This morning we’re continuing to focus on Jesus, and how we can know him better, by asking the question Do you know him? Over the last couple of weeks we’ve thought about his death and resurrection, and this week we pick up the story with his ascension, his return to heaven, and what it means to experience Jesus as king.
I wonder what you think of when you hear the word, “king”. Maybe you’re an Elvis Presley fan. Maybe you think of Henry VIII and the latest Philippa Gregory novel. Maybe you’re more on the Game of Thrones, Robert Baratheon, wavelength. One of the problems of the whole idea of Kings is that they feel a long way away. Those who we think of as kings exist in the realms of entertainment, history, and fantasy. Our own monarch, who we can relate to in some ways as a fellow human being, still lives a life that is far off. More than this, the idea of monarchy, of kings and queens, is a contested one. The monarch doesn’t govern in this country. We have replaced the system of government by monarchy with that of government by democracy.
I think that most people generally believe that this is progress. When we look around the world and see the repression and injustices in countries which still have absolute monarchs, and when we read the histories of what most absolute monarchs did in our country, it is difficult to argue with this assessment.
So, we’ve replaced kings with elected governments, and relegated them to the worlds of entertainment, history, and fantasy.
Where does that leave us when we think about the kingdom of God, and particularly about Jesus as King? How do we avoid, perhaps subconsciously, thinking of Jesus as subject to voter approval or as entertainment, irrelevant history, or fantasy? What does it mean to know Jesus as our Sovereign today? What difference does it make to our lives?
So firstly, lets look at the idea of monarchy and the kingdom. In English history the idea of the divine right of kings, that earthly kings were chosen by God, and couldn’t be challenged was used to justify a whole load of unjust and unholy behaviours. We get a little twitchy when someone claims to have been chosen by God to rule or govern, and uses that claim to ride rough shod over any opposition. It’s why we have a democracy. But the kingdom of God is not a democracy, it is a kingdom, an absolute monarchy.
The claim of the Bible is that Jesus is the chosen, sovereign king who has the right and authority to rule over creation and to govern it. A few weeks ago we looked at Jesus as the Word of God – creating the universe and all that is in it. Psalm 93 describes the majesty of God – and as Jesus is God, then all that is true of God is true of Jesus. In Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus we read that following his return to heaven, Jesus took his place in heaven, “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion” That sounds pretty kingly to me.
Jesus is rightful King because he created all that there is in the kingdom, because in his divine nature he is majestic, and because he has been chosen, anointed, and placed in that position by the Father. We don’t get a vote on whether Jesus is King, we only get a vote on whether we are willing to acknowledge his sovereignty and live in his kingdom. His kingdom is the best place to live – it is a kingdom of life, joy, love, and peace. Who wouldn’t want to live there?
Jesus is not King because he entertains us. Because Jesus is King, he is worthy of our worship. We’ve seen that over the last couple of weeks. Jesus dies on the cross, and the Roman centurion exclaims “surely this man was the son of God” – worship. Jesus is raised from the dead, proving he is King over life and death, and what is the first thing that the women do when he meets them in the garden? They fall down and worship. In today’s reading Jesus ascends to heaven to take his place on the throne, and what do we read, “then they worshipped him”. Jesus’ Kingship calls out our worship.
Human beings have a horrible habit of getting worship and entertainment in a terrible tangle in a couple of ways. Firstly we tend to worship those who entertain us – singers, film stars, sports people. We worship them until they stop entertaining us, or fall from grace, and then we have a habit of turning on them, or refusing to see their flaws because they’re so important to us.
Secondly, we can fall into the temptation of judging worship on whether we have been entertained or not. Did the music fit our personal preference, was it quiet or loud, was it well presented, how did it leave us feeling? The true measure of worship, whether when we are gathered on a Sunday, or if it is expressed in our workplace on a Tuesday morning is whether or not it reflects and expresses our devotion to our King, who commands us to love God and love each other. Jesus is not King because he entertains us. Because Jesus is King, he is worthy of our worship.
Jesus never sat on a throne on earth. In that sense he never was a historical king – not in the way that King David or Henry VIII were. He’s not a historical king, but he is king of all history. And that includes today. Jesus is King today. He is in heaven’s throne room, right now. That is where he went on that Ascension day. And what’s he doing there? Well, in his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul writes, “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” King Jesus is in heaven, speaking on our behalf.
Even more than that, the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, is with us here and now. We read this morning – “I am going to send you what my Father has promised …. power from on high”. Now I don’t want to steal the All In team’s thunder from next week, when we’ll be thinking about Jesus as the one who is with us, and the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost – I just want us to take note this week that this is an expression of his sovereignty. He is not a historical king- he is the king of all history, including today.
Jesus is not a fantasy King, he is a real King. In John’s account of one of Jesus’ resurrection appearances, we see a couple of things that contrast with a Game of Thrones style king. The disciples have gone fishing, but they’d had no luck and hadn’t caught a thing. Then a call comes from a man on the bank – try the other side of the boat. Bingo – so many fish they can’t pull the net in. The penny drops – it’s Jesus – so they get back to the beach as quick as they can (Peter can’t wait and swims). On the beach is a fire with some fish already cooking. Jesus serves up breakfast and eats with his friends.
This is not a fantasy king – this is a real King with a human body, who eats and enjoys an early morning beach BBQ. More than this, this is a servant King, who cooks breakfast. No ambition or court politics here. No paranoia about the safety of his crown. Jesus is entirely secure in who he is, and from that security comes a humility, an authenticity, a willingness to serve. He is King of a kingdom that has different values. As we read in Luke, “repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations” Jesus is not a fantasy King, he is a real King, who serves those he rules, and his kingdom is one of forgiveness. Who wouldn’t want to live there?
We have to be honest. The idea of Jesus as King is a troublesome one for us. Earthly kings have not often been good news for the people that they have ruled. We might not always feel that our elected governments are great, but as Churchill said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” As well as this, we have to overcome our cultural tendencies to see Kings as entertainment, history, or fantasy. But, it seems to me, that actually as we do this work, as we clear away the baggage, as we work out what it actually means for Jesus to be King today, we are rewarded with a most astounding realisation. Jesus is a good King, who delivers where all other kings fall, a king who is real, and active, and who loves us and serves us, who intercedes for us. A king we can trust. A king whose kingdom is beautiful and glorious. A King we can’t help but worship, witness to, and work for. Jesus is King.
Do you know him?
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