The Kingdom | Week Three

When a certain kind of king reigns, certain kinds of things happen. 

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”  Matthew 2:2

“Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him. Jesus answered, “You say so.”  Matthew 27:11

An inscription was above him: This Is the King of the Jews.  Luke 23:38 

And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Revelation 19:16 

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”  Mark 1:15 

“All the preliminaries have been taken care of, and the rule of God is now accessible to everyone. Review your plans for living and base your life on this remarkable new opportunity.   (Dallas Willard, “The Divine Conspiracy”) 

What kind of King is Jesus?

He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:

Luke 4:16-17

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  Luke 4:18-19

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”  Luke 4:20-21

He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick. Matthew 12:18, 20 

Is there anything more “good” than for a King to set people free?

Is Jesus your King?