Christ, The King

Christ, The King

Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”  Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

John 18:37

As we continue our discussions of the three functions of the Mediatorial Office of Christ, we come to consider Christ as King.  When Christ was on trial before Pilate, there was a point at which Pilate needed something to justify putting Christ to death.  The charge the Jews pressed, was, ‘we found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is “Christ, a King.”’ Pilate inquired of Christ personally as to whether He was, in fact, the King of the Jews, to which Christ replied with the words of today’s text.  Christ did not equivocate in the least.  He was very clear to Pilate about His Role as King.  This is important for us to grasp if we are to understand the Mediatorial Office of Christ.  Christ is the promised King.  When Jacob was dying he prophesied, ‘The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.’  Isaiah beheld Him as King in the sixth chapter of his prophecy.  He went on to speak of His Kingship in the ninth chapter of Isaiah, ‘For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.  The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.’ These are but a few of the passages we could marshal to prove, from Scripture, the Kingship of Christ.  The most important question, however, is not, ‘is Christ a King,’ nor is it, ‘is Christ The King,’ rather the important question is, ‘is Christ my King?’  Have I become the willing subject of King Jesus?  Have I embraced Him as Savior, and submitted to Him as Lord?  If He is my Prophet, and my Priest, does it not follow, that He must also be my King?  Let us dwell today upon this King of Righteousness, as our King forever and ever.

High King of Heaven, we rejoice that,
‘Jesus shall reign where e’er the sun does his successive journey run.’
We praise You, that ‘every knee shall bow and every tongue confess,
that Jesus Christ is Lord.’

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning