A Big Birthday Party

Happy Birtday to my niece Clara! What an occasion!

The Glorious and Victorious King Jesus

"Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel." -Luke 24:21

Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, died like a criminal. He hung on the torturous cross with nail pierced hands and feet and a crown of thorns shoved over his brow. Two criminals were put to death with him, one on his right and one on his left. The scene had the mocking appearance of a king on his throne with his two highest officials on his left and right.

The quote above comes from two Jewish men who were walking with the risen Lord Jesus Christ after the crucifixion. They did not know who they were walking with when they spoke these words. It was not in their understanding that the Messiah would die, even more, that he would die such a shameful death. They hoped the Messiah would come in mighty power like a great king, and lead Israel out of the hands of their Roman oppressors and crush all Israel's enemies. In their minds, the crucifixion excluded Jesus from the role of "Messiah."

"And he said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." -Luke 24:25-27

The response of the resurrected Christ to these men pointed out their deficiency in understanding the Scriptures, which spoke "that the Christ should suffer these things." It was not that Jesus did not have the power or the right to reign as king and restore Israel and conquer his enemies. In fact, this is what the angel Gabriel told Mary concerning Jesus:

"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." -Luke 1: 32-33

Jesus had every right to rule. He was of the kingly line of David. He had the righteousness that was needed and expected of a king through the whole of the Old Testament. It is not absurd that those two men Jesus spoke with had the notion that the Messiah would reign as a dominant king. There is much in the Old Testament about this. But they did not understand what needed to happen first. They did not understand that "the Christ must suffer" the cross. Paul writes that preaching the cross of Jesus Christ is folly and a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:21-23).

The very fact that Jesus had the right to rule and vanquish his enemies, but laid it aside for the work of the cross speaks loudly to the glory of his majesty. The lawful and good king did not claim his throne so that he could save his subjects from the punishment of sin. There was no other way. Only the righteous king could save his people from the bondage that sin brings and he could only do this by dying in their place the death they deserve.

This semester culminated for me in a wonderful time of seeing the majesty of my Savior in a deeper and more profound way. I see him more now as a king who has the right to rule, and had the right to rule but did not claim that right so that he could die for my sins. That makes him all the more kingly to me. It is a foolish message according to human wisdom. What kind of king dies as a criminal? Only God could come up with a plot this glorious and victorious.