Jesus Christ, King

I loved studying this title of Christ this week leading up to Palm Sunday!

“Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38)

When Christ entered Jerusalem that day, there must have been something powerful that moved people to line his path with palm branches and cry "Hosanna!" (which, in Hebrew means "save now"). He came sitting on the back of a donkey, one of the humblest forms of transportation. Surely no previous King had done the same but his kingdom was not of this world and neither was his mission. I love Christ's example of being a leader who exemplified meekness. “Meekness toward God... stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all.” Christ must have had overwhelming trust in his Father as he entered the city where he would soon suffer and die for all mankind. 

This week we visited the city of Capernaum in Galilee, where Christ performed many of his miracles. While sitting there at Christ's "hometown" we talked about what his reality would have looked like. Christ was born to a poor, lower class family who lived in a city with no public or private latrines (you can only imagine), no personal hygiene, where people lived as fishermen and carpenters and farmers. When he preached to the poor, the hungry, and the thirsty, he did so as one of them.

What would those people have thought when he preached of the "kingdom" of God? They definitely had never seen a kingdom in their time. But this wasn't a kingdom of wealth or power, it was a spiritual one. I felt strongly in Capernaum, as I do now that Christ is the Head of the greatest kingdom on earth and in heaven. It is the one that will lead us to eternal safety and peace.

Some of the first New Testament characters who knew Jesus Christ as their King were the wise men. In Matthew 2:2 we hear their voices: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” I pondered what “worship” would have meant to the wise men; what were they seeking to do to honor the baby Jesus when they found him? An outline of biblical usage of the term states that “worship” in the New Testament means "kneeling or prostration to do homage to one or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication". This type of homage is shown to men and beings of superior rank. This description created a new image in my head; these experienced and prominent men were seeking the baby Jesus so that they could kneel, prostrate themselves, before their Master in token of deep reverence and respect. Christ was a child, yet they must have felt his spiritual, divine identity as they searched for, found, and worshipped him.

Like the wise men, I rejoice knowing that Jesus Christ is my King. 

He was a real, dynamic person born in humble circumstances and he did what no other leader could do: he offered a sinless sacrifice for man. His is the most important kingdom I will ever be a part of.