Monday, April 10, 2023
The idea of a king is a bit foreign to most modern Americans. We think of the crown and the castle and probably knights in steel, with a role somewhat like a president. That is not what an ancient king was, though. An ancient king was all powerful. He could do whatever he wanted, kill whomever he wanted, take whatever he wanted, and no one could complain about it. The people under his rule were at his absolute command. The people obeyed him out of respect but also fear. Many of these kings were viewed as gods. So when Jesus came claiming to be King of the Jews, the people thought of an all-powerful man with great authority.
They watched him during the years of his ministry and saw he did indeed have great authority. He performed miraculous signs, and they began to hope he was the promised king—the man who would free the Jewish people and restore them to their position of glory. Yet as they watched him die, all hope was dashed and many even reviled him.
Luke 23:35-38
35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
One week after they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with palm branches and shouts of Hosanna, they were watching him die on the cross and mocking him. How could this man be a king? How could he be the promised Messiah? It seemed he was a fraud like all the rest. And yet, he didn’t stay dead. People claimed he was alive. Perhaps he was who he said he was.
The ancient Jews had a choice to make at that moment: they could embrace him as king or elevate themselves to the place of king. This is the same choice we must each make today.
Are you going to allow Jesus to be King of your life, or are you going to elevate yourself to that position? Are you going to submit your will and preferences to his standard or are you going to keep pushing yourself to the top until you become the king of your life?
Luke 9:23-24
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
When Jesus took our sins upon himself on the cross, he showed that he is worthy to be our King. The cross illustrated that all things are possible with Jesus. With Jesus, we have the power to say no to sin. With him as King, we can willingly step off the throne and give it to him. We can submit ourselves to what he defines as good and evil, because we know he is the good King (Luke 18:19). When Jesus is the King of our lives, he takes our burdens and our sins upon his shoulders. He gives us rest and hope.
Matthew 11:28-29
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Questions:
What does it mean to you that Jesus is “King of your life”? What would you be afraid to give up if you allowed Jesus to step into that place?
Next Steps:
In order for Jesus to truly be the King of your life, you need to know what he requires of you. Reading the Bible is the best way to know who God is and what he wants you to do. Commit to reading one of the gospels over the next month. If you did not read Luke with the church, that's a great place to start.
Prayer:
King Jesus, you are good. Thank you for being just and gentle. Thank you for exchanging my heavy burdens with your rest. I ask you to be King of my life. Whenever I try to take that place back, remind me of the gift of your life you willingly gave. I pray that I honor you with my life. Thank you for being our Messiah King. Amen.