Jesus and Alexander the Great

*The following is an excerpt from the masterful preacher and writer Russell V. DeLong’s short book: The Unique Galilean.

Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest personality ever to appear in the arena of human activity and play His part on the stage of life. No man equals Him in depth of character, breadth of soul, width of interest, or height of influence. He is the most outstanding individual who has ever trodden the dusty highways of life or trudged up the steep, jagged hillsides of earth.

Jesus is the Great Central Figure of all time. He splits history into two parts — B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (in the year of our Lord).

It staggers the imagination to realize that a child could be born in a humble home; that home to be situated in an obscure little hamlet; that hamlet to be located in a very insignificant, small country — and yet, out from that humble home, obscure village, and small country should come One the impact of whose dynamic personality should change the whole course of history, revolutionize philosophy, overthrow governments, revitalize religion, and transform men.

He was born in a conquered province of the Roman Empire held by the iron fist of military power and subject to the yoke of a slave — yet Jesus became the great Emancipator, making freedom possible for every man and woman of Adam’s race.

His mother was a woman of lowliest station, living in the most despised city, Nazareth, from which no good had ever come. But He became the fountainhead of all goodness.

He was born in a borrowed manger in the little town of Bethlehem. His father was only a humble carpenter; yet he instilled in his Son the creative genius of building not a material house, but of constructing a new mansion of human beings called the kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus lived but a brief thirty-three years. He was born a Jew — despised, lowly, ignoble. His emperor was Caesar, who ruled a great earthly kingdom; but little did Caesar know that One would arise and found a Kingdom greater in territory, wider in scope, and richer in purpose, which would endure when the stateliest monuments and costliest palaces of Rome should be crumbled in the dust of oblivion.

Alexander the Great, who lived three and a half centuries before Jesus, conquered the world and created a colossal empire. He and Jesus had some things in common. Both began their careers very young, and both ended them at the untimely age of thirty-three.

Alexander was born in a mansion — Jesus in a manger.

Alexander was the son of a king — Jesus, the Son of a carpenter.

Both founded a kingdom — one on power, the other on love. Alexander’s was great but is now dissolved; that of Jesus was small but is now colossal.

Alexander lived and died for himself; Jesus lived and died for others.

Alexander died a worshipped king on a throne; Jesus died a mocked King on a cross.

Alexander’s life seemed like a great success; Jesus’ life appeared as a dismal failure. Alexander shed the blood of millions for his own gain; Jesus shed His own blood for the salvation of millions.

Alexander sought his own life to lose it all in death; Jesus gave His life to find it again after death.

Alexander died in Babylon in splendor; Jesus died on Calvary in shame.

Alexander conquered every throne; Jesus conquered every grave.

Alexander made himself God and died as a man; Jesus made himself man but died like a God.

Alexander enslaved all men; Jesus made all men free.

Alexander built his throne on blood and power; Jesus shed His blood to build His powerful kingdom on love.

Alexander won all there was on earth, but lost heaven; Jesus lost all He had on earth, but won heaven for all.

Alexander forever died; Jesus forever lives.

Alexander lived like a millionaire but He died like a pauper; Jesus lived like a pauper but, by dying, acquired wealth for millions.

Alexander made history; Jesus transformed it.

These two men represent two ways of life. Every person is in one or the other. With Alexander are Napoleon, Hitler, Mussolini, and all others who have as their motto, “Get all you can.” With Jesus are St. Paul, John Wesley, William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, and others whose motto is “Give all you can.” Givers and Getters represent the two philosophies of life.

The Getters are the “gold” seekers; the Givers are the “God” seekers. Jesus summed up the number one principle of character engineering when He said, “He that findeth his life shall lose it; but he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

Seek selfishly for your own pleasure, gain, and goods, and you grow smaller and poorer. But give yourself to something bigger than yourself and beyond yourself, and you find yourself and grow bigger and richer.

Alexander is a dim, forgotten man. He acquired all things but lost his soul. Jesus lost all things but founded an eternal Kingdom.