King of Kings

In the movie, The Lion King, young Simba “just can’t wait to be king” so that he can rule over the land. However, he learns just how important and sacrificial being “king” really is through some hard twists of fate in his life. Being a king wasn’t about telling people what to do, but to model the highest level of integrity, loyalty, and faithfulness to those in the kingdom.

Unlike Simba, Jesus understood the sacrifices of a king. In Luke 4 when Satan was tempting Jesus to abuse His power and seek more of it by telling Him, “I will give you all [the kingdoms of the world, because] I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me!” But Jesus resisted the temptation to serve self. Instead, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:13, “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”

Even as a king, Jesus “didn’t come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). In fact, His role wasn’t just making a kingdom stronger, but saving it eternally! Paul would later say in 1 Timothy 1:15-17, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

As Jesus ministered among His followers (and ultimately the world), He modeled something that was truly inspirational, and even transformational. His way of living and teaching helped people see what God’s plan had been the entire time. As the fulfillment of his mission drew closer to the end, more and more of the prophecies about the Messiah were coming to fruition.

On the Mount of Transfiguration, a handful of the Apostles witnessed Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the prophets) confirm Jesus as the one with true authority. This scene must have helped to give them even more confidence that Jesus was truly the king of kings; and had they been in the room when Pilate interrogated Jesus by asking, “Are you the king of the Jews?” they would have shouted, “YES!” However, they weren’t there, but they would do what Jesus asked Pilate about how He came to that conclusion, “Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about Me?” That’s our job – tell others about Jesus, our king!