Speaking for God--Christ the King
Speaking for God–Christ the King by Rev. L. John Gable
November 20, 2022
There is a scene in Lloyd Douglas’ book, The Robe, in which a slave character named Demetrius pushes through a crowd in Jerusalem to see who is at the center of attention. Suddenly, he finds himself face to face with Jesus as He is entering the capital city on Palm Sunday. Later, another slave asks him, “Did you see Him, up close?” Demetrius nods that he had.
“Is He crazy?” He shakes his head emphatically. “No, He’s not crazy.”
“Is He a king?” Demetrius pauses, not quite sure how to answer. “No,” he says, “He’s not a king.”
“Then what is He?” demands the other slave. “I don’t know”, mumbles Demetrius, “but He’s something more than a king.”
This is the appropriate question and response we can give on this Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday in the church’s liturgical calendar; next week is the first Sunday of Advent and the start of a new year. “Who is Jesus Christ and what did He come to do?” Those of you who were with us last Sunday will recall we looked to the Westminster Confession, the standard of reformed protestant theology written in the middle 17th century, to help us answer that question. The confession answers by saying that Jesus is God’s anointed One, our “prophet, priest, and king.” Last week we looked at Jesus as Prophet, today Him as King, and next Sunday as Priest.
The Confession, in its question and answer form, asks, “How does Christ execute the office of King? He executes the office of King in subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all of His and our enemies.”
We don’t typically use “king” language very often, however I think it is safe to say we are more aware and conversant about the workings of the royalty in recent months and years than we as Americans have been in decades with the popular television series The Crown and the more recent death of Queen Elizabeth and the ascension to the throne by now King Charles. We know more about the royal family, including its trials and tribulations, than perhaps we have ever wanted to know, but of particular interest is the care and attention that is given to the proper lines of succession to the throne. Unlike our democratic process of electing leaders, the lineage of the royalty and who is eligible and in line behind who is carefully crafted and followed. Not just anyone can be a king!
In much the same way, this is the how and why Matthew opens his Gospel in the way he does, by citing the lineage from Abraham to King David to the deportation to Babylon to Jesus. Why? In order to show that Jesus is not just some “johnny come lately”, but is the legitimate heir to the throne, in the bloodline of the great King David as the prophets foretold, and, even more importantly, this elaborate lineage demonstrates that God had been preparing for the coming of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the King, for a very long time.
If we were to summarize most succinctly the central message of Jesus’ teaching and ministry it would be safe to say that He came announcing the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom in to human history. Every aspect of Jesus’ ministry proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was “at hand” and He called all of His listeners, then and now, to ready themselves for it and receive it. Think of the parables He told. Most begin with this simple phrase, “The Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God is like…a farmer in his field, a woman looking for a lost coin, a prodigal coming back home.” Even in His model prayer He teaches us to make this petition continually, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus talked about the coming of the Kingdom of God because He is the King. He is the Initiator, the Inaugurator, the Chosen and Anointed One, the Sovereign and Lord who will reign over this new Kingdom. The Hebrew word for the anointed One, Mashiach, we translate Messiah; the Greek word for the same is Christos or Christ, both of which could also be translated as “anointed king”. So, whenever we say “Jesus Christ” we are making a statement both about who He is and what He has come to do.
In our lesson from John’s Gospel Jesus is standing trial before Pilate, the Roman governor. He has been brought by Caiaphas, the high priest, and the ruling body of the synagogue. Pilate himself was curious and challenged by who this Jesus was and what He had come to do. As we listen in on their conversation it seems that Pilate is not quite sure how to ask the question he really wants answered, and Jesus doesn’t make it any easier for him.
“Are you the King of the Jews”, asks the governor.
“Why do you ask?” answers Jesus, “Are you curious for yourself or are you only asking because you’ve heard others talking about Me?”
Pilate begged off answering, but still really needed to know what Jesus’ intentions were. As governor of this region of Judea he needed to know if Jesus posed any legitimate threat to the peace and order of Roman rule. So he responds, “Listen, I am not a Jew. Your own people have brought You here. What have You done?”
Jesus answers, “My kingdom is not from this world. If My kingdom were from this world My followers would be fighting to keep Me from being handed over, but as it is My kingdom is not from here.” Jesus again is pointing to this coming Kingdom of God, a Kingdom with far greater power and authority than that which Pilate or even Caesar himself could muster up. He tried to assure the governor that He was no threat to Rome’s geo-political sovereignty because He was inaugurating a Kingdom which would encompass the whole of the heavens and the earth. And of that Kingdom, He was the King, albeit a king like no other!
So what are the characteristics of this Messiah King? Let us identify four.
The first quality of this King is a sense of identity and purpose. Unlike those who assume office to serve their own ends, King Jesus comes in service to God and His people.
During the time of the French Revolution when royalty was being arrested and executed in great numbers the story is told of the capture of a little boy reputed to be the prince son of Marie Antoinette. Rather than execute him immediately and so send his soul to heaven the rabid mob decided first to send him to a witch named Meg so that she could pollute him, get him to deny God, then, so they thought, when they killed him his soul would go to hell. The witch Meg tried as hard as she could to get the little boy to deny his faith, but to no avail. Again and again she tried to get him to curse God, but he only replied, “I will not say those awful things. I will not, for I was born to be king!”
When questioned by Pilate, our King Jesus said, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world. I came to do the work of My Father. I came to seek and save the lost. I came to lay down My life as a ransom for many.” The first mark of a true leader is a sense of identity and purpose.
The second quality is character. Such leadership ability is not inherited, it is a gift which is given, a calling which is instilled. There is something in the inner core which makes a true king. Another saga from England’s royal history which has been popularized: in 1936 the soon-to-be crowned King of England, Edward the VIII, gave up his right to the throne in order to marry the American Wallis Simpson. In his radio address to the nation he said he gave it up “for the woman I love.” He chose love over duty, admirable to be sure, but those closest to him also recognized that Edward never really wanted to be king at all. He did not have the strength of will or the depth of character to play the part. All along the way in his growing up years the higher ups in Great Britain worried about his character and commitments.
His younger brother, King George VI, on the other hand, suffered from a terrible stutter. Outwardly he struggled greatly when he was thrust on the throne, but he and his wife, Elizabeth, the woman we came to know as the Queen Mum, stayed the course through very difficult times. When the Germans began to bomb London, many expected the King to ship his family off to Canada until the war was over. Instead they all remained in London as an example of courage and tenacity to the British people. A real King is known by something that radiates from the inside out.
In the 10th chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd. The hired hand sees the wolf coming and runs away, but the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.” A true leader has a depth of character.
A third characteristic of leadership is commitment to a vision. Jesus had a vision for the coming of the Kingdom of God, a vision He could articulate in words and images such that people could see it, envision it, even begin to live in to it, though it was yet unclear and far away. Jesus so believed in this vision and the inevitability of its coming that He was not only willing to live for it, He was also willing to die for it.
Another example from history. During World War II the Nazis occupied nation after nation in their march across Europe. When they took Denmark they made a treaty with the Danish King, whose name just happened to be Christian, that the Nazi flag was not to fly in Denmark. One day, the King saw such a flag flying over the Danish government building. He immediately objected to the commanding officer, “We had an agreement. That flag had better be down by noon tomorrow or I am sending soldiers to take it down.” The next day at 11:55am the flag was still flying. King Christian said to the German commanding officer, “If it is not down in five minutes a soldier will be sent to take it down.” The officer replied, “Then that soldier will be shot.” King Christian looked the officer in the eye and said, “I must tell you- that soldier will be me.” History records that the Nazi flag was taken down in Denmark and remained down throughout the war because they had a king who was willing to die for his people.
Chuck Colson of Watergate fame and later founder of Prison Fellowship once said, “All the kings of the world have sent out their followers to die for their causes; Jesus was the first to die for His followers.”
Let me add one final characteristic: true leaders have a willingness to identify with their people. Recall Moses saying that one day God would raise up a prophet like him from among the people.
There is an ancient legend that the land of Persia was once ruled by a wise and beloved Shah who cared deeply for his people and wanted only what was best for them. One day he disguised himself as a poor man and went to visit the public baths. The water for the baths was heated by a great furnace in the cellar, so the Shah made his way to that dark place to sit with the man who tended the fire. The two men shared a meal of course bread and the Shah befriended him in his loneliness. Day after day the ruler went to visit the man and in time the two became friends. At last the Shah revealed his true identity and offered him any gift he wanted. The man looked at his leader’s face, and with love and wonder in his voice, said, “You left your palace and glory to sit with me in this dark place, to eat my course food and to care about what happens to me. On others you may bestow rich gifts, but to me you have given yourself.”
Friends, this is the message of the Gospel. This is the bold announcement of the incarnation: that God in Jesus Christ has come to us and taken on human flesh. He has visited us where we are and chosen to give us the gift of Himself. He has come to be our Lord, our Savior and our King, which makes Him and Him alone worthy to be worshiped, served and followed!
Rev. L. John Gable
Tabernacle Presbyterian Church
Indianapolis, IN