Jesus had power. In Luke’s Gospel we read of One who commanded the sea and it became calm, who cast out a multitude of demons from a man possessed, who healed incurable diseases by merely being touched. Yet Jesus’ greatest deed was one of complete self denial, of allowing Himself to be crucified.
When His disciples understood that Jesus was the Messiah of God Jesus spoke to them to counteract the notion that this meant He was coming to exercise His power over the Jewish nation. Jesus pointed to the cross, to His plan to give up His life in order to gain the greatest victory. If we would be His disciples, Jesus said, we too must take up our cross, denying self so that we may truly follow Him. We too must give up to gain, not for ourselve, but for the kingdom of heaven.
We may not have the power to heal, cast out demons or calm the storm, but we all have the power to give.
