Issue 21 - Day 5

Romans 15

Romans 15:8-12
8)  Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
9)  And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
10)  And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.
11)  And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
12)  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

One of the big problems that Jewish scholars have, and indeed had even at the time of Jesus, is that they thought the Messiah would be the saviour of the Jewish nation, and the ruler of the Jews. They never understood that he would be more than that, and therefore could not be a king, or a military saviour in the manner they thought. The messiah would indeed be Jewish, but he came also to reign over the rest of the world. A king would rule, whereas the messiah would reign!

If you rule, you set the regulations for action and control your subjects. If you reign, you occupy the throne and exercise your authority. One controls, the other is to be followed. It is similar to the difference between a shepherd leading his sheep, or a goatherd driving his goats.

Jesus is the good shepherd, and we are to follow him. He came from the line of Jesse, but he came to reign over all the world. Let him reign in your heart, put him on the throne of your life. He does not demand to rule over you, he desires that you let him reign in you. This is the good news of the gospel, someone to love and obey, not someone to run scared from. Therefore confess his name, sing of him and make him known to the World.