The Sufficient King

Heavenly Father, we humble ourselves before you

and we assume a posture of submission and worship

as we come to your word to hear it read and preach.

We want to walk away struck by, inspired by the glorious vision

that Luke conveys to us here of Jesus Christ our King

who satisfies us, who saves us, who loves us.

So please, God, by your spirit, move.

Illuminate the eyes of our hearts so that we might see through eyes of faith

and take hold of these truths.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Luke chapter 9, verses 1 through 17.

Luke 9:1–17

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority

over all demons and to cure diseases.

And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

And he said to them,

And they departed and went through the villages,

preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Now, Herod the Tetrarch heard about all that was happening,

and he was perplexed,

because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead,

by some that Elijah had appeared,

and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.

Herod said,

John I beheaded,

but who is this about whom I hear such things?

And he sought to see him.

On their return, the apostles told him all that they had done.

And he took them and withdrew of heart to a town called Bethsaida.

When the crowds learned it, they followed him,

and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God

and cured those who had need of healing.

Now the day began to wear away,

and the twelve came and said to him,

Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside

to find lodging and get provisions,

for we are here in a desolate place.

But he said to them,

You give them something to eat.

They said,

We have no more than five loaves and two fish,

unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.

For there were about five thousand men.

And he said to his disciples,

Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.

And they did so,

and had them all sit down.

And taking the five loaves and the two fish,

he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them.

Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples

to set before the crowd.

And they all ate and were satisfied.

And what was left over was picked up.

Twelve baskets of broken pieces.

This is the word of the Lord.

In Judges 7,

God commands Gideon to reduce his army of 32,000 soldiers to 300

before going to war against Israel's Midianite enemies.

In Exodus 3 and 4,

God calls a nobody named Moses,

who has speech impediments,

to go and tell Pharaoh,

the most powerful king,

the ruler at the time in the world,

to free the Israelites who made up his slave workforce.

And Moses is sent there with nothing but a staff in his hand.

And in his Sermon on the Mount,

Jesus says in Matthew 6, 25-34,

that his disciples have to seek first the kingdom of God

and his righteousness

and not worry at all about what to eat,

drink, or wear.

So all of these things,

they kind of form a pattern.

They represent a pattern of God's activity throughout Scripture

that he does not use competent,

confident, independent,

and self-sufficient people

as his normal mode of operation.

rather,

he uses the humble and weak people

who are dependent on him

to accomplish his purposes.

And God does this for his own glory.

Because prideful and self-sufficient people

take the credit themselves

after doing what God told them to do.

But humble and dependent people

bring God glory.

And we see this pattern play out

in our passage for today,

which teaches us,

the main point is that we are to declare

and demonstrate the kingdom of God

with the power and provision

from the Lord Jesus Christ.

And we see,

first,

Jesus empowers the apostles,

then Jesus perplexes Herod,

then Jesus provides for the crowd.

First,

let's look at how Jesus empowers the apostles.

It says in verses 1-2,

that Jesus called the twelve together

and gave them power and authority

over all demons

and to cure diseases.

And he sent them out

to proclaim the kingdom of God

and to heal.

So earlier in chapter 6,

Jesus appointed his twelve apostles

and he chose twelve of them

intentionally as an allusion

to the twelve tribes of Israel.

These are the people

who will lead the charge

in bringing together,

gathering the people of God,

the new Israel.

And in this passage,

Jesus calls these twelve

and he gives them,

on the one hand,

power,

and on the other hand,

authority over demons

and diseases.

The authority is the right

to do something

and power is the ability

to do something.

The other gospels use the word

to capture authority

to capture both meanings,

but here it distinguishes them

because you could have authority

like a king

but actually have no power

and you could be like a rebel

who has power

but has no actual authority

and a right to do something.

And Jesus has both

and imparts both

here to his disciples.

He is the son of God

and the Messiah

and therefore he has the authority

to speak and act for God

as the divine agent

and he has demonstrated

throughout the last chapter

in chapter 8

his power over natural disasters,

over nature itself,

and over diseases,

and over demons,

and over death itself.

He has shown that

systematically

throughout chapter 8

and now that same authority

and power

he is giving,

bestowing on his disciples

as he sends them out

to proclaim the kingdom of God

and to heal.

And this authority

over demons and diseases

represent the signs

that God gives

to demonstrate

the arrival

of the kingdom of God

and that's the purpose

it serves.

It points to something else

that the kingdom has come,

that Jesus is the king

that was promised

and Jesus is permitting

and empowering

these apostles

to extend Jesus' mission.

And Jesus' mission is this,

to proclaim the kingdom of God

and to heal.

Here and in the summary

that's given in verse 6,

there are two parts

to this mission.

The first part is

that there's something

we must say

and the second part

is that there's something

we must do.

It involves proclamation

of the good news

of Jesus Christ

and the second,

the demonstration of it

by good works.

The word proclaim

is the Greek word

from which we get

the English word evangelize.

It means to share

the good news

of the kingdom of God,

the good news

of the arrival

of King Jesus

for our salvation.

That Jesus,

who is the king,

took up the cross

as his throne

and put on the wreath

of thorns

as his crown

and from there

he reigns over his people

and have been raised

from the dead

after his death.

He reigns over his people

and brings them

to himself.

And because this is news,

it has to be shared,

it has to be spoken,

it has to be announced,

requires verbal communication.

The word heal,

as I mentioned earlier,

is also representative

of the kind of good works

that God's people

are to do,

that give evidence

of the kingdom of God.

Works of healing

can be done

through miracles

and gifts of healing

like 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 12:9–10

chapter 12

verses 9 to 10

talk about.

They could also

take place

through gifts

of service,

generosity,

and acts of mercy

as Romans 12,

7 to 8

talk about.

All of these

are described

as spiritual gifts,

gifts that are

sovereignly distributed

by the Holy Spirit

and for that reason

it's not biblical

to make a distinction

and say,

well,

these are supernatural gifts

and these are

natural gifts.

They're all energized

by the same Spirit of God

and they have the same

divine origin.

And they are given

so that we might heal

and give evidence

of the kingdom of God.

And both of these

are indispensable aspects

of bearing faithful witness

to Jesus Christ.

And of course,

for that reason,

it's Satan's business

to tempt us to do one

while neglecting the other.

And he likes

to swing the pendulum

from one extreme

to the other.

For example,

there are Christians

who think

that just because

they're helping the poor

throughout the city

or because they volunteer

their summer vacation

to go build houses

or dig wells

for people without clean water

that they're now engaging

in holistic ministry

despite the fact

that they haven't taken

the time

to share the saving news

of Jesus Christ

with anyone

that they're helping.

That's not a holistic ministry.

That's a reductionistic ministry.

A truncated ministry.

And the allure

of that kind of ministry

is obvious.

Everyone wants

to receive healing.

Everyone wants

a more just society.

So it's popular

to do these works of mercy.

But it's decidedly

not popular

to tell people

that they are sinners

in need of a Savior.

that all of their social ills

ultimately stem

from their alienation

from God

from the fundamental

problem of sin.

That they must submit

their lives

to King Jesus.

But we can't

compromise that message.

In his,

in the modern classic

theological work

Knowing God,

theologian J.I. Packer

puts it this way.

We have all heard

the gospel

presented as

God's triumphant answer

to human problems.

Problems of our

relation with ourselves

and our fellow humans

and our environment.

Well,

there is no doubt

that the gospel

does bring us

solutions to these problems.

But it does so

by first solving

a deeper problem.

The deepest

of all human problems.

The problem

of man's relation

with his maker.

And unless

we make it plain

that the solution

of these former problems

depends on the settling

of this latter one,

we are misrepresenting

the message

and becoming

false witnesses

of God.

For a half-truth

presented as if

it were the whole truth

becomes something

of a falsehood

by that very fact.

Those who heal

without proclaiming

the good news

are like lawyers

who present

their evidence

without bringing

a claim.

without arguing

the case.

On the other hand,

there are Christians

who evangelize

without healing.

They're eager

to share the gospel

and engage

in Christian apologetics

but they seem

to lack the grace

and charity

of Christ.

They proclaim

the love of Christ

but don't give evidence

of the love of Christ

through their lives.

and the allure

of that kind of ministry

is obvious also.

You short-circuit

the gospel

and you engage

in proclamation

without transformation.

You share the good news

with people

without doing good

to them

and for them.

In Titus chapter 2,

Titus 2 · chapter mention

Paul teaches us

that a believer's life

is to be characterized

by good works

so that the word

of God

may not be revived.

So that in everything

they may adorn,

the good works

may adorn

the doctrine

of God our Savior.

Our good works

are supposed to adorn

our good news.

And when the king

begins to reign,

his policies,

kingdom policies

begin to take effect.

So if you're telling

someone that Christ

the king reigns

in your life,

you need to show them

the effects

of the kingdom.

How has the rule

and power

of this king

affected your life

and the life

of those around you?

Those who proclaim

the kingdom

without healing

are like lawyers

who vigorously

make their case

but present

no evidence.

It brings disrepute

to the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

And the church

throughout its history

has done both.

Historians,

Alvin Schmidt

points out

in his book

How Christianity

Changed the World

that it's Christian

influence on government

that was primarily

responsible for

outlawing

infanticide

and child abandonment

and abortion

which disproportionately

affected

baby girls

in the Roman Empire.

the same was true

for outlawing

the Roman

gladiatorial games

and instituting

prison reforms

such as segregating

males and females

in the prison

stopping the practice

of human sacrifice

among the Irish

the Prusians

and the Lithuanians

as well as

among the other nations

outlawing pedophilia

granting

property rights

and other protections

to women

banning polygamy

prohibiting

the burning

alive

of widows

in India

outlawing

the painful

and crippling

practice

of binding

young women's

feet

in China

persuading

government officials

to begin

a system

of public

education

in Germany

William Wilberforce

a devout

Christian

fighting for

the abolition

of slavery

as well as

many others

here in the U.S.

the two-thirds

of the American

abolitionists

in the mid-1830s

were Christian

clergy

two-thirds

and not only

these works

of healing

these Christians

throughout history

have faithfully

proclaimed the word

of Christ as well

that salvation

is found

in no other name

but the name

of Jesus

that eliminating

poverty

and helping people

get out of debt

on earth

is not enough

but that we must

teach people

to store up

treasures in heaven

and to use

every penny

that they own

for the glory

of God

that abolishing

slavery on earth

is not enough

but that we must

abolish slavery

to sin

and to Satan

so that they

experience the

freedom of the

Holy Spirit

that merely

educating people

to read,

write,

and do math

and sciences

is not enough

that to gain

employable skills

is not enough

but that they

must learn about

the person

of Jesus Christ

who is the way

the truth

and the life

we have

to do both

so let's be a church

that does both well

and we have great

opportunities to do that

today is Palm Sunday

next Sunday

is Resurrection Sunday

and there will be

a group of people

as we announced

that will go around

today after service

going door to door

through our neighborhood

sharing the gospel

and inviting people

to come

if you normally

shy away from

those things like that

this is a great

opportunity for you

to step out

in faith

we also have

a week of service

coming up

as Rick mentioned

if those are things

that you don't

normally bother with

that's a great

opportunity for you

to demonstrate

the kingdom of God

through our love

and good works

and after this

teaching Jesus

gives some more

specific instructions

that are very curious

he says in verses

3 to 5

take nothing

for your journey

no staff

nor bag

nor bread

nor money

and do not have

two tunics

and whatever house

you enter

stay there

and from there

depart

in other words

they are to go

as they are

without taking time

to pack extra

provisions

for their journey

instead of relying

on their own

resources

they are to depend

on the hospitality

of those who

receive them

and their message

and instead of

going from house

to house

they are to use

the first house

that they enter

into in a village

as their base

and stay there

and minister

until they leave

the town

this of course

raises the question

of whether or not

we should be doing

missions the same way

and in fact

there are some

missions and organizations

I think miscited

that do exactly this

but I think

Luke chapter 22

Luke 22 · chapter mention

35 to 37

when Jesus

recalls this incident

with his disciples

answers that question

and Jesus said

to them

when I sent you out

with no money bag

or knapsack

or sandals

did you lack anything

they said

nothing

he said to them

but now

let the one

who has a money bag

take it

and likewise

a knapsack

and let the one

who has no sword

sell his cloak

and by one

for I tell you

that this scripture

must be fulfilled

in me

and he was numbered

with the transgressors

for what is written

about me

has its fulfillment

so Jesus

clearly

before his

death

on the cross

he modifies

this instruction

for the twelve

and the reason

he modifies it

is that for

I tell you

that this scripture

must be fulfilled

in me

and he was numbered

with the transgressors

in other words

Jesus will be

treated

he will be persecuted

and he will be killed

as a sinner

and he will be

and for that reason

those who follow him

will likely be

persecuted

as sinners

and for that reason

they are no longer

to count on the

receptivity

and hospitality

of the people

around them

they are to take

provisions with them

so obviously

Jesus' instructions

to the twelve

here in our passage

does not apply

directly to us

literally

but if that's the case

why does Jesus

instruct his disciples

this way now

why did God

preserve this account

for us

to benefit from

and learn from

because even if

the specific

practice

does not apply

to us now

the general principle

that this passage

is teaching us

I think does

still apply

and that

point is this

first

by traveling

with no extra

provisions

the apostles

are forced

to learn

dependence

on God

on God's

provision

a Bible commentator

named James Edwards

helpfully puts it

this way

Jesus sends them

into mission

with a calculated

deficit

reminding them

clearly

perhaps even

painfully

that they are

prepared for mission

only as they

depend on him

service of Jesus

is characterized

by dependence

on Jesus

and dependence

on Jesus

means

going where

Jesus sends

despite

material shortfalls

and unanswered

questions

a calculated

deficit

some of you

feel that you

are inadequate

for what God

is calling you

to do

perhaps you're

a husband

that is called

to love

his wife

as Christ

loved the church

and gave himself

up for her

in order that

you might

sanctify her

but you find

that you're not

patient

gracious

and selfless

like Jesus

perhaps you're

a mother

that is called

to love

and care

for her children

and bring them

up in the

instruction

and discipline

of the Lord

but every day

you feel

physically

and emotionally

exhausted

and you're

at the end

of your

rooms

perhaps you're

a student

called to share

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ

with your

peers

in an

environment

that is

intellectually

hostile

toward

Christianity

and you

don't feel

qualified

competent

enough

to do that

perhaps you're

a church

planting pastor

or a missionary

that does not

know where

the funding

is going to

come from

perhaps you're

an overworked

employee

wondering just

how you're

going to

find the

time to

love

and share

the good

news of

Jesus

with your

co-workers

and neighbors

you don't

feel smart

enough

you don't

feel trained

enough

you don't

feel godly

enough

you don't

feel old

enough

you don't

feel young

enough

to proclaim

the kingdom

and to

heal

but have you

considered that

God has

given you

a calculated

deficit

to make

you depend

on him

have you

ever

considered

that God

hasn't

answered

all of

your

questions

because he

wants you

to learn

to walk

by faith

not by sight

Jesus

sends out

his apostles

not with

their own

authority

and power

but with

his

authority

and power

and he

sends them

out

not with

their own

provisions

but dependent

on the

provision

of God

now that

does not

mean that

those who

depend on

God

will never

know

any lack

in verse

five

Jesus

clearly

anticipates

occasions

when the

twelve

will not

be received

hospitably

by the

townspeople

so there

will be

times when

they are

not

received

and they're

going to

have to

make that

long and

arduous

journey

to the

next town

without

food

and without

money

but that

too is

a calculated

deficit

so that we

look to

God for

provision

instead of

providing for

ourselves

and likewise

we as

the church

we are to

declare and

demonstrate the

kingdom of

God with

the power

and provision

from the

Lord Jesus

Christ

that's our

calling

and that's

what we can

boast in our

weaknesses

and come

to our

city with

empty

hands

praying that

we can

use us

amen

the second

point of

Jesus'

instruction to

his messengers

is this

they have to

minister with

simplicity

integrity

and transparency

and not

use the

gospel for

selfish gain

in Matthew

10

9-10

it explicitly

says this

it's a

parallel passage

to this

is to

acquire no

gold or

silver or

copper for

your belts

no bag

for your

journey

or two

tunics or

sandals or

staff

for the

laborer

deserves

his food

gospel

laborers

like other

laborers

deserve their

food

they deserve

a living

wage

but and

God is

going to

provide that

through the

hospitality

of their

hosts

however

they are

not to

use the

people's

hospitality

and

generosity

as an

opportunity

for selfish

gain

to

acquire

gold or

silver

or copper

for their

belts

they are

to travel

without bag

and money

and stay

at one

house the

whole time

that they're

in the

town

this was

in stark

contrast

to the

traveling

philosophers

and other

religious

missionaries

and teachers

of their

day

they were

these

Greek

and Jewish

itinerant

preachers

they carried

a bag

with them

which they

used to

beg and

to take

up

collections

and instead

of staying

in one

house

they would

go from

house to

house

and make

collections

in each

one

but Jesus

says you

are not

to do

that

do not

enrich

yourself

with the

gospel

they have

to proclaim

the kingdom

and to

heal

to benefit

the hearers

not to

exploit

them

those who

peddle the

gospel

for selfish

gain

cheapen

the cost

that Jesus

paid to

save us

Jesus

paid for

our salvation

with his

blood

he died

for us

he gave

his life

for us

and you're

going to

sell that

precious

gospel

for money

currency

that has

zero

value

in eternity

that's to

cheapen

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ

the gospel

is not

a commodity

to be

exploited

for God

Jesus

also adds

in verse

five

and wherever

they do

not receive

you

when you

leave that

town

shake off

the dust

from your

feet

as a

testimony

against

them

this is

a very

serious

warning

to those

who might

reject

the twelve

those who

might

reject

Jesus

the expression

shake off

the dust

from your

feet

is very

close to

the way

you use

the expression

like shake

it off

and it

means good

witness

you shake

off people's

criticism

their rejections

and then you

move on

it was a

common practice

among the

Jews

to shake

off the

dust

from their

feet

when

leaving

Gentile

territory

basically

saying to

themselves

let the

uncleanness

come off

of me

and what's

radical about

what Jesus

is saying

here

is that

he's

supplying

that figure

of speech

to Jewish

towns

Jesus

is saying

if you

reject my

message

if you

reject my

messengers

your

ethnicity

your

nationality

your

class

your race

make no

difference

you're cut

off from the

saving grace

of God

there's no

salvation apart

from the name

of Jesus

Christ

and you're

not a member

of the kingdom

of God

if you have

shunned

in

and so

this

shaking

up the

dust

is a

visual

representation

of God's

judgment

and this

message of the

kingdom

now spreads

through the

apostles

and as the

message spreads

it reaches

the ears

of even

the rulers

and we get

to your second

point here

Jesus perplexes

Herod

which is

Herod

the

tetrarch

Herod

is described

here as

the tetrarch

in order to

distinguish him

from Herod

the first

also known as

Herod the great

Herod the great

was not so great

he is the one

who ordered the

massacre of all

boys under the

age of two

in Bethlehem

in an attempt

to kill Jesus

in Matthew 2

Herod died just a

couple years

after that

and this is

Herod the tetrarch

a different

Herod

his name is

Herod Antipas

he reigned

over a quarter

of the Roman

empire

starting in 680

and he was

the ruler

over Galilee

which is the

region of

Jesus' primary

ministry

it says in

verses 7 to 9

that now

Herod the tetrarch

heard about

all that was

happening

and he was

perplexed

because it was

said by some

that John

had been raised

from the dead

by some

that Elijah

had appeared

and by others

that one of

the prophets

of old

had risen

Herod said

John I beheaded

but who is

this about

whom I hear

such things

that he sought

to see him

in Luke chapter 3

Luke 3 · chapter mention

we were told

that this

Herod

was rebuked

by John the

Baptist

because he

married Herodias

who was his

half brother's

divorced wife

so Herod and

Herodias had

both divorced

their respective

spouses with

knowledge in

order to

remarry each

other

so this sin

was simultaneously

adulterous

and incestuous

and John the

Baptist

courageously

rebuked him

for that

and this

angered Herod

and Herod

put John

in prison

so here in

verse 9

we learn that

Herod did not

stop but

imprisoning John

he actually

went further

and beheaded

him

and so when

Herod heard

about all

that Jesus

and his

apostles

were doing

he was

perplexed

there were

three main

speculations

about who

Jesus might

be

and the

first

was the

possibility

that Jesus

was a

resurrected

John the

Baptist

that obviously

would have been

a frightening

possibility for

the guy

who beheaded

John the

Baptist

you can tell

he's carrying

a guilty

conscience

with him

second was a

rumor that

Jesus might

be a

reappearance of

Elijah

since the

prophet

never died

according to

scripture

2nd Kings

2 11

he was taken

up by a

whirlwind

and since

Malachi

prophesied in

particular that

God will in

his last day

send the

prophet Elijah

to go before

and prepare

the way

for God

there was

this expectation

for Elijah

to return

but we know

from Luke

1 chapter

17 that

it's not

Jesus

that's

Elijah

it's John

the Baptist

that's

Elijah

and preparing

the way

for God

who is

Jesus

the son

of God

God

in human

flesh

the third

speculation

was that

people thought

well people

still

sometimes people

mistakenly think

that this is a

form of

reincarnation

of one of

the old

prophets

had risen

again

there's no

concept of

reincarnation

for people

in the Jews

in this context

they only

believed in

resurrection

and so they

were speculating

that some

of the old

prophets perhaps

had been

resurrected

or maybe

that someone

like them

had come

so in

Deuteronomy

18 15

it says

that God

would raise

up for his

people a

prophet like

Moses

so there

were popular

expectations

for return

of some

great

prophet of

old

like

Moses

that will

lead Israel

back to God

and restore

the kingdom

of God

so these

reports and

rumors puzzled

Herod and

he wondered

who is this

about whom I

hear such

things

he sought to

see him

and that

question is a

recurring question

throughout the

gospel of Luke

who then is

this

that's the same

question that's

been asked three

times already

who is this

Jesus

and that's the

right question to

ask and you

should ask it

yourself

who is this

Jesus

have you come

to terms with

who Jesus

really is

but there's a

lesson here for

us as we

consider that

question

in Herod's

curiosity

it says twice

in verse 7

and verse 9

that Herod heard

about Jesus

but that wasn't

enough for him

he sought to

see him

it says in

verse 9

and there's a

contrast here

between hearing

and seeing

that's been

played on in

the past in

the gospel of

Luke

and Jesus

repeatedly

emphasized in

the parable of

the sword

given in

chapter 8

that the good

news of the

kingdom is to

be received

through the

hearing of the

word

and Jesus

taught this

he said take

care then how

you hear

Luke 8

18

and he said

that the

family of God

is made up of

those who hear

the word of

God

and do it

that's why

Romans 10

17 says

so faith

comes from

hearing

and hearing

through the

word of

Christ

in light of

that background

it's suggested

that Herod

hears

but instead

of believing

he seeks to

see Jesus

Herod lacks

faith

and we see

this clearly

later in

Luke chapter

Luke 23 · chapter mention

23

when Herod

finally sees

him

he says

when Herod

saw Jesus

he was very

glad

for he had

long desire

to see him

because he

had heard

about him

and was

hoping to

see some

sign

done by him

Herod

wanted a

spectacle

he wanted

Jesus to

prove himself

according to

Herod's

lofty standards

but in

Luke 11

Jesus

explicitly

condemns

such

self-centered

and presumptuous

demand for

signs

this generation

is an evil

generation

he seeks

for a sign

but no sign

will be given

to it

except the

sign of

Jonah

for as

Jonah

became a

sign to

the people

of Nineveh

so will

the son

of man

be to

this

generation

the sign

of Jonah

is a

reference

to Jesus

death

and

resurrection

God has

sent his

God has

sent his

only son

Jesus Christ

to die

for our

sins

and to

be raised

from the

dead

to give

us eternal

resurrection

life

and we

have the

nerve

to ask

him for

a sign

forgiveness

we are

the rebels

that should

be bowing

down

before the

king

begging

for his

pardon

and we

are the

criminals

that should

be pleading

guilty

and begging

for clemency

before the

court

of the

judge

we are

the sinful

creatures

that have

violated the

will of

our creator

that should

be coming

begging for

his forgiveness

and yet

these

human beings

have the

audacity

to ask

God

for a

sign

God will

not

demean

himself

by

caring

to our

frightful

whims

just so

to clarify

Jesus did

perform signs

and wonders

that proved

his messianic

identity

but he did

that for

those who

hungly put

their trust

in him

he refused

to pander

to the

presumptuous

demands

of the

faithless

and that's

because of

this

because following

God requires

faith and

humility

it requires

faith and

humility

to take

God at

his word

and to

submit to

him every