The Peaceful Messiah

This is a reflection on the nature of Christianity in its earliest forms - the uniqueness of a Messiah who comes not with the sword but with self-sacrifice and submission to loss.  Very different from the cults of triumph such as the Mithraic cults, or the heretical (but popular) cult of Arias, or the modern "Prayer of Jabez".  These other cults, and most cults throughout human history, espouse strength, triumph, victory over our enemies; or at least the enemies of the god.  What none of them seem to advocate is a god of peace who submits to failure; "turn the other cheek" or "eat my flesh and drink my blood" - that's a hard doctrine to follow b/c it seems to go against the grain of human ego which desires victory, even victory over the biggest failure of all - death.