Jesus the King I. Introduction A. Matthew 2:2, 25:34, 40, 27:11, 29, 37 B. Mark 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26, 32 C. Luke 19:38, 23:2-3, 37-38 D. John 1:49, 6:15, 12:13, 18:33, 37, 39, 19:3, 12, 14-15, 19, 21 E. Acts 17:7, 1 Timothy 1:17, Revelation 15:3, 17:14 F. In these passages Jesus is identified as a king, most often the "King of the Jews," whether sincerely, ironically, or in mockery G. There are not many explicit references to Jesus as King until we understand the meaning of commonly used terminology 1. The "Anointed One" (Hebrew "Messiah"; Greek "Christ") refers to authority and kingship and was not Jesus' last name! 2. Same with "Lord," a title normally reserved in the Roman Empire for Caesar 3. We would end up citing hundreds of passages if we were to list every passage in which Jesus is spoken of as the Messiah/Christ or Lord! H. Let us consider Jesus the King 1. What expectations existed regarding the Anointed King and expected Messiah of Israel? 2. How did Jesus become King of the Jews? 3. Why is Jesus declared Lord of all, and on what basis is that claim subversive? 4. Why is it that Jesus, and only Jesus, could have truly fulfilled all of what had been said regarding the Messiah? 5. How can it be said that Jesus remains the King whom we should serve? II. The Anointed King and Expected Messiah in the Old Testament A. We must always remember that Jesus of Nazareth lived and died as a first century Palestinian Jew, an Israelite, and we must first understand all descriptions of Jesus in light of the Law of Moses and Second Temple Judaism B. The Anointed King in Israel 1. We must always remember that "Messiah" (Anglicized version of Hebrew moshiach) and "Christ" (Anglicized version of Greek christos) mean "Anointed One" 2. Exodus 28:41, 29:7, 30:30, 40:12-15, Leviticus 8:12: Moses commanded to anoint Aaron as High Priest with oil to consecrate him to his position, and his sons as well 3. 1 Samuel 10:1: Samuel anoints Saul on the head, establishing him as king 4. 1 Samuel 16:12-13: Samuel anoints David to be king after Saul 5. 2 Kings 9:3-6: Elisha anointed Jehu king over Israel 6. Therefore, discussions of "anointed" in the Old Testament speak either to a priestly figure or a royal figure a. Isaiah 45:1: God considers Cyrus king of Persia to be His "anointed" to restore Israel to its land b. Daniel 9:25-26, Zechariah 4:14 also speak of such anointed ones, the latter of both priest and king; some therefore expected two Messiahs, a Messiah-priest and a Messiah-king (Testament of Simeon 7:2, The Community Rule 4Q541) C. The Promised Messiah of Israel 1. In David and the prophets, most talk of the Anointed One centered around the expected King who would come in the line of David 2. 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16: God promises David the throne of his kingdom as lasting forever 3. Psalm 2:1-12: speaks of the upcoming Messiah as begotten of God 4. Psalm 110:1-7: David speaks of YHWH speaking to "[David's] Lord" to sit at His right hand, of Him as the priest in the order of Melchizedek, and will strike kings 5. Amos 9:11-15: through Amos God promises the restoration of the tent of David and great prosperity in the land 6. Hosea 3:4-5: Hosea speaks of a day when Israel would return to "David" and serve him 7. Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-10: Isaiah speaks of a shoot from the house of Jesse, ruling on David's throne forever, establishing peace, justice, righteousness 8. Micah 5:2: the ruler would come from Bethlehem 9. Jeremiah 23:5-6, Ezekiel 34:23-24, 37:24-25: Jeremiah and Ezekiel echo Isaiah's predictions of a descendant of David on the throne ruling forever 10. Daniel 2:44-45, 7:13-14, 27, 9:24-27: In dreams and visions Daniel is told of the upcoming kingdom of the "one like a son of man" which would smash earthly kingdoms to pieces and would be established forever 11. Zechariah 9:9, 14:9-21: Zechariah sees the king coming on a donkey, and in the end, Israel will go up to Jerusalem in prosperity before their king, YHWH of hosts D. In first century Palestine, most Israelites fervently awaited the coming of the Messiah to fulfill all that had been said of Him 1. There was general agreement at this time that the Roman Empire was the iron/clay mixture of Daniel 2 and the fourth beast of Daniel 7; thus, the time of the Messiah had drawn near 2. The Israelites were expecting a rather physical, concrete fulfillment of what David and the prophets had said: the Messiah, the King, would be born in Bethlehem, would gather his forces, break the Roman might through the power of God, re-establish the Davidic monarchy in Jerusalem, and Israel would maintain international prominence and prosperity! E. When people went around speaking of the Messiah or the Christ, the King, this is that of which they spoke: the coming King who would defeat YHWH's enemies and bring peace and prosperity! III. Jesus, King of the Jews A. While Israel's expectations are understandable based on their interpretation of David and the prophets, from the beginning of the Gospel onward, it becomes clear that Jesus is not really the Messiah they were seeking 1. Yes, Jesus is born into the house of David, but to a peasant girl living in Nazareth (Matthew 1:18-25) 2. The predictions regarding Jesus made at His birth involve Him overthrowing the commonly received order, elevating the humble and laying low the haughty, a cause of stumbling to many (Luke 1:46-55, 2:34-35) 3. When they wanted to make Him king, He fled from them (John 6:15) 4. He never gathered an army; He never declared war on the Romans but instead expected people to pay relevant taxes (cf. Matthew 22:15-22, etc.); He did not sit on a throne in Jerusalem; He did not defeat the Roman Empire militarily; the physical kingdom and territories of David were not restored to Israelite control 5. Such is why, from the days of Jesus' ministry to this very day, many in Israel rejected the idea that Jesus was the Messiah, the King; to this day many who would claim Him as their Messiah still do not understand the true nature of His authority, kingship/lordship, and what YHWH had spoken of Him in David and the prophets! 6. Such is why references to Jesus as "King of the Jews" are tinged with irony, since they are all declared by Israelites denying the claim or Romans trying to make an example of Him (e.g. Mark 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26, 32) B. We do well to wonder, then, how Jesus was made King of the Jews! C. Jesus' Life: Kingdom preparation 1. Throughout His ministry Jesus prepared for the "Kingdom" 2. Jesus speaks of a "Kingdom" over 100 times in the four Gospels! 3. His parables, His famous teachings, mostly describe the way this Kingdom works 4. His teaching and preaching in general are called the "Gospel of the Kingdom" (e.g. Matthew 4:17, 23) 5. He does speak of the Kingdom as being "in their midst" (Luke 17:20-21), but most of the proclamations of the Kingdom look forward, either in near time (e.g. Matthew 26:29) or distant (Luke 19:11-27) 6. His powerful acts of healing and casting out of demons declare the coming of God's Kingdom over the dominion of the Evil One (cf. Matthew 12:22-28) 7. Not only does He speak of the Kingdom, He prepares His twelve disciples to proclaim His Kingdom by providing them thorough instruction, having them see and participate in His ministry, and sending them out on their own to proclaim the Gospel in word and power (cf. Matthew 10:1-42, Mark 4:33-34) 8. As He goes up to Jerusalem, He prepares the disciples for the progression which will take place, yet they prove unable to understand (e.g. Matthew 16:21-23) 9. The night before His death He attempts to comfort the disciples by explaining how His departure is necessary for all to come to pass, and how the Holy Spirit would come upon them to remind them of what they heard and to make all things clear (John 13:1-16:33) D. And then during the Passover Jesus is crucified on a Roman cross as a blasphemer and insurrectionist against Rome (Matthew 26:47-27:50) 1. Jesus was not the first person to claim to be the Messiah and have such a thing take place; He also would not be the last 2. For the religious authorities, the Israelites, and the Romans, this was sufficient demonstration that Jesus was no Christ at all 3. The disciples were plunged into despair; had they been part of yet another failed Messianic movement (Luke 24:17-21)? E. But then, the grand reversal: Jesus was raised from the dead in power and ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:1-53, Acts 1:1-11)! F. Jesus Himself in the resurrection and through the Holy Spirit after His ascension make it clear how these great events have demonstrated that Jesus is the Anointed One/Messiah/Christ, the King 1. His death was no accident; it was the foreordained will of God based upon His sinless life so that He could gain the victory over sin and death, the willing sacrifice for sin (Romans 8:1-4, Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9) 2. In His resurrection Jesus triumphs over the power of death, the Evil One, and the nationalities and all powers, never to die again (John 16:33, Colossians 2:13-15, Revelation 1:18) 3. By ascending into Heaven Jesus demonstrates how He is the "one like a son of man" in Daniel 7:13-14, given there and then the everlasting dominion over which He can rule eternally since He died once and never to die again (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 7:56) 4. Jesus, through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, fulfills the Law of Moses and all that is written of Him; this allows a new covenant to be made with mankind in His blood, of which He is Mediator and Lord (Hebrews 7:1-9:27) G. Israel did not and could not understand how God would provide deliverance through His Christ! 1. Thus 1 Corinthians 2:1-15 2. The foe was not the Romans; the foe was the Evil One and the forces of evil empowering the Romans, and alas, even many in Israel (John 8:32-58, Ephesians 6:12, Revelation 13:1-11) 3. Israel had been promised the descendant of David, the Holy One of Israel, the Suffering Servant, an eternal dominion, the resurrection, but did not understand the order of how it would take place: Life of the descendant of David, the Holy One of Israel, then the Suffering Servant, then His resurrection, then an eternal dominion, followed by His eventual return and the resurrection of all! H. Thus God made Jesus King of the Jews through the very means by which many in Israel thought would show He was nothing of the sort! IV. Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, Christ Over All A. At first the Gospel of the Kingdom was proclaimed only to Israelites, but soon Jesus revealed to the disciples, now Apostles, that since He was King and Lord of all, all could now participate in His Kingdom, both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 10:1-11:18) B. This was a major theological shift and required much ink to make evident (cf. Acts 15:1-28, Romans 1:1-11:36, Galatians 1:1-5:15, Ephesians 2:1-3:13) C. Yet this was part of what had been promised in the prophets and a major aspect of what God was doing in Christ: reconciling all the world to Himself, ruling over everything, not just Israel 1. Isaiah 2:1-4, Amos 9:11-12, etc. speak of the ingathering of the nations 2. As Galatians 3:15-18 makes clear, such was implicit from Abraham, the Seed of his through whom all the nations would be blessed 3. Through His death He tore down the Law that made distinction between Jew and Gentile, and thus tore down the hostility, allowing the two to become one in Him (Ephesians 2:11-18) 4. Through His death and resurrection He overcame sin and death, a problem not unique to Israel, and is seen as the "second Adam" undoing what the first Adam did (Romans 5:12-21, 1 Corinthians 15:42-49) 5. Both the Apostles and Cornelius and his men speak in tongues, a demonstration in the Spirit of undoing the division of mankind as it happened at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-14, 10:44-48) 6. In this new covenant inaugurated in Jesus' blood, all are brought to God in Christ, not just Israel (Hebrews 7:1-9:27) D. Therefore, Jesus is Lord of all, not just King over Israel, and this claim resonates with many among the Gentiles! 1. For most non-Israelites past and present, Jesus as the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ does not mean much; we are not ruled over by people with such names 2. Yet in ancient Rome "Lord," Greek kurios, did resonate, for it was Caesar's claim over his Empire! 3. To declare that Jesus is kurios, Lord, and King, is to at some level suggest that Caesar is not, and such was highlighted in opposition to the Gospel (Acts 17:7)! 4. Therefore the Apostles made the claim to as many as they could throughout the Mediterranean world: God has made Jesus of Nazareth Lord and Christ, the King, and all ought to serve Him since all will stand before Him in judgment (Acts 2:36, 17:30-31)! E. All of these aspects of Jesus' kingship and lordship show how He, and only He, could have accomplished all that is said of the Christ in the prophets! 1. Israel, and many dispensational premillennalists, imagine the Christ as a king sitting in Jerusalem, but Jesus rightly centered His Messianic understanding on the Danielic Son of Man, who received all authority in heaven (Daniel 7:13-14, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 7:56) 2. Through Israel God had attempted to provide a blessing to the world through one nation-state; not only did the nations not heed them, they themselves did not remain faithful to the covenant or to the witness of YHWH as the Creator God! 3. By defeating sin and death and thus overcoming the power of the Evil One, Jesus is in a position to overcome all those empowered by the Evil One (cf. Romans 8:1-3, Ephesians 6:10-18)! 4. To this day Christians exist in many nation-states; the mighty pagan Roman Empire was transformed by the witness of those proclaiming Christ, and spectacularly fell before the authority of Jesus the Christ, fulfilling Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 2:41-45, Revelation 12:1-19:21) 5. In the meantime the Jews attempted to force YHWH's hand and rebelled against the Romans; in so doing they fulfilled the prophecies of Daniel and Jesus regarding the destruction of the Temple and the manifest end of the covenant between God and Israel as defined in the Law of Moses (Daniel 9:24-27, Matthew 24:1-36) 6. Only a heavenly Kingdom ruled over by a resurrected Lord could exist eternally and draw people from all nations to God; thus only Jesus can truly be the Messiah promised in the prophets (Philippians 3:20-21, Colossians 1:13)! F. So it is that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ, the King, the Lord since His ascension in 30 CE, to this day, and until the day of His return! V. Conclusion A. Jesus may not have been the Messiah King the Israelites were expecting, but He is the only Messiah King who could have fulfilled all of what had been said about Him B. The Messiah is the Son of God; the Messiah is the Danielic Son of Man given authority; even as prophet, Jesus spoke of who He was and what would happen because of what He would do (Matthew 16:16, 21:33-46, 26:63-64) C. Revelation 1:12-18 1. Jesus appears before John as He provides the Revelation to him 2. He appears as "one like a son of man" in terms of the Ancient of Days, indicating He is the Son of God and Son of Man 3. He tells John what will take place as prophecy (Revelation 22:7, 10, 18-19) 4. Yet the substance of what He shows John is the power of the Lamb that was slain and made Lord of heaven and earth, and how those who trust in the Lamb obtain the victory which He obtained through His suffering, death, and resurrection (Revelation 4:1-22:6)! 5. Jesus is the Root and offspring of David (Revelation 22:16); He is King, the Lord, and He overcomes all those who oppose Him! D. Let us serve Jesus as King and Lord, knowing that before Him every knee will bow, every tongue confess His lordship, and all will submit to His judgment in the end (Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 22:12-13)! E. Invitation/songbook Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is, being interpreted, Christ) (John 1:41). Jesus' last name is not "Christ"; both Messiah and Christ mean the "Anointed One," and were understood to refer to the promised king who would rule over Israel. Therefore, when we see "Messiah" or "Christ" we are to think, "King"! Let us confess Jesus as the Christ, the King, and serve Him! 2: And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against; yea and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35). Jesus was not the King the Jews expected; He did not overthrow the Romans and re-establish the state of Israel. Throughout His life He defied Israel's expectations yet fulfilled all that was written of Him. Let us praise God for such a Christ! 3: "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts 2:36). God made Jesus Lord and Christ through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, gaining the victory over sin and death and the forces of evil, providing the means by which all could be reconciled back to God and participate in the Kingdom of God. Let us take our place as participants in God's Kingdom ruled by Jesus! 4: And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16). Only Jesus could have fulfilled all said of the Christ in the prophets, raised from the dead to die no more, ascended to heaven to reign from there over both heaven and earth over a kingdom transcending nations, peoples, and languages, and before whom all will bow, confess, and be judged. Let us serve the Risen Jesus as Lord today!