A Warrior Messiah of a Different Kind

“Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah,

with his garments stained crimson?

Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward

in the greatness of his strength?

‘It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save’”

(Isaiah 63:1 NIV).

The ancients believed a warrior Messiah was to come (albeit a confused and incomplete belief).

Disciples of Jesus’ day also had a flawed conception of what that would look like. They thought He would overcome Rome. But He would overcome the world! And the evil set against Him.

Jesus is that Messiah, not warring as expected - but warrior nonetheless!

Jesus came – out of the Father’s love – to show His love to the world. With all authority, He came as the promised King in the line of the great warrior, David. But He was a warrior of a different kind. He warred, in steadfast love, to establish the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. And for the hearts of humans.

From His birth, the great cosmic battle raged—it rages still. But the closer Jesus got to Jerusalem at the end of His earthly life the greater the war became.

The Gospels recount Jesus’ confrontation with those in power who were exploiting His sheep. There were repeated conflicts of verbal sparring with the religious leaders of His day who were oppressing the worship of the marginalized, who placed obstacles and burdens upon the people of God. But, more than that, the Gospels reveal

battles with pride.

Battles against greed.

Battles with lies.

And even greater spiritual battles.

We read of Jesus’ battle with satan. As well as battles against His own will and desires of the flesh—coming out the Victor. And we learn how He did that: In honest prayer before the Father.

War it was! He was a warrior Messiah—not with the sword of humans’ war,

but the sword of the Word.

The Sword of Truth.

The sword of faithfulness.

The sword of sacrifice.

The sword of Light, to overcome darkness.

The sword of Life, to win eternal life for souls belonging to God.

What is the purpose of war?

It is to bring about peace.

Jesus entered Jerusalem to do battle—spiritual battle.

To bring about peace.

A peace only possible through the reconciliation He provides.

Peace of the ultimate kind: Peace with God.

This Warrior Messiah battled! He battled temptation. He battled to bring fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. He fought on the battlefield of injustice, oppression, and opposition.

He fought on the battlefield of the temple grounds.

The battlefield of inauthentic religion.

The battlefield of Gethsemane.

The battlefield of Golgotha.

The battlefield of the Tomb.

The battlefield of our hearts.

He came to conquer religious performance—for that of love, faithfulness, and devotion.

To conquer the corrupt, earthly ruling powers of the temple.

To conquer the exclusivity of the old covenant.

To conquer boundaries—expanded beyond Israel… to the nations.

To conquer the unseen principalities and powers of this dark world.

And against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12).

He came to defeat the enemies of our souls.

To defeat satan.

To defeat the grave.

To defeat the need for the sacrificial system.

To defeat the exclusivity of the old covenant.

To send Power from on High to overcome sin.

The prophet Zechariah declared that a king would come in triumph. On the surface it looked like anything but triumph. But triumph it was! It may have appeared that His foes were victorious

in His trial.

In His crucifixion.

In His burial.

Sometimes, battles look like losing! But when you wait in the power of the resurrection—and watch for the glory of God—victory triumphs.

The type of warrior Messiah-to-Come was veiled in expectation. Jesus revealed the true battles He came

to fight.

To win.

To show the Father’s love.

To raise up a whole battalion of overcomers.

Our Warrior Messiah battled victoriously—so His people can be victorious in battle.

We face many similar battles and temptations. We fight against fear, the flesh, and the world—so God will be glorified and His will be done. Therefore, we must daily put on the armor of God and fight as He did:

In faith.

In the power of the Spirit and the Word.

And prayer.

As Jesus was faithful in the battles He faced, and God was faithful to deliver Him through them, He assures, “The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thes 3:3).