the King

From what I’ve gleaned of the Gospel story

As an American, it’s hard to really comprehend or relate to a monarchy or kingship. Historically, a king was considered to be chosen of God or a god himself. Because of this “divine right,” a king’s subjects were truly loyal. They had (for the most part) a sense of love, fear, commitment, submission, and reverence for the king. I haven’t found this in our culture. (I’m not sure if it could be found in a democracy or a republic.) This lack of experience or knowledge often challenges me in my approach to God, and I see the same struggle in other seekers. It seems like people are shopping for a god with the right credentials. But who are we to create such a standard? What if the true God doesn’t meet our personal check lists? Would we ever find Him? I think some of us would, those of us who could submit our authority.

I feel this way because God did something amazing in Jesus. The Most High King took the place of the most humble subject, becoming a child of a poor Jewish couple. He lived life in such away that He could relate to His people, even the outcasts, and at the same time show us how to live with love towards one another and without the fears that poverty, dictatorship, and ostracism impose. This King also paid for the crimes His people made against Him (mostly the crime of disloyalty). He took what should have been our punishment, dieing the most shameful death of that age… being innocent and a King. Why? Why would He get to know us, help us to live a better life, and then take the blame for our hang-ups when we’ve rejected Him? For God so loved the world, that He jumped in front of a bullet to save us. The thing is, our God seeks us. And not because we’re so amazing, but because He is. I’m not a parent (yet), but I understand the desire to have children, and I can understand the desire to take a bullet for them, even if they rejected me.

John 3:16