“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy1:17
In the eyes of the Israelite people, there has perhaps never been a greater king than David. We catch a glimpse of this when by the desperate cry of blind Bartimaeus, a singular, obscure person of history, he cries out to Jesus who was passing in the midst of a crowd. There were many people of great need who accompanied Jesus that day, but there was only one Bartimaeus, who defied the will of the crowd to silence him. What was it that drove this blind beggar to cry all the more to Jesus? What was it about the content of his cry, his words, that give us a glimpse of something that would go back about a thousand years? The gospel according to Mark tells us that, Bartimaeus “…began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.'” (10:47) What was it in that declaration that not only moved the Lord Jesus to stand still, commanding that Bartimaeus be called to come to Him? It was not only the cry of one who was desperately in need from a physical standpoint, but one who recognized Him for who He was, in the lineage of David the great king, yet One who possessed also the power and authority of the King. Bartimaeus knew that if Jesus spoke the word, he would be healed, because Christ was the King, in the lineage of David, of whom the prophets in the Old Testament had spoken.
There would come another day, very soon before Christ would be arrested, tried, and crucified, that He would enter Jerusalem in a very particular manner. In the book of Zechariah, written about five hundred years before, the following: “Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (9:9) The Lord Jesus had come into the world, clothed in humility, born in a manager. Now He comes towards the end of His ministry as the fulfillment of prophesy. Central to that prophesy is the fact that He IS the King, howbeit still presented to mankind as “meek and lowly of heart.”
Soon after this, after being apprehended by the Romans, Jesus would be standing before Pilate, the Roman official who had the power to have Jesus killed, or kept alive. Pilate asked Him the question, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus responded very clearly to this question by telling Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36) Jesus would then add, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness of the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Jn. 18:37) It would be Pilate, who after sentencing Christ to be crucified, who would order that a title should be put on Christ’s cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” And so, the earthly ministry and work of the Christ, who was declared to be King by his life and ministry, and by the testimony of those who were saved, and healed by His gracious, and powerful words, would seemingly come to an end, because He died. But that would not be the case, for this One who came to us in humility, would rise from the dead in glory. Though Jesus was sinless when He died, His body having ceased to live, it would be raised on the third day without corruption, by the power of God. The KING had been raised from the dead.
There is coming a day when this risen King is coming back to earth, from being at the right hand of the Father. He will be declared to be: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev. 19:16) On that day He will come as Conqueror of all that opposes Him, establishing His glorious kingdom.
Dear Father, Rule over us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.