The angel Gabriel came to Mary
and announced to her the favor
that she had found in the sight
of God, to bring forth and raise
the Son of God. The role Gabriel
emphasized that God’s Son would
have was that of a King. "He
will be great and will be called
the Son of the Highest and the
Lord God will give Him the
throne of His father David. He
will reign over the house of
Jacob forever, and of His
kingdom there will be no end" (Lk
1:32-33). Jesus is our Lord and
King! He is the ruler. His word
is to be obeyed.
After
Mary was found to be with child, an angel appeared to
Joseph in a dream to explain the miraculous & wonderful
events that were taking place, telling him that the
Child "conceived in Mary is of the Holy Spirit" (Mt
1:20). The role which this angel emphasized that the Son
of God would have was that of a Savior. "And she will
bring forth a Son, & you shall call His name JESUS, for
He will save His people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). Even
the earthly name chosen for the Son of God literally
means, "Savior." Jesus is our Savior! He died for us.
His blood, shed in His selfless, perfect sacrifice, can
save all who obey Him.
Most
religious people today want to focus solely on Jesus
being their Savior. While this truth is emphasized in
the Bible, some want to take the emphasis to an
unhealthy level where they either forget or even ignore
that He is THE Lord and King whom we must obey (Jn
12:48; Col 3:17; Heb 5:8-9). To focus on one aspect of
the Son of God to the neglect of other Biblical emphases
is to miss the whole picture.
One of
the great positions that the Son of God took while on
Earth was that of a Servant. If one misses this part of
the picture, his portrait of Jesus is incomplete. For
those men who spent the most time with Him, this quality
apparently stood out in their minds. As Peter & John
preached in Jerusalem & before the Sanhedrin, they
referred to Jesus, no less than four times, as "His
Servant Jesus" (Acts 3:13, 26) and "Your holy Servant
Jesus" (4:27, 30). Jesus not only served His fellow man
(Matt. 20:28; John 13:1-17), but Jesus was the Servant
of God (John 4:34; 9:4; Heb. 5:8). Jesus is our example
of a servant!
I need
Jesus as the Savior. I must obey Him as the Lord and
King. I ought to imitate Him as the Servant.