Why Not Wrath?

                When Jesus was being arrested, His disciples must have forgotten who He was, because one of them attacked one of the men who were arresting Jesus and cut off his ear. We see a human being trying to defend Jesus Christ. Why? Isn't Jesus Christ God, and isn't God omnipotent? He has all the power. Why would he need to be defended? It's easy to think that the disciples had seen so much love from God that they forgot that He was also powerful. They misunderstood His meekness for weakness.

                When this had happened, Jesus said, "Do you think I cannot call on my Father and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:53) He was telling the disciples who He was. He was not just the loving Jesus Christ, He was also the omnipotent and sovereign God of all. Looking at the time, a legion in the Roman army was 5,000 men. Jesus said that He could call for more than twelve legions of angels. That means that He could call more than 60,000 angels at once. 60,000! Try to imagine 60,000 people all in one place, holding swords of fire and trumpets that make thunder sound like a soft key on a piano. This is not even a fractions of the power of God!

                Many of the Jews of the time must have wondered why Christ did not come down from Heaven in thunderbolts and lightning, destroying everything that dared to oppose His people. Well, to be honest, He could do that at any moment. He is a powerful God who has no limits. So why didn't He come in power? Why did He choose to come through a poor Jewish girl, walk around the Earth for thirty-three years healing people and being meek, and then dying on the cross when He could have easily spoken a word from Heaven and obliterated everyone who was against His people? Well, His people deserved Hell, too. In fact, everyone deserved Hell. We are all sinners. Instead of choosing to kill us all off, He decided to come in love. He choose to come and be our living example instead of our destroyer. He loved us more than He wanted to bring wrath down upon us; that is why He took the cross so that He could be just and loving at the same time.

                So, why not pick the road of omnipotence and wrath, as opposed to meekness and love? Because He is a God who loves us and will never stop loving us! We should be grateful that His grace is sufficient and that His mercy never runs out.


                                                                                                                                         -D