Jesus is King
In my annual “read your Bible” post, I mentioned an “intense” reading schedule I’ve sometimes used. Another pastor suggested it to me and I’ve used it off and on for my personal Bible reading. You can read more about it here, but essentially it involves reading the New Testament in four weeks. When I use this schedule, I usually have a term or theme I’m looking for.
I decided to start 2023 this way, using “Jesus is king” as the subject of my searching. What I was looking for was ever explicit reference to Jesus as king. This kind of project is subject to error. As you are reading, you might miss something, especially when you are taking lengthy sections of Scripture for your reading that day. And in this case, some passages sort of identified Jesus as king, but perhaps not directly. Should they be included or not? It’s a judgement call, again a point for possible error.
With all those caveats out of the way, what did I find?
The New Testament does mention Jesus as king in many passages, but not so many as other themes. Two books stood out as having more references to Jesus as king than the others. That would be Matthew and Revelation. If you have some idea of content already, this isn’t surprising. Often, commentators identify Matthew’s emphasis as the Gospel for the Jews, with a special emphasis on presenting Jesus as the King. Revelation, of course, reveals the end time events where the arrival of the king on earth is a major point of the book. So no surprise, these two have the most references in the NT.
I’ll give you some of the references in Matthew so you can see what I mean. Some are not explicit references, but the implication was strong enough for me that I included it on my list. In the genealogy of Mt 1.1, Jesus is introduced as, “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” One would expect Abraham to be first, as the father of the Israelites, but in a bit of a surprise, it is “son of David,” referring to the one to whom the eternal kingdom was promised, who has first place. Then David is singled out as, “David the king,” in 1.6. The first explicit reference is the wise men arriving, “Where is he that is born king of the Jews?” (2.2). There are other references that I will include for reference at the bottom of this piece. The last references in Matthew show up in the trial before Pilate. Since all the Gospels make “Jesus is king” statements here, I’ll discuss that later.
John identifies the message of the book of Revelation as “from Jesus … the ruler of the kings of the earth” (1.5). In 11.15, the angel with the seventh trumpet announces, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” Then we see the arrival of the king in Rev 19, and the thousand-year reign in Rev 20.
The other books have fewer references. I could only find one in Acts, 2.36, and it isn’t that direct … “God hath made him both Lord and Christ.” There is authority in the word “Lord,” but it isn’t explicitly “King.” It is interesting that Paul makes no mention of the king in his summary message to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. I found one reference in Romans, two in 1 Corinthians, one possible reference in 2 Corinthians. Then I found one reference each in Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.
There are four references in 2 Timothy, Paul’s last book. Perhaps Paul was thinking much about his soon meeting with the Lord in glory and was anticipating bowing before his king. “To the King eternal…” (1.17) as well as “I charge you by God and Christ … by his appearing and kingdom (2 Ti 4.1) (Two more reference will appear below.)
Hebrews has a few references to Jesus as king, especially 1.8, “of the Son He says, ‘YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER.”1 However, Hebrews is preoccupied with the priestly aspect of the Lord’s ministry. Not much is made of the kingly aspect.
Besides the trial, in the other Gospels, we find blind Bartimaeus crying out, “Son of David, have mercy on me” (Mk 10.47, 48). The blind man could see what others could not see. Luke has Gabriel speaking to Mary about her son’s kingdom (Lk 1.32, 33). John has a couple of references before the trial as well.
What is the point, then?
First, if you look at the references as a whole, one has to notice how little the New Testament talks about this important role Jesus fulfills. Messiah the king was the one person Israel sought more than any other. The promise to David was very real to them. All the New Testament authors were Jews.2 Yet the New Testament is preoccupied with the meaning of his first coming, with Hebrews being preoccupied with his present priestly ministry. One wonders if some of the emphasis on “King Jesus” that some make overstates the way we should look at him.
Secondly, we should note that he especially de-emphasized any hint of a present kingship during his earthly ministry. He is king, but that was not why he came. Furthermore, he did not inaugurate a kingdom at that time. He came as That Prophet, to announce salvation for all who would hear. As noted, his present ministry is as The Priest, interceding for us (Hebrews and other passages). His role as king is future. Some people talk about an “already / not yet” view of the kingdom. I don’t think this is the New Testament view. The kingdom is future. (Of course, Jesus, as God, is always in control of everything, but his special role as King, the son of David, is yet to come.) We should live more in anticipation of the kingdom, than presently in the kingdom. Peter says:
2 Pt 3.11-12 ¶ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
Last, since Jesus is the king, though not presently reigning on earth as king, we should nonetheless submit to all his commands. He ought to rule our hearts and behaviour. We should shun evil and cling to the good, in order to honour our king. We need to submit to his word in every aspect of our lives. We especially need to submit to his words that gave us our mission, the “Great Commission.” We should serve him by calling others to him. That is the mission of our lives.
And finally, the trial scene
All the Gospels mention this. This was the charge the priests brought to Pilate. They condemned Jesus because he explicitly claimed messiahship and deity. “What further need do we have of witnesses,” Caiaphas shouted. But when they brought Jesus before Pilate, they cynically charged him with sedition, claiming to be a king in opposition to Caesar. (The Jews of the day were of course very loyal subjects of Caesar!) We find the most explicit exchange recorded in John’s gospel:
Jn 18.33-37 ¶ Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
His kingdom is not of this world (this age). If his kingdom were of this age, we would have a political agenda to pursue. But no, our duty in this age is to preach, not to rule!
~~~
Addendum: the references to “Jesus is king” in my survey
Matthew: 1.1, 1.6, 2.2, 5.35, 6.10, 7.21, cf. 7.22, 11.3, 16.27, 16.28, 19.28, 20.21, 20.30, 31, 21.9, 15, 25.31, 25.34, 25.40, 26.64, 27.11, 27.30 27.37, 27.41
Revelation: J1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 2.27, 3.21, 5.5, 5.13, 7.16, 11.15, 19.12, 19.15, 19.16, 20.4, 20.6, 21.5, 22.1, 22.16
Acts 2.36; Rm 15.12; 1Co 15.24, 25; 2Co 5.10; Eph 1.21; Phil 2.10; Col 3.1; 2 Ti 1.17, 2.8, 12, 4.1; Hebrews 1.3, cf. 12.2, 1.8, 2.8.
Mark: 10.47, 48, 11.9, 12.35, 14.62, 15.2, 15.9, 15.18, 15.26, 15.32
Luke: 1.32, 1.33, 17.21, 18.38, 39, 20.41, 21.27, 23.2, 23.3, 23.38
John: 6.15, 12.13, 12.34, 18.33-37
Don Johnson is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
Photo by Carlos N. Cuatzo Meza on Unsplash