Christ Is King – King of Kings and Lord Of Lords!
Word-of-the-Day: ‘<The angel provides to the Apostle John,> “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”’ (Revelation 17:14)
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) made a statement in an interview last week that many are panning as pandering to Israel and being anti-Christian; in an interview with CBN News, he mentioned his belief the phrase ‘Christ Is King’ is ‘anti-Semitic’.
While he is taking much heat from his ‘foot-in-mouth’ remark, and deservedly so; I understand what he is trying to convey in a general sense; there are those who use the name of Jesus to promote causes that are not Christian – not everyone who proclaims in the name of Jesus are proclaiming Jesus but their own agenda.
Some use ‘Jesus’ as a curse word or sarcastic punchline. So, there may be some who are stating ‘Christ is King’ and using it to promote anti-Jewish sentiment, something the church has battled over the centuries, as some Christians are erroneously taught to believe the Jews – and only the Jews – crucified our Lord and King, Jesus Christ.
I do not doubt Mr. Cruz’s sincerity in his comment, and he states he is a practicing Southern Baptist Christian who is a Believer, and I trust that he is. I am also not entirely convinced he is one who is ‘Israel First’, or as some may say, a ‘Zionist’. He is, I believe as many Christians are, against anti-Semitism and are pro-Israel versus pro-Palestinian. Nevertheless, his statement is in error and not Biblical.
Many who are Saved by Grace hold onto, sometimes without realizing it, a belief that is not entirely correct. For example, I have a hard time believing man and dinosaurs may have lived together, though it is clear that the Bible says man and ‘leviathan’ (the Biblical term for ‘big creatures’ or dinosaurs) coexisted, at least until the Flood of Noah. He mentions he was not familiar with the phrase, ‘Christ is King’, and has only recently heard it used in a context of anti-Semitic discussions. To him, he may be incorrectly hearing the phrase as insulting.
People do use Jesus’ name in vain, outside of the context of Salvation, as it is used to insult or ridicule others, so Mr. Cruz may have this in mind. However, someone exclaiming ‘Jesus Christ’ as a derogatory curse does not overshadow who Jesus Christ is. If anything, it amplifies the ignorance and their need for Salvation, to see that Jesus brings life and the removal of the curse of sin and death. Those who use ‘Christ is King’ in a derogatory form doesn’t negate that Jesus is indeed King. Just because Mr. Cruz is not familiar with the Truth of the phrase may or may not demonstrate his ignorance on the fact that Jesus is King.
Did the Jews crucify Jesus? The Truth is while the crowd that cried out, ‘Crucify Him!’ that day prior to Passover in 29 AD was predominately Jewish, we must remember it was Roman soldiers who beat him, forced him to carry the cross on the path on what many consider the ‘Via Delarosa’ to Golgotha, and nailed him upon it before raising Him upon the Cross between the two thieves.
From a strictly ‘legalese’ perspective, both Jews and Gentiles were responsible for crucifying Him. The Pharisees, the ‘Jewish’ of all Jews, chased after Jesus looking for an opportunity and found it soon after His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, in part from His actions of removing the moneychangers from the Temple courtyard and in part from His teachings and parables that showed them as what they truly were, serving of themselves and not God.
The Romans crucified Jesus as an expedient means of ‘keeping the peace’; while Pilate found no cause to crucify Jesus, he did so as part of the tradition of pardoning one prisoner on Passover, in this case Barabbas, while executing another who the Jews picked, in this case Jesus. Pilate could have pardoned Jesus and also Barabbas, or simply executed Barabbas while pardoning Jesus. But Pilate instead gave the Israelites a choice to calm down the raucous crowd, and God allowed Jesus to be the Sacrifice he had been predestined to be all along.
From the Biblical perspective, all who profess are allegiance with Him, who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and declare we will follow Him and His precepts had a hand in His crucifixion, and His death on the cross was pre-ordained by God to provide Jesus His Son, God Manifested, as the Perfect Sacrifice for all who believe in Him. So, I, and you, and we who Believe, crucified Him – all of us. It is not truthful to state ‘the Jews did this’, we all ‘did this’.
The statement, ‘Christ is King’, despite any misrepresentation someone gives it, is Truth. Jesus is King, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, a title given Him three times in the Bible – (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16). Jesus Himself provides He is King to Pontius Pilate (John 18:36). Peter declares Jesus is Lord at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17) and Paul also makes this declaration in Romans 10:9 and 1 Corinthians 12:3.
With many declarations that Jesus, the Messiah or Christ, is King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (not just of the Jews but over all people), it is not just a title but it is His ‘job description’. The last chapters of the Bible, Revelation 19 through 22, is a prophecy of Jesus removing Satan and sin from the world once and for all, and ruling forever more over all Creation. So, the proclamation that ‘Christ is King’ is factual and true, and the Believer should not be ashamed in proclaiming Jesus as such, as He is who He says He is.
JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD, IS KING!
