In May last year King Charles III was crowned as the head of state of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms in Westminster Abbey, London. Leading up to his coronation, and during the time since then, people have asked what kind of king will Charles be? Will he be a good king or a bad king? Will he rule in a way that brings peace and prosperity to his kingdom, or will he lead his people in ways that will result in conflict or war?
A lot of Australians believe Charles shouldn’t be the king of our nation. While some Australians love the monarchy, others see kings and queens, as well as others in authority, as being more concerned about their own power, wealth, and control than the good of the people over whom they rule. Some historians and social commentators see this as the result the convict settlements which were established in Australia during the late 1700s and early 1800s. For a range of reasons, a lot of Australians see kings as bad and would prefer to be a nation without a king.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem at the start of the week before his suffering, death, and resurrection, the people welcomed him as king. When we read the story in Mark 11:1-11, there are several indicators which tell us that the crowd acknowledged him as their king. When they shouted, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,’ they were quoting an Old Testament Psalm which pointed to a king who would bring God’s saving help. Identifying Jesus as the son of David connected him with one of Israel’s greatest kings and prophecies around a descendant of David who would restore the ancient kingdom of Israel as a world power. Riding into the capital of Jerusalem on a donkey also indicated to the crowd that Jesus was royalty. When kings entered the capital of a nation on a war horse it meant they came to fight. When they came on a donkey, they came to bring peace. This was a symbol to the crowd that Jesus came as their king.
Rather than dismiss Jesus as King because we are suspicious of people in authority, it is important that we ask what kind of king Jesus is, just like a lot of people asked what kind of King Charles III will be. Not all kings are bad. Instead, there have been plenty of kings throughout history who have used their authority for the benefit of their people and not themselves. Rather than just writing off Jesus as a king by assuming he was all about power and control, it is good for us to listen to the stories of Jesus with an open mind to explore what kind of king he was and still is.
As the events of the coming week unfolded, we see that Jesus is a king who comes to serve and bless, not to control or threaten. On Thursday evening we will gather in worship to hear the story of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. At this meal he washed the feet of his followers, just like the lowest household slave or servant. This shows us that Jesus is a king who serves us and makes us clean, not to bully us around.
At our Good Friday services, we will listen to the story of Jesus’ suffering and death. He could have raised up his followers and fought back against the people who were accusing him. Instead, he went to the cross, not because he had to but because he knew that was what it would take to redeem us, restore us, and rescue us from sin, death and the power of evil in our lives. On Good Friday, we see a king who loves each of us enough to die for us.
On Easter Sunday morning, we witness the power of this king. In the resurrection of Jesus, we see that this king even has power over death itself. Jesus didn’t use his power to boss people around or tell them what to do. He used his power to defeat our greatest enemy: death. Because his love for us is stronger than death, this king gives us freedom from death and a life that will last forever. Jesus’ resurrection shows us a king who uses his power to save us and give us life.
This is the king who invites us to be part of his kingdom through faith in him. He welcomes us into his kingdom of grace, peace, love, joy, and hope when we trust in him and live as his followers. Today as four young people confirm their faith, Jesus invites them to live as part of his kingdom, to learn a different way of life from him, and to receive the good things he wants to give them as his people. In the same way, as we welcome Jesus as our king through faith this Palm Sunday, he invites all of us into his kingdom of grace, peace, love, joy and hope, so we can find the blessings he offers us every day of our lives.
Time will tell what sort of king Charles III will be. We have the benefit of looking back to the events that followed Palm Sunday when the crowd welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem to see what kind of king he is. Jesus didn’t come to establish a rule of power and control for his own benefit. He came to serve us, to give his life for us, and to defeat our greatest enemy so we can live in his kingdom of grace, peace, hope, joy, and love, now and forever.
More to think about or discuss:
- What do you think a bad kind is like? What are some characteristics of a good king?
- What do the events of Holy Week, from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday through to his resurrection on Easter Sunday, say to you about the kind of king Jesus is?
- How can living with Jesus as our king make our lives different or better?
Pastor Eugene Online 
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