King of Kings and Lord of Lords

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Scripture

So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
(John 19:15 NASB)
Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
(John 20:18 NASB)

Observation

I was shocked at the brazen response of the chief priests when they replied, "We have no king but Caesar." At that moment, they were not only rejecting Jesus Christ, but they were rejecting God, the Father as well. Those words go far beyond the moment in which they were spoken. It reflects humanity which has rejected God and willing to compromise with the world around them for this didn't mean that Caesar was just their earthly king. In those days there existed the Cult of Emperor worship and the Emperor, himself was considered deified. To say that you have no king but Caesar, is to say that you have no god but Caesar. In those few words we find a complete and total rejection of their heavenly Father.

Just a chapter later we find a very simple, and yet profound statement by Mary Magdalene. When she says, "I have seen the Lord," she is declaring that yes, she has seen Jesus, but in direct contrast to the chief priests, this statement declares His Kingship! Jesus is Lord! He is the Messiah. He is God. He is our Saviour. Mary had beautiful simple faith and she was willing to declare what she believed.

Application

It's Christmas Eve and tonight we will go to church and worship the true King. If we were to be honest we might admit that there are times when we can sink to the behavior of the chief priests. Their lives were based on human success and survival. To do that they were willing to compromise what should have been the most basic and foundational of their beliefs. God was their King! Even if they rejected Jesus, they should still have acknowledged their heavenly Father but they caved and lost their souls in the process.

When you have the chance -- what will you declare? Is Jesus King of Kings and Lord of Lords? This is truly what we celebrate this Christmas season. He came, He was and is the King, He will forever be our Messiah -- and the world will never be the same.

Prayer

Lord, may I be willing to declare You as my Lord to the world around me. You are my King! Amen.

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