At first Jesus looked like a failed hero. Many people believed that he was “The Chosen One”, the Christ, who would be Israel’s hero and savior. He rode into Jerusalem, and received not just a king’s welcome, but a welcome worthy only of Israel’s savior. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” the people cried. What they meant was, “Save us, Messiah that we have waited for!” They had been waiting for centuries for someone to come and rescue them from poverty, persecution and enslavement to a foreign pagan power. Could this really be the one who will lead them in victory over their enemies and restore Israel to its former glory?

Less than a week later, Jesus is crucified, just like the many failed messiah’s before him. Jesus wasn’t the first (or the last) to claim that he was the one that we’ve been waiting for. Try to imagine their sadness and disappointment when Jesus was executed as a common rebel.

But Jesus was not a failed hero. The cross was not an accident. It was not even a tragically beautiful ending to a man who came to teach peace and love, as many have portrayed him. It was exactly the end he planned on. Like many of us, people wanted to be rescued from excessive taxes, injustice and the immorality of government. But those aren't our real problems.

Think about it. Imagine the perfect politician and the perfect Government. Every law you think should be on the books is there exactly as you think it ought to be. Every Government agency is run properly. Every politician is honest. And your political ideology reigns in every policy, foreign and domestic. Every politician does what they are supposed to do...

In such a world, you still suffer the consequences of sin. People still get sick. People still commit crimes. People still sin. You still sin. And you still die. In fact, the reason the above political scenario is impossible is because of sin and its consequences.

Do you see the brilliance of what Jesus did? By dying and rising from the dead, Jesus took care of the real enemies first. The death of the only truly innocent man defeated sin. And the resurrection of that same man defeated death.

Sin and death are the biggest enemies. And because he did what he said he would do, we can believe him when he says he’ll take care of the smaller enemies too. It's like this, if I see a guy juggle six flaming swords, he doesn't need to prove that he can juggle three silk scarves. Jesus took care of the giants. Everything else is like squashing bugs.

There's another reason why what he did was so brilliant. What if Jesus had come and ruled and set up his kingship? Would the people have been satisfied? Probably. I think they would have been like some of the rabbits in Richard Adams' brilliant book "Watership Down." Our heroes, rabbits looking for a safe home, find a warren full of fat and happy rabbits. The place is paradise. Then it turns out that the reason food shows up every day, and there are no predators, is because the farmer feeds them and protects them, so that every few days, he can have fresh rabbit for dinner. The rabbits who live there don't talk about it. Because all their creature comforts are met, they choose to live with death.

Would we be the same way if we got everything we thought we wanted?

Jesus defeated your real enemies already. Because he did that, he'll take care of the rest like an elephant stomping on lego men.

"’Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son’” (Revelation 21:3-4, 6-7).