Jesus Our King, part 3

The world is faced with a similar dilemma today: will we worship Jesus as King? Just like the people of Jesus’ time, there are a lot of different reactions to the idea of Jesus being a King. Some people find it hard to believe that Jesus is a King at all. After all, He ruled no nation during His lifetime, He led no armies, He conquered no foreign land. He lived the life of a common man and died the death of a criminal. He commands no one to follow Him forcibly, content to let the world choose to serve Him or not. These people hear that Jesus is The King and they scoff at the idea of someone so meek and mild ruling over the world. 
 

Some in the world today act like Herod did, threatened by the idea of Jesus being a King. Those who have earthly power don’t like the thought that a new King has come seeking allegiance for the people of the earth. Those who rule the world through wealth, power, or manipulation are threatened at the idea of King Jesus because Jesus promises to turn the world upside down, tearing down the forces that rule this world now. 

The Kingdom over which Jesus rules is alien to the powers of this world. When Jesus stood before Pilate, the representative of the kingdom of Rome, Pilate asked Jesus point blank, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, saying, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My Kingdom is from another place.” The kings of the world do not respect Jesus’ Kingdom of love, peace and grace. These people reject Jesus as a King because His Kingdom is “not of this world.” 
 

But there are some who come to Jesus like the Magi did. These are the wise men and women who are searching for a Savior, and find it in the One the prophets foretold: Jesus Christ.

What is it like to be searching for the King of the Jews? There are three things that I want to draw out from the Bible. First, we have to seek for Jesus. The only reason the Magi found Jesus was because they were searching for Him. They had studied the skies and knew that the star which appeared was foretelling the coming of the King of the Jews. Some scholars believe they might have been from Persia (formerly known as Babylon, where the Jews had been held in captivity). If that were the case, they probably had copies of the Old Testament which told them that a Messiah was coming.

In any case, these foreigners knew that the King of the Jews was coming before the wise men of Israel did. When they saw the star announcing His arrival, they rejoiced. Leaving their home, they sought out the newborn King so that they could worship Him. Regardless of what the King looked like or was to be, they came bearing gifts. 

Finding a new King is not an easy thing, especially when it means you must go into lands that are foreign to you. The Magi did not know what they would find when they came upon Jesus, but they were willing to seek Him out. In a similar way, if we seek Christ the King this Advent season, we have to be willing to search for Him. That means that we will have to examine God’s Word for the truth found within. We will have to spend time in prayer - not just reciting a wish list but having intimate conversation with Him. We will have to go to Him in worship, because we only find King Jesus when we are praising His Name. 

In fact, the entire Christian walk can be described as a lifelong search to find our King. Wise men still seek Jesus, and the Advent season is a great time to renew our search for Jesus. During this time of the year, we sing songs about Him, see plays retelling His birth, hear or read the Scripture about His birth, and see pictures of the manger where He was laid. Let this be a time when we renew our search for Jesus to be the King of our lives.

Continued tomorrow