Why would anyone want a King anyway?
In our last 100 Fold Backyard Conversation we opened up all kinds of questions and problems when it comes to Jesus’ title of “King.”
Here in the 21st century United States, we don’t have such a positive regard for monarchies and kings. The USA made our name, so to speak, by doing away with our relationship with the 18th century British monarchy and establishing our Republic governance. But here is the point: up until that event we call the Revolutionary War, all we really had was kings and kingdoms. Even the Ancient Roman experiment with their Senate rule was short lived until it de-evolved once again into a monarchy of Kings they called Caesars.
Usually, Kings held their authority through force. It was the biggest and baddest who held onto their power. In the near east alone, the Sumerians gave way to the Assyrians, who gave way to the Babylonians, who gave way to the Egyptians and Persians, who gave way to the Greeks who gave way to the Romans – who eventually gave way to the Barbarians. Bigger, badder kings enforcing their rule. And that is hardly only a Middle East reality. Tribes and kingdoms across Asia, Africa, Europe, Russia, South and Central America and native North America have been running things politically in roughly the same manner since the beginning of human history.
So why would anybody want a King for goodness’s sake?
It was the ancient Greek Plato (about 375 BC) in his Republic who first floated the idea of the Philosopher King almost 2500 years ago. His idea was that a benevolent dictator could serve as the ideal governance model for humanity. Plato, using the literary voice of Socrates, put it this way:
I actually think Plato was onto something here. A benevolent, just, powerful King – great idea. Still, while I get it that he is understandably biased about ‘philosophers’ the problem is Plato can’t see the obvious fly in the ointment in this idea. It has been proven over and over throughout history that there never has been or currently exists one who is truly powerful enough and benevolent enough to reign as King, even for a little while.
Until, that is, the advent of Jesus Christ, the Savior-King!
And this is what makes the Gospel of the Kingdom of God such good news!
Let’s linger over this subject for just a bit longer. Why would anyone want a king?? Why does humanity tend toward kings? When Jesus refers to us as sheep, the analogy is actually pretty good. We tend to follow a voice, and it doesn’t have to be a true or even good voice. We can follow people who make outrageous claims. Some cult leaders, with great charisma and persuasive skills, have inspired participation in horrific acts. I’m thinking of Jim Jones, the leader of the 1970’s People Temple who led his followers to Guyana, where over 900 followers took their own lives in obedience to Jones’ commands.
And in 1997, Marshall Applegate and this followers, called Heaven’s Gate, became convinced that an alien spacecraft was on its way to earth, hidden from human detection behind the Hale-Bopp comet. As the comet approached, Applewhite and 38 of his followers drank a lethal mixture of phenobarbital and vodka and then lay down to die, hoping to leave their bodily containers, enter the alien spacecraft, and pass through Heaven’s Gate into a higher existence.
Really??!?
There is actually quite a list of domineering world leaders who have convinced millions of their “Truth” such that horrific wars are engineered. We see it happening before our eyes in the Ukraine as we read this.
There is something about humanity that wants the easy path. That makes us willing to submit to ludicrous claims just so our lives might be modestly easier. We claim we want freedom, but all too often we are willing to lay down our common sense and our freedoms to someone who will make promises that no truly thinking person would embrace.
It happens all the time.
In closing, here is my opinion on the matter. God designed us to be image-bearers of Himself (Genesis 2). We are designed to yield to His Rule and Reign. We are most happy, satisfied and complete when we are in a righteous and obedient relationship with the King Jesus. But without Him as Lord of our lives, this yearning to be led, like a sheep by a shepherd, will be manifest through worldly, false leaders. And it will be to our deep grief and loss to follow these hollow figures.
Our King rules with absolute power and unparalleled goodness. He is perfectly just and deeply compassionate. He has invited us out of this fallen world with its passing pleasures and corrupt values into the marvelous light of His Kingdom! When we truly understand this doctrine of the Kingdom of God and His ultimate authority over all things, our lives take on fresh meaning. There is the promise of a one-hundred-fold blessing if we choose to lay claim to it!
Here in the 21st century United States, we don’t have such a positive regard for monarchies and kings. The USA made our name, so to speak, by doing away with our relationship with the 18th century British monarchy and establishing our Republic governance. But here is the point: up until that event we call the Revolutionary War, all we really had was kings and kingdoms. Even the Ancient Roman experiment with their Senate rule was short lived until it de-evolved once again into a monarchy of Kings they called Caesars.
Usually, Kings held their authority through force. It was the biggest and baddest who held onto their power. In the near east alone, the Sumerians gave way to the Assyrians, who gave way to the Babylonians, who gave way to the Egyptians and Persians, who gave way to the Greeks who gave way to the Romans – who eventually gave way to the Barbarians. Bigger, badder kings enforcing their rule. And that is hardly only a Middle East reality. Tribes and kingdoms across Asia, Africa, Europe, Russia, South and Central America and native North America have been running things politically in roughly the same manner since the beginning of human history.
So why would anybody want a King for goodness’s sake?
It was the ancient Greek Plato (about 375 BC) in his Republic who first floated the idea of the Philosopher King almost 2500 years ago. His idea was that a benevolent dictator could serve as the ideal governance model for humanity. Plato, using the literary voice of Socrates, put it this way:
-
“Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy … cities will never have rest from their evils, —no, nor the human race, as I believe, —and then only will this our State have a possibility of life and behold the light of day.” (Republic473; Jowett 1991, p. 203)
I actually think Plato was onto something here. A benevolent, just, powerful King – great idea. Still, while I get it that he is understandably biased about ‘philosophers’ the problem is Plato can’t see the obvious fly in the ointment in this idea. It has been proven over and over throughout history that there never has been or currently exists one who is truly powerful enough and benevolent enough to reign as King, even for a little while.
Until, that is, the advent of Jesus Christ, the Savior-King!
And this is what makes the Gospel of the Kingdom of God such good news!
Let’s linger over this subject for just a bit longer. Why would anyone want a king?? Why does humanity tend toward kings? When Jesus refers to us as sheep, the analogy is actually pretty good. We tend to follow a voice, and it doesn’t have to be a true or even good voice. We can follow people who make outrageous claims. Some cult leaders, with great charisma and persuasive skills, have inspired participation in horrific acts. I’m thinking of Jim Jones, the leader of the 1970’s People Temple who led his followers to Guyana, where over 900 followers took their own lives in obedience to Jones’ commands.
And in 1997, Marshall Applegate and this followers, called Heaven’s Gate, became convinced that an alien spacecraft was on its way to earth, hidden from human detection behind the Hale-Bopp comet. As the comet approached, Applewhite and 38 of his followers drank a lethal mixture of phenobarbital and vodka and then lay down to die, hoping to leave their bodily containers, enter the alien spacecraft, and pass through Heaven’s Gate into a higher existence.
Really??!?
There is actually quite a list of domineering world leaders who have convinced millions of their “Truth” such that horrific wars are engineered. We see it happening before our eyes in the Ukraine as we read this.
There is something about humanity that wants the easy path. That makes us willing to submit to ludicrous claims just so our lives might be modestly easier. We claim we want freedom, but all too often we are willing to lay down our common sense and our freedoms to someone who will make promises that no truly thinking person would embrace.
It happens all the time.
In closing, here is my opinion on the matter. God designed us to be image-bearers of Himself (Genesis 2). We are designed to yield to His Rule and Reign. We are most happy, satisfied and complete when we are in a righteous and obedient relationship with the King Jesus. But without Him as Lord of our lives, this yearning to be led, like a sheep by a shepherd, will be manifest through worldly, false leaders. And it will be to our deep grief and loss to follow these hollow figures.
Our King rules with absolute power and unparalleled goodness. He is perfectly just and deeply compassionate. He has invited us out of this fallen world with its passing pleasures and corrupt values into the marvelous light of His Kingdom! When we truly understand this doctrine of the Kingdom of God and His ultimate authority over all things, our lives take on fresh meaning. There is the promise of a one-hundred-fold blessing if we choose to lay claim to it!