Christ, the King of
Israel
(Jesus of Nazareth, the
King of the Jews)
Mark
15:32 (ESV)
Let
the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see
and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
As Jesus was hanging on
the cross, after being beaten, mocked, and spat upon, continued to be derided
by those responsible for His crucifixion. Pilate, after the trial, wrote an
inscription that was placed on the cross.
John
19:19-20 (ESV)
Pilate
also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth,
the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place
where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in
Latin, and in Greek.
These were intended to
be derogatory terms to further humiliate the man they were putting to death.
Jesus never said He had come to be their king. At His trial, Jesus was asked
the question. He did not confirm their accusation.
Matthew
27:11-14 (ESV)
Now
Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King
of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But when he was accused by the
chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you
not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer,
not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
After Jesus was born
there were wise men that came to Jerusalem searching for the One for whom the
sign was given, the “star in the east,” that they had followed. They referred
to Jesus as “the king of the Jews.”
Matthew
2:1-2 (ESV)
Now
after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,
behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has
been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to
worship him.”
This is a contributing
factor to the confusion that Jesus’ disciples, the ones who walked with Him
every day for years, thought He had come to conquer the Romans and free Israel
from their oppression. John’s record of the conversation with Pilate gives us a
better picture of how Jesus described His role as a king.
John
18:33-37 (ESV)
So
Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are
you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord,
or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own
nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you
done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of
this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered
over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to
him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this
purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear
witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Jesus did admit He was a
King, but not the “King of the Jews,” nor the “King of Israel,” but He was King
over all creation! This Man is Christ Jesus, the Lord!
The fact that Jesus was
born a Jew (nationality) was to fulfill prophecy that there would be a messiah
that would come through the lineage of David, from the tribe of Judah, born in
Bethlehem of a virgin. He then lived a sinless life according to the Law of
Moses so that He could then be given as the Spotless Lamb, the Eternal
Sacrifice, which would take away the sin of the world. He did not come the
first time to conquer an earthly kingdom, but to conquer the spiritual kingdom
that ruled the earth.
Revelation
1:5-6 (ESV)
…
and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the
ruler of kings on earth. and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father,
to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The second time He
comes, He will come as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and will conquer everything!
Revelation
19:16 (ESV)
On
his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of
lords.
This is why we worship
Christ Jesus, the Lord. We bow our knee to Him now, so when He comes the second
time we will be WITH Him!
No comments:
Post a Comment