The Road to Redemption – Jesus as King

    Within the Protestant tradition (we as Presbyterians are part of this tradition because we protested against the control and theology of the Roman Catholic Church) there has long been an emphasis on seeing Jesus as the bearer of a threefold office; that of prophet, priest and king. In two of my previous articles we looked at Jesus as prophet and priest. Each of these offices had clear Biblical references; prophet from Jesus prophetic ministry and priest from the book of Hebrews. The references to Jesus as king are not quite as clear. So let's take a look at the social environment concerning the kingship and the evidence of Jesus being "king".

In the gospels we see Jesus living in a time and place in which the title and role of King is part of the social milieu. Even though the Roman Empire had only one Caesar who acted as king and lord of all, there were many other kings who ruled at the whim of Caesar. In the case of Judea, Herod the Great (proclaimed King of Judea by Rome in 40 BCE) was the first of the great client kings. Upon his death Judea was divided between several of his sons who ruled as kings in smaller sections of the nation. While these rulers were Jews they were considered to be no more than extensions of Caesar's rule and thus were never truly beloved by the people.

    This being the case, Judea and Galilee were always hotbeds for those who opposed Herodian rule. Having their own history of freedom and confident that God desired them to be a free nation, the Jews in those areas were always looking for a new messiah/king to lead them to victory over the Romans and into a glorious new age of the national independence. This desire for a messiah/king meant that the common people were always on the lookout for the next candidate for the office. In John 6:15 we read of the masses trying to take Jesus by force in order to make him their king. Even though Jesus avoided this rather awkward situation the rumors of his kingship remained with him throughout his ministry.

We see these rumors come to life in three places. The first is in Luke's account of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (19:28ff) in which we witness Jesus using a host of verbal and visual clues intended to point to him as king (riding a colt, psalms of kingship being proclaimed by the disciples, spreading their garments on the road…all of which have kingly associations). The second is in his trial before Pilate in which he is asked if he is King of the Jews (Mark 15:2); a charge he does not deny. Finally the sign on his cross states that he is "King of the Jews."

    Paul, in his writings, never used the specific term, king when referring to Jesus. However Paul often wrote of Jesus as the "head of the church." (Ephesians 1:22, 4:15; Colossians 1:18, 2:19) By so doing Paul implied that Jesus is indeed "king" of the church; the one who rules and reigns over the lives of believers. Thus the connection between Jesus and kingship is present even if it is not overtly stated.

    Even with all of that having been said, for many of us in the 21^st Century the idea of Jesus being a king may seem a bit anachronistic. As those who have never had a king we struggle with the idea of someone telling us what to do. Many churches even avoid using the term "Lord" because it carries kingly (highly directive) connotations. However, allowing God in Christ to rule our lives (meaning both individually and collectively) is a foundational Biblical concept. It is based in the idea that God/Christ as creator knows better than we creatures what makes for a blessed life. We creatures are limited in our ability to know how our choices will impact our relationships with God, others and creation. By allowing God in Christ to set the parameters for our lives we are making it possible for the one who made us and knows us better than we know ourselves to guide us into the fullness of life. This view moves the concept of king from being one of an arbitrary dictator to one of a creator king who always desires the best for the king's creation. This is ultimately how we are challenged to see Jesus as king; as the one who lovingly rules and reigns in our lives in order to lead us to lives well and fully lived.