelation that this journey is likewise poweredby
the Spirit.
Once again, Peteris my hero – the one to whom I canrelate. He is tired (v.
32), terrified (v. 34), and confused(v. 33). He has left behind the sphere of the
ordinary by ascending the mountain (v. 28), and now the glorious vision
before him is fading away(v. 33). Yet it is preciselyin that very moment –
within the cloud that surrounds and terrifies Peter – that the Father speaks to
him. Not, you notice, words of rebuke, but words of direction and hope: Jesus
is the ChosenOne; the only one to whom I/we must listen.
https://www.saklc.com/jesus-is-the-chosen-one/

65. Psalm2 New Life Version (NLV)
God’s ChosenOne Will Rule
2 Why are the nations so shakenup and the people planning foolishthings? 2
The kings of the earth stand in a line ready to fight, and all the leaders are
againstthe Lord and againstHis ChosenOne. 3 They say, “Let us break their
chains and throw them awayfrom us.”
4 He Who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord makes fun of them. 5 Then He
will speak to them in His anger and make them afraid, saying, 6 “But as for
Me, I have set My King on Zion, My holy mountain.” 7 I will make known the
words of the Lord. He saidto Me, “You are My Son. TodayI have become
Your Father. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for you to own. The ends
of the earth will belong to You. 9 You will break them using a piece of iron.
And they will be broken in pieces like pots of clay.”
10 So, kings, be wise. Listen, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with
fear, and be full of joy as you shake in fear. 12 Kiss the Son. Be afraid that He
may be angry and destroy you in the way. For His angeris quick. Happy are
all who put their trust in Him.
New Life Version (NLV)
Copyright © 1969, 2003by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
“My ChosenOne, Whom My Soul Has Approved!”
Isaiah42:1-25
1, 2. Why is chapter42 of Isaiahof interestto Christians today?
“‘YOU are my witnesses,’is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘even my servant whom
I have chosen.’” (Isaiah43:10)This declarationby Jehovah, recordedby the
prophet Isaiahin the eighth century B.C.E., showsthat Jehovah’s ancient

66. covenantpeople were a nation of witnesses. Theywere God’s chosenservant.
Some 2,600 years later, in 1931, anointedChristians publicly declaredthat
these words applied to them. They took the name Jehovah’s Witnesses and
wholeheartedlyacceptedthe responsibilities associatedwith being God’s
earthly servant.
2 Jehovah’s Witnessesearnestlydesire to please God. For this reason, the
42nd chapter of the book of Isaiah is of intense interestto eachone of them,
for it provides a portrait of a servant whom Jehovahapproves and another of
a servant whom he rejects. Considering this prophecy and its fulfillment gives
insight into what leads to God’s approval and what leads to his disfavor.
“I Have Put My Spirit in Him”
3. What does Jehovahprophesy through Isaiah about “my servant”?
3 Through Isaiah, Jehovahprophesies the coming of a servant whom he
himself will choose:“Look!My servant, on whom I keepfast hold! My chosen
one, whom my soul has approved! I have put my spirit in him. Justice to the
nations is what he will bring forth. He will not cry out or raise his voice, and
in the streethe will not let his voice be heard. No crushed reedwill he break;
and as for a dim flaxen wick, he will not extinguish it. In trueness he will bring
forth justice. He will not grow dim nor be crushed until he sets justice in the
earth itself; and for his law the islands themselves will keepwaiting.”—Isaiah
42:1-4.
4. Who is the foretold “chosenone,” and how do we know this?
4 Who is the Servant referred to here? We are not left in doubt. We find these
words quoted in the Gospelof Matthew and applied to Jesus Christ. (Matthew
12:15-21)Jesus is the beloved Servant, the “chosenone.” Whendid Jehovah
put his spirit upon Jesus?In 29 C.E., at the time of Jesus’baptism. The
inspired record describes that baptism and says that after Jesus rose from the
water, “the heaven was openedup and the holy spirit in bodily shape like a
dove came down upon him, and a voice came out of heaven: ‘You are my Son,
the beloved; I have approved you.’” In this way Jehovahpersonally identified
his belovedServant. Jesus’subsequentministry and the miraculous works

67. that he performed proved that Jehovah’s spirit was indeed upon him.—Luke
3:21, 22;4:14-21;Matthew 3:16, 17.
‘He Will Bring Forth Justice to the Nations’
5. Why was clarificationof justice needed in the first century C.E.?
5 Jehovah’s ChosenOne was to “bring forth,” or make stand out, true justice.
“What justice is he will make clearto the nations.” (Matthew 12:18)How this
was neededin the first century C.E.!The Jewishreligious leaders taught a
distorted view of justice and righteousness.Theysought to attain
righteousness by following a rigid code of laws—manyof their own making.
Their legalistic justice was void of mercy and compassion.
6. In what ways did Jesus make true justice known?
6 In contrast, Jesus revealedGod’s view of justice. By what he taught and how
he lived, Jesus showedthat true justice is compassionate andmerciful. Just
considerhis famous Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew, chapters 5-7) What a
masterful explanation of how justice and righteousness shouldbe practiced!
When we read the Gospelaccounts, are we not touched by Jesus’compassion
for the poor and afflicted? (Matthew 20:34;Mark 1:41; 6:34; Luke 7:13) He
carried his comforting messageto many who were like bruised reeds, bent
over and knockedabout. They were like a smoldering flaxen wick, their last
spark of life almost smothered. Jesus neither broke a “crushed reed” nor
extinguished “a dim flaxen wick.” Rather, his loving and compassionate
words and actions lifted up the hearts of the meek.—Matthew 11:28-30.
7. Why could the prophecy say that Jesus would ‘not cry out or raise his voice
in the street’?
7 Why, though, does the prophecy say that Jesus would ‘not cry out or raise
his voice, and he would not let his voice be heard in the street’? Becausehe did
not promote himself, as did many in his day. (Matthew 6:5) When curing a
leper, he told the healed man: “See that you tell nobody a thing.” (Mark 1:40-
44) Ratherthan seeking publicity and having people reach conclusions onthe
basis of secondhandreports, Jesus wantedthem to discern for themselves on
the basis of solid evidence that he was the Christ, Jehovah’s anointed Servant.

68. 8. (a) How did Jesus bring forth “justice to the nations”? (b) What does Jesus’
illustration about the neighborly Samaritanteachus about justice?
8 The ChosenServant was to bring forth “justice to the nations.” This Jesus
did. Apart from emphasizing the compassionate nature of godly justice, Jesus
taught that it should embrace all people. On one occasionJesus reminded a
man versedin the Law that he should love God and his neighbor. The man
askedJesus:“Who really is my neighbor?” Perhaps he expected Jesus to
answer:“Your fellow Jew.” ButJesus told the parable of the neighborly
Samaritan. In the parable a Samaritan came to the aid of a man setupon by
robbers, while a Levite and a priest had refused to help. The questionerhad to
admit that on this occasionthe despisedSamaritan was the neighbor, not the
Levite or the priest. Jesus concludedhis illustration with the advice: “Be
doing the same yourself.”—Luke 10:25-37;Leviticus 19:18.
“He Will NotGrow Dim nor Be Crushed”
9. How will an understanding of the nature of true justice affectus?
9 Since Jesus made clearthe nature of true justice, his disciples learned to
display this quality. So must we. First of all, we need to acceptGod’s
standards of goodand bad, since he has the right to determine what is just
and righteous. As we strive to do things Jehovah’s way, our upright conduct
will speak volumes about what true justice is.—1 Peter2:12.
10. Why does displaying justice entail sharing in the preaching and teaching
work?
10 We also display true justice when we diligently engage in the preaching and
teaching activity. Jehovahhas generouslyprovided lifesaving knowledge of
himself, his Son, and his purposes. (John 17:3) It would not be right or just to
keepthat knowledge to ourselves. “Do nothold back goodfrom those to
whom it is owing, when it happens to be in the powerof your hand to do it,”
says Solomon. (Proverbs 3:27) Let us wholeheartedlyshare what we know
about God with all people, regardless oftheir racial, ethnic, or national
background.—Acts 10:34, 35.
11. In imitation of Jesus, how should we treat others?

69. 11 Further, a genuine Christian treats others as Jesus did. Many today face
disheartening problems and are in need of compassionand encouragement.
Even some dedicated Christians may be so battered by circumstances that
they come to resemble crushed reeds or smoldering wicks. Do they not need
our support? (Luke 22:32; Acts 11:23)How refreshing to be part of an
associationoftrue Christians, who try to imitate Jesus in exercising justice!
12. Why can we be confident that justice for all will soonbecome a reality?
12 Will there ever be justice for all? Yes, indeed. Jehovah’s ChosenOne “will
not grow dim nor be crushed until he sets justice in the earth itself.” Very
soonthe enthroned King, the resurrectedChrist Jesus, will ‘bring vengeance
upon those who do not know God.’ (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9;Revelation16:14-
16) Human rulership will be replacedby God’s Kingdom. Justice and
righteousness willabound. (Proverbs 2:21, 22;Isaiah 11:3-5; Daniel2:44; 2
Peter3:13) With eagerexpectation, Jehovah’s servants everywhere—even
those in remote places, “the islands”—awaitthat day.
‘I Will Give Him as a Light of the Nations’
13. What does Jehovahprophesy about his ChosenServant?
13 Isaiah continues:“This is what the true God, Jehovah, has said, the
Creatorof the heavens and the Grand One stretching them out; the One
laying out the earth and its produce, the One giving breath to the people on it,
and spirit to those walking in it.” (Isaiah42:5) What a powerful description of
Jehovah, the Creator!This reminder of Jehovah’s might gives greatweight to
his utterance. Jehovahsays:“I myself, Jehovah, have calledyou in
righteousness, andI proceededto take hold of your hand. And I shall
safeguardyou and give you as a covenantof the people, as a light of the
nations, for you to open the blind eyes, to bring forth out of the dungeon the
prisoner, out of the house of detention those sitting in darkness.”—Isaiah
42:6, 7.
14. (a) What is meant by Jehovah’s taking hold of the hand of his approved
Servant? (b) What role does the ChosenServant play?

70. 14 The Grand Creatorof the universe, the Giver and Sustainerof life, takes
hold of his ChosenServant’s hand and promises full and constantsupport.
How reassuring that is! Furthermore, Jehovahkeeps him safe so as to give
him as “a covenant of the people.” A covenantis a contract, a compact, a
solemn promise. It is a sure ordinance. Yes, Jehovahhas made his Servant “a
pledge to the people.”—AnAmerican Translation.
15, 16. In what way did Jesus serve as “a light of the nations”?
15 As “a light of the nations,” the promised Servant will open “the blind eyes”
and liberate “those sitting in darkness.” This Jesus did. By bearing witness to
the truth, Jesus glorified the name of his heavenly Father. (John 17:4, 6) He
laid bare religious falsehoods, preachedthe goodnews of the Kingdom, and
opened the door to spiritual freedom for those in religious bondage. (Matthew
15:3-9; Luke 4:43; John 18:37) He warned againstperforming works that
belong to darkness and exposedSatanas “the father of the lie” and “the ruler
of this world.”—John3:19-21;8:44; 16:11.
16 Jesus said: “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) He proved to be so in
an outstanding waywhen he offered his perfect human life as a ransom. Thus
he opened up the way for those who exercise faith to have forgiveness ofsins,
an approved relationship with God, and the prospectof eternal life. (Matthew
20:28;John 3:16) By maintaining perfect godly devotion throughout his life,
Jesus upheld Jehovah’s sovereigntyand proved the Devil a liar. Jesus truly
was a giver of sight to the blind and a liberator of those imprisoned in
spiritual darkness.
17. In what ways do we serve as light bearers?
17 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his disciples:“You are the light of
the world.” (Matthew 5:14) Are we not also light bearers? By our way of life
and by our preaching work, we have the privilege of directing others to
Jehovah, the Source of true enlightenment. In imitation of Jesus, we make
known Jehovah’s name, uphold His sovereignty, and proclaim His Kingdom
as mankind’s only hope. Further, as light bearers we expose religious
falsehoods, warnagainst uncleanworks that belong to darkness, and expose
Satan, the wickedone.—Acts 1:8;1 John 5:19.

71. “Sing to Jehovaha New Song”
18. What does Jehovahcause his people to know?
18 Now Jehovahturns his attention to his people, saying: “I am Jehovah. That
is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to
graven images. The first things—here they have come, but new things I am
telling out. Before they begin to spring up, I cause you people to hear them.”
(Isaiah 42:8, 9) The prophecy about “my servant” was uttered, not by one of
the valueless gods, but by the only living and true God. It was bound to come
true, and it did. JehovahGod is indeed the Author of new things, and he
causes his people to know of them before they occur. How should we respond?
19, 20. (a) What song must be sung? (b) Who today are singing the song of
praise to Jehovah?
19 Isaiah writes:“Sing to Jehovaha new song, his praise from the extremity
of the earth, you men that are going down to the sea and to that which fills it,
you islands and you inhabiting them. Let the wilderness and its cities raise
their voice, the settlements that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of the crag
cry out in joy. From the top of the mountains let people cry aloud. Let them
attribute to Jehovah glory, and in the islands let them tell forth even his
praise.”—Isaiah42:10-12.
20 The inhabitants of cities, of villages in the wilderness, of islands, even of
“Kedar,” or encampments in deserts—people everywhere—areurgedto sing
a song of praise to Jehovah. How exciting it is that in our day millions have
responded to this prophetic appeal! They have embraced the truth of God’s
Word and have made Jehovahtheir God. Jehovah’s people are singing this
new song—attributing glory to Jehovah—inmore than 230 lands. How
thrilling it is to sing in this multicultural, multilingual, and multiracial chorus!
21. Why can the enemies of God’s people not succeedin silencing the song of
praise to Jehovah?
21 Can opposers stand up againstGod and silence this song of praise?
Impossible! “Like a mighty man Jehovahhimself will go forth. Like a warrior
he will awakenzeal. He will shout, yes, he will let out a war cry; over his

72. enemies he will show himself mightier.” (Isaiah 42:13)What power can stand
up againstJehovah? Some 3,500 years ago,the prophet Mosesand the sons of
Israelsang out: “Jehovahis a manly person of war. Jehovah is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his military forces he has castinto the sea, and the
choice of his warriors have been sunk in the Red Sea.” (Exodus 15:3, 4)
Jehovahwas victorious over the most powerful military force of that time. No
enemy of God’s people cansucceedwhenJehovah goes forth as a mighty
warrior.
“I Have Kept Quiet for a Long Time”
22, 23. Why does Jehovah‘keepquiet for a long time’?
22 Jehovahis fair and just, even when executing judgment againsthis
enemies. He says:“I have kept quiet for a long time. I continued silent. I kept
exercising self-control. Like a woman giving birth I am going to groan, pant,
and gaspat the same time. I shall devastate mountains and hills, and all their
vegetationI shall dry up. And I will turn rivers into islands, and reedy pools I
shall dry up.”—Isaiah42:14, 15.
23 Before taking judicial action, Jehovahallows time to pass in order to give
wrongdoers anopportunity to turn from their bad ways. (Jeremiah18:7-10;2
Peter3:9) Considerthe case ofthe Babylonians, who, as the dominant world
power, desolate Jerusalemin the year607 B.C.E. Jehovahpermits this so as to
discipline the Israelites because oftheir unfaithfulness. However, the
Babylonians fail to recognize the role that they are playing. They treat God’s
people far more harshly than God’s judgment requires. (Isaiah47:6, 7;
Zechariah 1:15) How it must hurt the true God to see his people suffer! But he
withholds taking actionuntil his due time. Then, he labors—like a woman
giving birth—to liberate his covenantpeople and brings them forth as an
independent nation. To accomplishthis, in 539 B.C.E., he dries up and
devastates Babylonand her defenses.
24. What prospectdoes Jehovahopen up for his people Israel?
24 How thrilled God’s people must be when, after so many years of exile, the
way home finally opens up for them! (2 Chronicles 36:22, 23) They must be

73. delighted to experience the fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise: “I will make the
blind ones walk in a way that they have not known; in a roadwaythat they
have not knownI shall cause them to tread. I shall turn a dark place before
them into light, and rugged terrain into levelland. These are the things that I
will do for them, and I will not leave them.”—Isaiah42:16.
25. (a) Of what can Jehovah’s people today be certain? (b) What should be
our determination?
25 How do these words apply today? Well, for a long time now—for
centuries—Jehovahhas let the nations go their own way. However, his
appointed time for settling matters is close. In modern times he has raisedup
a people to bear witness to his name. Leveling any opposition againstthem, he
has smoothedthe way for them to worship him “with spirit and truth.” (John
4:24) He promised: “I will not leave them,” and he has kept his word. What of
those who persist in worshiping false gods? Jehovahsays:“They must be
turned back, they will be very much ashamed, those who are putting trust in
the carvedimage, those who are saying to a molten image: ‘You are our
gods.’” (Isaiah42:17)How vital that we remain faithful to Jehovah, as did his
ChosenOne!
‘A Servant Who Is Deafand Blind’
26, 27. How does Israelprove to be ‘a servant deaf and blind,’ and with what
consequences?
26 God’s ChosenServant, Jesus Christ, remained faithful to death. Jehovah’s
people Israel, though, prove to be an unfaithful servant, deaf and blind in a
spiritual sense. Addressing them, Jehovahsays:“Hear, you deaf ones;and
look forth to see, you blind ones. Who is blind, if not my servant, and who is
deaf as my messengerwhom I send? Who is blind as the one rewarded, or
blind as the servant of Jehovah? It was a case ofseeing many things, but you
did not keepwatching. It was a case ofopening the ears, but you did not keep
listening. Jehovahhimself for the sake ofhis righteousness has takena delight
in that he should magnify the law and make it majestic.”—Isaiah42:18-21.

74. 27 What a lamentable failure Israelis! Her people repeatedly fall awayto
worshiping the demon gods of the nations. Again and again, Jehovahkeeps
sending his messengers,but his people pay no heed. (2 Chronicles 36:14-16)
Isaiahforetells the consequences:“It is a people plundered and pillaged, all of
them being trapped in the holes, and in the houses ofdetention they have been
kept hidden. They have come to be for plunder without a deliverer, for pillage
without anyone to say: ‘Bring back!’ Who among you people will give ear to
this? Who will pay attention and listen for later times? Who has given Jacob
for mere pillage, and Israelto the plunderers? Is it not Jehovah, the One
againstwhom we have sinned, and in whose ways they did not want to walk
and to whose law they did not listen? So He kept pouring out upon him rage,
his anger, and the strength of war. And it kept consuming him all around, but
he took no note; and it kept blazing up againsthim, but he would lay nothing
to heart.”—Isaiah42:22-25.
28. (a) What canwe learn from the example of the inhabitants of Judah? (b)
How may we seek Jehovah’s approval?
28 Because ofthe unfaithfulness of her inhabitants, Jehovah allows the land of
Judah to be plundered and pillagedin 607 B.C.E. The Babylonians burn
Jehovah’s temple, desolate Jerusalem, and take the Jews captive. (2
Chronicles 36:17-21)Maywe take to heart this warning example and never
turn a deaf earto Jehovah’s instructions or a blind eye to his written Word.
Rather, may we seek Jehovah’sapprovalby imitating Christ Jesus, the
Servant whom Jehovahhimself approved. Like Jesus, may we make true
justice knownby what we say and do. In this way, we will remain among
Jehovah’s people, serving as light bearers who praise the true God and give
him glory.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102001023
This Is My Son The ChosenOne

75. Contributed by William Baeta onMar 3, 2007
(rate this sermon)
| 3,820 views
Scripture: Philippians 3:17-21
Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed
Summary: “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerlyawaita Saviour
from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the powerthat enables him to bring
everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will
be like his glorious body” Phil. 3:
1 2 3
Next
Theme: This is My Son, the ChosenOne
Text: Gen. 15:1-12, 17-18;Phil. 3:17-21, 4:1; Lk. 13:31-35
The first thing we usually know about a personis his or her name. We all
know the significance ofnames in our culture and everyone here
automatically receives a name that depicts the day on which that person was
born. This is one of the things that make Ghanaians unique as everyone
knows the day of his or her birth. Bible names also have meanings and the
many names and titles given to Jesus Christ revealwho He is. His most
common names are ‘Jesus’and ‘Christ’. Jesus is the Greek transliterationof
the Hebrew Yeshua meaning ‘He shall save’. This was the reasonwhy Jesus
came to earth. He came to save because sinful man could not save himself

76. from sin and its consequences.This is because no matter how goodwe may
appear to be we cannotget rid of the sinful nature inherited from Adam and
Eve. Only Jesus coulddo that. He did not come to help people save themselves
but to be their Saviour from the powerand penalty of sin. Christ is the Greek
word that means ‘the Anointed One’ or ‘the ChosenOne’. Christ is actually a
title rather than a name. The Hebrew word for Christ is the Messiah, God’s
Anointed One. Jesus is also known by the title ‘Son of God’ and ‘Son of Man’
and this draws attention to the fact that Jesus Christwas both fully God and
fully man at the same time. Jesus Christ would not allow anything stand in
His wayand prevent Him from doing the will of His Fatherand this is the
reasonwhy the Father could sayof His Son “This is my Son, the Chosen
One”.
Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the chosenOne - the anointed One. He is the
source of the anointing and the purpose of the anointing is to revealGod. It is
the revelations we have about God that leads to a specialrelationship with
Him. Jesus Christ, the anointed One receivedthe Holy Spirit without measure
and makes this also available to us. The anointing is part of the operation of
the Holy Spirit when it operates without measure. It results from a deep,
inward and personalinfilling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus constantly
demonstrated this anointing in His life and ministry by transforming lives -
healing the sick, setting the captives free and giving hope to the hopeless. God
desires the anointing to do the same thing in our lives today. It not only brings
God to us but also brings us to God and makes God’s holiness, love and power
available to us. The anointing brings a new dimension of reality and depth to
the Christian experience as it removes burdens and destroys yokes. It is this
reality that glorifies God and makes us focus on Him no matter our situation
and gives us the right perspective to life. The anointing also reveals God’s
word and will and is accompaniedby the powerto fulfil it through the Holy
Spirit. God is a God of power and purpose and there is a purpose for our
creation. It is to glorify God and we can only do this in His powerand in His
way. It is a humbling experience to realise that Goddesires to fill us with His
power.
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The anointing is God’s specialgift to his servants to equip them for service.
The anointing makes the impossible possible and I daresaythat it was the
anointing on Abraham and Sarahthat made it possible for Isaac to be born in
spite of the advancedages ofAbraham and Sarahand the fact that Sarahhad
long passedthe age of having children. Abraham and Sarahwere anointed as
they had a divine role to play in preparing the world for the Messiah. The
Virgin Mary was definitely anointed. How else could the miracle of her
conceptiontake place leading to the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ? And as the name ‘Messiah’implies Jesus was anointedto fulfil His
divine destiny. Eachone of us needs the anointing to serve God fully as it is
the anointing that brings us into the presence and will of God. This is only
possible when we allow the Holy Spirit without measure into our lives. Christ
wants to anoint us so that we experience the reality of His powerin our lives.
It is this reality that will make us want to glorify Godat all times, in all places
and in all situations. He makes the Holy Spirit and the anointing available to
us when we acceptHim as our personal Saviourand Lord and through Him
transforms our bodies to be like His glorious body.
It is not enough to be anointed, the anointing must be maintained. To
maintain the anointing requires sincerity in our relationship with the Holy
Spirit. A relationship is either sincere or it is superficial. Only a sincere
relationship can be deep and enduring. These are the relationships that stir up
our spirits and leave a lasting impact on our lives. We decide what kind of
relationship we want. We can either open or close our inner being to one
another and to the Holy Spirit. To maintain the anointing is to keepan
intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. When we speak aboutthe Holy
Spirit we are speaking about a person who speaks to us personallyand makes
Himself real to us. Although we do not necessarilysee Him, He is God, the
third person of the Trinity. He is realand can make a greatimpression on our
lives through our inner being.

78. Just imagine walking down the streetand you come acrosssomeoneyou know
but to be truthful you cannot stand. What do you do when that person greets
you? You cannot just ignore the person and pretend he or she has not said
anything. You respond to the greeting, smile, say a few words and probably
shake hands. Although some form of exchange took place, no deep personal
encounter really took place because you had already decided to keepyourself
closedto that possibility. On the other hand imagine seeing someone onthe
same streetwho was your friend. You greeteachother with the same
handshake and the same conversationbut something very different happens.
It is as if a deep spiritual meeting had taken place. Perhaps it is only for a
minute and then you leave but it seems as if part of you had gone with the
person. The Holy Spirit as a personhas the same capacityto open Himself
into a situation or to withhold Himself from it. He is right inside our life
situations, communicating with us, opening Himself to us and looking for us to
open ourselves to Him in response. Doesourfriendship and openness to the
Holy Spirit show a depth of personaland sincere commitment?
Believers, as citizens of heaven, are to manifest the anointing by healing the
sick and freeing those in bondage to sin and Satan. The anointing will open
the eyes of the blind and make the lame walk. Jesus the anointed One healed
the sick, the hurting and the lonely. When He healedthem He sent them away
in the powerof the Holy Spirit with a new strength so that they no longer
needed to live in their infirmity. This is what God wants to do for eachof us
and through us. The anointing not only restores,it also brings peace and
fulfilment. When we do the will of God we will surely experience His peace in
our lives.
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79. The anointing enables us to live a life of faith, a life of total dependence on the
Lord. What the enemy therefore uses to derail this life is to introduce fear. In
fact fear is the most frequent used method to prevent us from fulfilling God’s
purpose in our lives. Jesus did not entertain any fear because He was anointed
and only followedGod’s will for His life. We all need the anointing of the Holy
Spirit to be freed from fear and Christ anoints every believer for them to
know the reality and power of the Holy Spirit, bringing life into the centre of
their being and strength into their lives. Indeed the Scriptures make it clear
that without the anointing we can never live in the powerof God or know
God’s strength for our daily lives. The presence of the anointing in our lives is
a greatgift from God, which is absolutely necessaryfor the full enjoyment of
our human existence. Our lives can be compared to drinking glasses. These
were made for a specific purpose – to hold waterso that we candrink from
them. Some glasseswillhold a little water others more but only the glass that
is overflowing will be able to satisfy completely. Similarly, the purpose of our
lives is to hold God – to be filled with the Holy Spirit - not only partly filled
but filled to overflowing. God made us to be channels and expressions ofHis
life here on earth. He made us to live in His power, to work in His powerand
to operate in His powerfor the good of all creation. Sin weakenedus and as
damagedvessels we could no longerhold the powerof God within us. God was
no longer able to fill us with the Holy Spirit until some restorationhad taken
place. Think of a crackedglass thatis stained and dirty inside. You would
never use such a glass to offer anybody a drink of waterneither would you
accepta drink of waterin such a glass. Thatglass needs to be restored,
washedand cleanedbefore it could be used. It is just the same with us. Many
people cannotknow about the power of the Holy Spirit because their lives are
like dirty glasses.Theyneed to be restoredand made cleanbefore they can be
filled and used. Godhas made this possible through Jesus Christ. He restores
and cleans us from all filth and then fills us to overflowing with the pure water
of the Holy Spirit. No matter how dirty or how crackedthe glass is, Jesus does
not throw it away. Life and circumstances canoftendeal severe blows to us to
the point that we seemunable to recover, but God in His powercan touch and
restore us. All we need to do is come to Him and as He has promised He will
restore and cleanse us.

80. We all need the anointing to guide us to do God’s will. We, however, have an
enemy that is doing his utmost to prevent us from doing God’s will. He will
try to frighten us and thereby lead us awayfrom doing God’s will. When he
fails in his attempt to prevent us from doing what is contrary to God’s Word
and will he will try to put obstacles inour way. These obstacles couldbe
financial problems, marital problems, family problems, or health problems.
The purpose of these obstacles is to make us act contrary to God’s will.
During these times we need to continue trusting God and doing His will as
Christ did. We should stand on His Word and not allow fear to direct our
lives. We can only do this when we are anointed, that is having the Holy Spirit
without measure, and our focus is on God and His Word. God wants to
change the lives of those who are hurting and broken. He has done all that is
needed in Jesus Christ and all we have to do is acceptChrist as our Saviour
and Lord. A glass that has never held water has never fulfilled the purpose for
which it was made. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit without measure.
A person who has never knownthe fullness of God’s power through the Holy
Spirit in his or her life has never fulfilled the purpose for which he or she was
created. You were made to be filled with the Holy Spirit without measure.
Accept Jesus Christas Saviour and Lord and fulfil your destiny as a child of
God. Amen!
ChosenOne
Contributed by GeraldRoberts on Mar 27, 2013
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81. Scripture: Luke 19:26-40
Denomination: United Methodist
Summary: Jesus rides into a town claiming He is the ChosenOne.
The ChosenOne Luke 19:26-40
." Jesus choosesto enter Jerusalemthis time mounted on a donkey to claim
publicly that he was the chosenSonof David to
sit on David's throne (1Ki 1:33,44), Solomonwho would be King also rode in
on the Kings Donkey
Jesus is the ChosenOne ,
the one of whom the prophets had spoken(Zec 9:9).
9Rejoicegreatly, O Daughterof Zion! Shout, Daughterof Jerusalem!See,
your kingB comes to you,
righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the
foal of a donkey.
1. The Chosenone slays the enemies with Sacrifice insteadof Sword
Jesus rides into Jerusalemon a donkey instead of a war horse
The people lookedfor a political leader who would overthrow the Romans. . .
Their shout "Hosanna" meant"save now." PalmBranches meant victory or
goodness alsopalm branches were inscribed on many buildings .
1 Kings 6:29On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer
rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.
2. The Chosenone rides in with humility to make peace insteadof war

82. Paul said this 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
The chosenone desired Peaceinsteadof the sword
A. Becausehe is the Prince of peace
Isaiahsaid 6Forto us a child is born, And he will be called Wonderful
Counselor,B Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
B. BecauseHe Desires for all to find Peace Godwants us all to be objects of
His goodpleasure
14"Gloryto God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor
rests."
C. The ChosenOne slays Problems with Peacenot with sword
John 14: 27PeaceI leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as
the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
3. The chosenone slays the enemies by laying down His life insteadof Rising
up
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A. Jesus conqueredby love enough to die
Mark says 10: . 45Foreventhe Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

83. B. Jesus conqueredby becoming a sacrificialLamb
Isaiah7He was oppressedand afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was
led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheepbefore her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
C. Jesus conqueredby nailing our sins to the cross
Colossians 2:14having canceledthe written code, with its regulations, that was
againstus and that stoodopposed to us;
he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
4. The Chosenone slays the enemy of Discouragementby Resurrection
A. His Resurrectionremoves discouragementwe have Hope
Paul says it this way 1 Corinthians 15:16Forif the dead are not raised, then
Christ has not been raisedeither. 17And if Christ has
not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Thenthose
also who have fallen asleepin Christ are lost. 19If only for
this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20ButChrist has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those
who have fallen asleep.
B. The Chosenone slays the enemy of Division the greatdivide
Romans 10:9Thatif you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and
believe in your heart that God raisedhim from the dead, you will be saved
C. His resurrection removes anything that candiminish (weakens)or destroy
the believer
Acts 3:26 26WhenGod raisedup his servant, he sent him first to you to bless
you by turning eachof you from your wickedways."
5. The Chosenone Invites you and I to Follow Him

84. Let us join Christ in his saving work
Let is join Christ in self-giving love
Let us join Christ in comforting the hurting cry for the dying
Let us join Christ in welcoming the needy, the homeless, the forgottenor
caredless about ones
Let us Join Christ in fellowshipping with those that are isolatedbecause of
what ever