We confess that Jesus is Lord and King but our conception of his kingship is very often not shaped by his own life. We tend to see Lordship in terms of an authority who wields power over others, but is this what Jesus models. In the gospels he is the King who cares and shares, his king is typified by love not power. At every step of his life we see this because he came to give not take, most kings raise taxes but Jesus gave himself for the sinner as a saving sacrifice. When he teaches it is to impart knowledge that gives wisdom for living the godly life, surely he is so different from those who want to impose their own law on others. Jesus did not undermine the law of God, but he did undermine legalism and a narrow minded fundamentalism. Jesus lived in obedience to God’s law, but he utterly repudiated the additions to it made by the Scribes and Pharisees. He came to lift the burden of sin and provide the way so that people could live the life God wants them to in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We see Jesus healing the sick, delivering those afflicted by the demonic and most of all providing a way of salvation for sinners. The secular model of kingship thinks of the King as taking his enemies captive whereas the gospel shows that Jesus came to set the captives free. Indeed it is through his resurrection that the victory of Christ is manifested, but the cry of victory came when Jesus was on the cross, and he cried out “it is finished” , he knew he had come to save his people from their sins, and he knew that salvation had been accomplished upon the cross. Jesus delivers from the curse of sin and now imparts the Holy Spirit to us so that we may live in holiness before him. He cares for his people, and he supplies their every need, the hymn writer was correct when he described Jesus as the king of love. When we follow our Lord we also need to have our hearts transformed to be like his and when they are we will care for others in a very deep and meaningful way. Let us remember that Jesus loves us and gave himself for us, now he calls us to live lives that show that same love to a broken and needy world. Read the gospels again, and you will have much to inspire you as you prayerfully ask him,how can I be more like You?