Handel’s famous Hallelujah Chorus quotes the Book of Revelation, calling Jesus “King of kings and Lord of lords.... And he shall reign forever and ever.” The new (2017) worship song “All Hail King Jesus” inspires worshippers to raise their hands in a Roman salute and repeat endlessly,
The concept of Jesus as King is ingrained in the Christian religion. It is in our scriptures, iconography, art, music, liturgy, our hearts and our minds. It shapes the way many Christians view politics. It shapes the way we see the world. That is the problem. It is not at all clear that Jesus shared that understanding of himself. If he thought of himself as a king, then he radically redefined the word.
In a homily given on Christ the King Sunday, the late Bishop Thomas Gumbleton said: “Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King -- probably one of the most direct contradictions of the way of Jesus as we could find to celebrate.”
When Jesus’ followers wanted to make him king, he refused. The gospel says, “Perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” When he was on trial before Pilate, Jesus refused to accept the royal title. Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth.”
The standard way of resolving this dilemma is to say that Jesus understood himself as a spiritual king of a spiritual kingdom, not a worldly king of an earthly kingdom. That is a good solution as far as it goes. We just need to come to grips with exactly what that means for us. Jesus rejected the idea of kingship in any sense of worldly wealth, power or authority.
Gumbleton asked, “What's wrong with calling Jesus the king? Well, there are three things in the Gospels that we identify with kingship. Kings have power; kings have wealth; kings lorded over others. Kings use force and killing to get their way. With Jesus, none of these is true.”
Jesus washed his disciples' feet and said, “Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
When it came to wealth, Jesus pronounced blessings on the poor and “woes” upon the wealthy. Jesus told the rich young ruler who wanted eternal life, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When it came to power and authority Jesus, said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
When his disciples tried to defend him with physical force, Jesus told them to put down their weapons, saying “all who live by the sword will die by the sword.” He said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest. But my kingdom is from another place.”
Christians have forgotten what it means to be part of Jesus’ kingdom. We have fallen under the spell of worldly power, getting caught up in culture wars, national elections and power politics.
Christian nationalists are perhaps the worst offenders. The infamous Project 2025, a political initiative published by the Heritage Foundation, wants a Christian monarchical presidency. It seeks to establish a Christian kingdom by force, reap its worldly wealth, and protect it with military might. The teachings of Jesus are forgotten.
This spiritual amnesia also extends to Christians who oppose theocracy and Christian authoritarianism. We tend to use the same worldly weapons of power, wealth, and force. Because we believe our cause is just, we assume the end justifies the means. We fight fire with fire, force with force. The intentions may be good, but the results are mixed. This strategy may result in a temporarily more just nation. But such efforts advance only an earthly kingdom and not Christ’s eternal kingdom.
If we really believe Christ is our King, then we need to listen to him. The Sermon on the Mount contains his instructions concerning the Kingdom of God. The Beatitudes name our champions. They are not billionaires or celebrities, generals or politicians. They are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted.
Our marching orders? Not an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth. Not lawfare or warfare. Instead we are told to resist not evil, turn the other cheek, go the second mile, give to those who ask. If taken to court, we are told to give more than we are asked. Jesus instructs us not to hate our enemies, but to love them and pray for them. Strategies like this will not win elections or social campaigns, but they will advance the Kingdom of God.
Our mission according to Jesus is not to form a “more perfect union” on this continent, but to realize our perfect union with God and Christ. That is what Jesus prayed for us on the night of his arrest. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said the goal is to “be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
This is the spiritual Kingship of Jesus. This is a call to radical discipleship. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, let us remember who he was, who we are, and what it means to call Jesus Lord and King.
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