Jesus, a different kind of king
Written by Matt & Trisha Winter
Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Christ, first born of all creation, what this doesn't mean is that Christ is created, that he is somehow the first thing made as some would have you believe. No! What this means is that Christ being first born is his function, role, or purpose in creation and within the trinity. As first born he is heir to the throne of God, inheritor of all creation as the author of Hebrews writes in
Hebrews 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
So While we can see that Christ as the son is due by his power, right, and authority the reign and rule of all creation, we see a very different narrative play out as he enters Jerusalem. What we see is what Paul explains in
Philippians 2:5-11 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Christ, heir to the throne of God leaves heaven behind and condescends himself to the lowly form of a man, where he took on hunger, thirst, where he was tempted in every way as we are told in Hebrews 4. This means Jesus was tempted to eat too much, to drink too much, tempted to lust. But he obeyed the father though he himself is God very God, equal in power and authority and Godhood he submitted to the fathers will, in perfect obedience, even to death on a cross.
Jesus King of the universe ushers in the kingdom of God on earth not by his authority as God, or even by his earthly birthright as a descendant of David which also gave him claim to an earthly throne. But instead, gentle and lowly, meek and humble. He came to be a servant, not to serve, to lead by and through service. At the last supper the disciples argued about who is the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus asked them who is greater? The master who reclines at the table or the one who serves, is it not the master, the one who sits at the table? This would have been the acceptable, expected answer in that time, place, and culture. But then Jesus goes on and says, yet here am I, and I have come to serve. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, he treated his followers not as servants, or subjects of the kingdom but as friends, brothers, sisters, those to whom he desired a relationship.
The 1st century Jewish leaders missed Jesus as their messiah, because they were looking for an earthly king to come with authority and with armies to free his captive people and bring back the throne of David. Instead, Jesus came to usher in Gods Kingdom. So I ask, How often do we miss the Kingdom today? So often we make Jesus in our image, instead of letting him shape us into his. I could bring the rhetoric and talk about all the ways that we align Jesus with our politics, our economics, our business models, but that's not the point, at least not today. What is the point, is that just as the Jews in that day missed Jesus, so often we do too. We expect Jesus to look the way we do, and therefore we expect the kingdom to work the way we want it to.
A servant king leads a kingdom of servant people. Don't miss Jesus, and don't miss the kingdom.
Call to Action
Consider these questions and ask, what are some of the ways I can enter the kingdom, and how can I share it with those around me?
Jesus is a king who wants a relationship with his people, and yet most of the time, Jesus gets penciled into the schedule, around sports, work, or even serving the church. Relationships take time and they take priority. Look at your life and reflect on the way you spend your time, is it reflective of a relationship with the King?
Read Acts 4:32-37 What is something you have in excess, whether it is food, clothes, time, money etc? What are the ways you can meet the needs of those who lack what you have? How can you be as the believers in Acts and see to it that no one goes without?
