John Chapter 19 verses 14-15 (NIV)
It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
Pilate, during his conversations with Jesus, wavered. Deep down, I think he knew the truth; He believed that Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews, but he was too worried about keeping order than being brave and standing by his convictions.
The religious leaders, however, were quite clear when they said, “we have no king but Caesar.” Except I don’t think that was true either. I think they had no king but themselves. Everything they were doing was to achieve their own ends. They had stopped regarding God as their King, in spite of what they said.
God had never wanted Israel to have a king like other countries. He wanted Israel to be different. But they wanted a king, and so began their on /off relationship with God. Although, by this point they had no monarch reigning over them, it is clear that the religious authorities regarded themselves in charge of their people. They were behaving like absolute monarchs.
We see a lot in the current world climate, particularly in the US about “No Kings” protests, although since King Charles ascended to the throne in the UK, as our constitutional monarch we have seen more visable “Not my king” protests. However, I think that in many lives we can behave like absolute monarchs. We want to do what’s right in our own eyes. Never mind anyone else. How often do we look after number one? But we must and should give God the right to rule and reign over our lives, and we must ensure we give Jesus His rightful place as King of kings and Lord of Lords. Far from making our lives more difficult, if we do so, life will be for us as it is supposed to be, as God intended. We should remember that the next time we are tempted to judge the religious leaders of Jesus’ time.
Dear Lord,
You are a merciful and righteous God who is worthy of our praise. There is none better to reign over us with justice and mercy. Help me always to seek first the Kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of me. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.