I was finishing the Gospel of Mark the other day (still on my reading program!) and I noticed the obvious: Jesus set the pace for his new movement by dying.

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. (Mark 9.30 – 32, ESV)

Maybe I saw this obvious fact because I’ve been reading Rod Dreher’s book Live Not by Lies, in which he shows how selfless behavior by believers eventually overcame many totalitarian governments in Eastern Europe. Lenin, Mao, etc., all advanced their movements through violence. Not Jesus. He died (and rose again, of course) and left his followers to spread the movement…

And he said to them, “As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race! (Mark 16.15, TPT)

Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. (Titus 3.14, NASB)