I publish two newsletters: [1]"Berea Page" (15 times a year) which includes a feature article (about 600 words), mainly focused on matters related to why we believe in Jesus, enduring trials and suffering with faith, and the relationship between faith and truth; and sidebar reflection quotations selected from my reading; and "Opening the Scriptures" (22 times a year),1000-1500 word expositions of selection from the biblical text. Both are archived at www.davidanguish.com
Berea Page - Vol. 7, No. 14 — Jesus the Warrior
Jesus the WarriorDavid Anguish In a notable passage, J. B. Phillips critiqued a caricature of Jesus that, in the phrasing used previously, leans too hard into his “coolness.” After citing two lines of verse — “‘Gentle Jesus, meek and mild / Look upon a little child’” — Phillips asks, Why “mild”? Of all the epithets that could be applied to Christ this seems one of the least appropriate. For what does “mild,” as applied to a person, conjure up to our minds? Surely a picture of someone who wouldn’t say “boo” to the proverbial goose; someone who would let sleeping dogs lie and avoid trouble whenever possible; someone of a placid temperament who is almost a stranger to the passions of red-blooded humanity; someone who is a bit of a nonentity, both uninspired and uninspiring (Phillips 1961, 26–27). As Phillips suggests, the “mild” depiction of Jesus can leave the impression that he is a push-over, not a dynamic ruler capable of giving Satan and his minions their comeuppance. The issue, of course, is not that it is incorrect to say Jesus was gentle or compassionate; it’s that the New Testament presents him as so much more. Think, for example, of the Jesus John saw one Sunday on Patmos island. I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. “Write down what you see in a book,” it said, “and send it to the seven churches: …” So I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. As I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the middle of the lampstands “one like a son of man,” wearing a full-length robe and with a golden belt across his chest. His head and his hair were white, white like wool, white like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like exquisite brass, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. He was holding seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword was coming out of his mouth. The sight of him was like the sun when it shines with full power. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though I was dead (Rev 1.10–17a NTFE). I'll admit, apart from Phillips, I’m not familiar with the lines he says were learned by “hundreds of thousands.” But, like most in my world, I do have vivid memories of Jesus pictures in Sunday school literature and flannel boards. And none of them looked like the person John saw. Read the passage again, more closely, starting, as John did, with the sound; imagine a trumpet blast during your quiet time. Now, look at what he sees. Jesus stands, “like a son of man” (Dan 7.13–14), in the middle of seven gold lampstands. He’s wearing a robe that conveys authority. His head and hair are white as wool or snow. His eyes are like flaming fire (multiply the intensity of “the look” you got from your mother who knew what you were up to). His feet are “like exquisite brass,” hard and unyielding. His voice sounds like roaring waters—think Niagara Falls—and he’s holding seven stars in his right hand while a sharp two-edged sword protrudes from his mouth. He’s glowing like the sun at its brightest. Unlike the statuary typical in John’s world, or so many depictions of him now, the picture of Jesus in Revelation 1 is not “attractive” (Oster 2013, 74). It depicts a fierce warrior ready to press the battle and take no prisoners. No wonder John fell at his feet like a dead man! The Jesus he saw was no easygoing buddy who can be domesticated, summarized in a happy slogan, or appropriated for a utilitarian purpose (or marketing). Accustomed as we are to “cool” depictions of Jesus, John’s picture will be uncomfortable for some. Maybe even be a little scary. But it is precisely the Jesus John and those churches needed to see. They were under duress, slandered (2.9), imprisoned (2.10), and oppressed by Satan and his servants (2.13; 3.9). Some would die for their faithfulness (2.10; 6.9). They desperately needed something to bolster their “endurance” (ὑπομονήν, hypomonē, appears seven times, in Rev 1.9; 2.2, 19; 3.10; 13.10; 14.12); needed to know they had a righteous warrior who would avenge them (6.10). Fortunately for them, and us, that Warrior made his presence known. As John lay on the ground like a dead man, Jesus touched him with his right hand, the hand of power and authority, and spoke: “Stop being afraid. I died, but I beat death—and I’m not dying again. I have the keys—the power—over Death and where the dead go. I am in charge! I am a warrior! I will make things right!” Works Cited Oster, Richard E. 2013. Seven Congregations in a Roman Crucible: A Commentary on Revelation 1–3. Wipf and Stock Publishers. Phillips, J. B. 1961. Your God Is Too Small. Macmillan. Wright, N. T. 2019. The New Testament for Everyone: A Fresh Translation. (NTFE). Third Edition. Zondervan. All Scripture quotations not otherwise designated are from the ESV. Italics in biblical quotations are added by the author. Permission is granted to reprint original materials with the credit line, “Reprinted from David Anguish, ‘The Berea Page,’ May 19, 2026.” Contributions in support of my writing ministry (read more here) are appreciated. Click the button below to make a one-time or ongoing gift.
Featured from davidanguish.comFrom the Essays, Papers, and Reviews page (here), "Service: The Greeks Had a Word for It" (here) Please forward to a friend and invite them to subscribe To read all archived issues of The Berea Page click here
"May grace and peace be multiplied to you" (1 Peter 1.2), David |
Truth Applications: Bible Study Resources
I publish two newsletters: [1]"Berea Page" (15 times a year) which includes a feature article (about 600 words), mainly focused on matters related to why we believe in Jesus, enduring trials and suffering with faith, and the relationship between faith and truth; and sidebar reflection quotations selected from my reading; and "Opening the Scriptures" (22 times a year),1000-1500 word expositions of selection from the biblical text. Both are archived at www.davidanguish.com
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV 1 Peter, Introduction # 1 A Bona Fide Spiritual Adviser A Precursor to a Study of 1 Peter David Anguish In his devotional commentary on 1 Peter, E. M. Blaiklock, a self-described “professional classicist and historian” who...
Two Notes Re: the Last Issue (7/14) — The transition of my website to a new host and the process of connecting that host with my email distribution service resulted in several emails of the last issue being sent to spam folders. If you did not receive Issue 7/14, “Jesus the Warrior,” in your inbox, you can read the archived copy here. Also, thanks to one sharp-eyed reader, I was made aware of a citation error in paragraph 7 of Issue 7/14. It has been corrected in the archived version....
Opening the Scriptures Then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ~ Luke 24.31-32 NIV James, Topical Studies # 2 Enduring Perseverance: A Word Study David Anguish I first recall hearing Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “If,” in John Facenda’s narration of film clips chronicling the rigors of NFL football in the 1960s and...