Consider The True Glory Of Our King!

“Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” All four of the Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell us about the written notice of the charge against Jesus—and for which Pontius Pilate crucified him. It’s a small but important detail from the Friday that we call good. Does anyone recall the additional information about the sign that only John gives us in his Gospel? He tells us that the sign fastened to the cross above Jesus was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. Why is that significant? Yes, Pilate wanted everyone to know why he condemned Jesus to death. But knowing the back story of those three languages also helps us to understand how the people who read the sign likely reacted to it.

Aramaic is dialect (or a variation of Hebrew) that only the Jews spoke. It represented their identity as a people and to a certain extent their religion. Latin was the language of the mighty Roman Empire. It was by their authority that Jesus was crucified. And at that time in history they ruled over a large slice of the world. Greek was the language of commerce, entertainment, and philosophy.

Perhaps we can use those three languages to illustrate what the people who read them might have thought of the guy crucified under that written notice. Those who spoke Aramaic (again, primarily the Jews) had rejected Jesus as their King—and therefore as their Messiah. In fact, remember that John tells us in his Gospel that the chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate about the sign. They said, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” The Latin speakers would have gotten a good laugh over the idea of Jesus being a king. He had no kingdom and no army—and from what we know of Roman crucifixion he didn’t even have any clothes! And finally, the people of the world that spoke Greek would have judged Jesus to be a fake, a failure, and a fool.

I think you would agree that the ideas about Jesus haven’t changed much in 2000 years. Many still reject him as their King for those same reasons. And even among some of those who claim to be his followers there are those who try to change him into a king of their choosing. The governments and authorities of the world still view him as the Romans did. He appears to be weak and irrelevant. And finally, most of the people in the world still view “the king of the Jews” either with scorn, humor, or pity.

So, what about us? On this Christ the King Sunday what do we make of the charges posted above Jesus? Has the thinking of those who read the notice whether in Aramaic, Latin, or Greek invaded our hearts? Let’s use our Second Lesson for today from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians as an invitation to:

“CONSIDER THE TRUE GLORY OF OUR KING!”

I. King of Creation – (vv. 15-16a)

II. King of the Nations – (vv. 16b-17)

II. King of Salvation – (vv. 13-14, 18-20)

From what we can piece together, false teachers had been leading the Christians in the city of Colossae away from the true Christian faith as they had learned it from Paul and other Apostles. To put it bluntly the Colossians had become confused about how they were saved. False teachers were insisting that what Jesus did was not enough to save a person. They said that a person also needed to keep the Old Testament laws of the Jews. Some added the idea of “special wisdom” that was needed to be saved. The Apostle Paul directed the Colossians back to the basics of the Christian faith. He reviewed the undeserved love that God showed the world by sending his Son as the substitute for sinners. He again declared that those who put their faith in Jesus receive the benefit of his sinless life and sacrificial death.

I.

Before we look at what Jesus did to save us let’s consider the true glory our Savior shows as the King of creation. Start with verses 15-16 of Colossians Chapter 1. “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…” That’s a big contrast to the Jesus we saw in our Gospel Lesson for today! But here we are reminded that one on the cross created the metal in the nails that held him in place. It was his Word that had called into existence the tree that had been made into his cross. Those soldiers that crucified him. He made them and gave them their body and soul. The people who shouted, “Crucify him!” Jesus gave them the ability to speak. These facts defy our understanding. But that is the true glory of our king—Jesus is the King of Creation!