What Kind of King Is Christ?

What Comes to Mind When You Hear "King"?

Today is Christ the King Sunday, a day where we remember and celebrate that Christ is king — and we get to think about what that means. What kind of king is Christ?

When I think about the word king, certain images come into my mind. I wonder what you think of when you hear the word. I picture an old white man dressed in a long red velvet gown with a gold crown on his head and maybe a golden scepter in his hand, standing very tall and proud, quietly looking down his nose at all the little ordinary people.

I think of people in power. People who can tell other people what to do, and no one questions them. Someone who became a king because maybe their dad was the king or their mum was the queen — and one of their parents before them, and their parents before them. Someone who has been given a role as a birthright, not necessarily because they've earned it or deserve it.

I also think of playing as a kid, climbing up onto the top of the equipment in the playground, getting to the top and saying, "I'm the king of the castle. You are the dirty rascal."

Is This the Kind of King Jesus Is?

When I think of earthly kings, I don't really think about the qualities that I see in the person of Jesus.

Jesus was kind and loving. Jesus didn't try to be the loudest or the most loved and adored, the centre of attention. Jesus didn't command people what to do and punish them when they didn't follow his rules exactly as he told them to. Jesus brought good things — healing, kindness, forgiveness, grace.

So why then would we think of Jesus as a king?

A Different Kind of Power

Jesus shows us what power could be, what leadership could look like at its best. Our earthly kings and leaders and presidents and rulers fall really short of the kind of king Jesus is.

I don't want to worship and follow someone who climbs to the top of the mountain and looks down at all the little people in the dirt with an attitude of, "I'm the king of the castle, and you are the dirty rascal."

I want to follow and worship someone who comes down in the dirt with us, who looks at us and sees us and loves us. Who says, "I made you just as you are, and I love you just as you are."

This Is Our King

This is the kind of king Jesus is. This is our Christ, and this is the one I want to follow and worship.

What about you?