The Great Surrender

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” [Galatians 2:20]

Masada, which means “fortress” in Hebrew, is a mountaintop stronghold in the Judean desert, built on a rocky mesa rising abruptly 2,000 feet above the nearby Dead Sea. It was renovated by Herod the Great between 37 and 31 B.C. When Jerusalem was taken by the Romans in A.D. 70, the last remaining rebels, a Jewish sect known as the Zealots, revolted and seized the fortress in their last stand against Roman rule. They refused to surrender.

With plenty of food and water, this group of about 1,000 men, women, and children led by Eleazar ben Jair, held off the whole Roman army for more than two years. After this long siege, 15,000 Roman soldiers from the Tenth Legion raised an enormous Earth ramp and broke through the walls. They found the bodies of over 960 men, women, and children, victims of a suicide pact to keep the Romans from taking them as slaves. All but seven killed themselves rather than yield to their enemies.

The Masada site was rediscovered in 1842 and extensively excavated by archaeologist Higael Yadin between 1963 and 1965. Today tourists may hike up the Snake Path on the eastern side or take a cable car to the top. Because of the dry climate, Masada has remained largely untouched by humans for over 2,000 years. A museum now displays findings, and tours are given daily, telling the story of the zealots who refused to give in.

There are certainly times in which we should fearlessly stand against the enemy. But there is also a time to surrender – not to the devil, but to Christ. When Paul shared the gospel with the Corinthians, he wrote, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1.Corinthians 1:18). To the world it seems preposterous to worship a God who laid down His life. Yet, in the same way we may find life when we die to self and humble ourselves before God.

Our Bible text for today calls us to be just like Jesus and be crucified with Him. It is not our physical bodies that must climb upon a cross and die. We must surrender self. By laying down our rights, our desire to be first, and the lusts of our flesh, we receive salvation. When we admit defeat in the battle with self, we win the war by surrendering to Jesus.