Article Two: Who Is Your King?

Before the young nation of Israel had kings, they had judges who administered over them during a long period of time.  Gideon was a man used by God in this capacity.  

The Israelites, desperate for long term stable leadership, said to Gideon, "Rule over us - you, your son, and your grandson-because you have saved us from the hand of Midian." (Judges 8: 22)

But, Gideon, in his wisdom replied, " I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you.  The LORD will rule over you." (Judges 8:23)

We should all accept the Lord's rule over us.


In Luke 23:3, Pilate asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews. Jesus acknowledged it by replying, “Yes, it is as you say." 

John 18:36-37 describes the conversation between Pilate and Jesus this way:

“Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.’

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’"

Pilate then paraded Jesus before the people, calling Him the “King of the Jews”. This irritated and enraged the chief priests, who cried back, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). The chief priests and the people of Jerusalem cried, “Crucify Him!” Thus, they denied the kingship of God Himself and chose to bow at the feet of Caesar instead.

Now, the chief priests should have known better since Isaiah 33:22 reads:

"For the LORD is our judge,

the LORD is our lawgiver,

the LORD is our king;

it is he who will save us.”

“We have no king but Caesar.” became the statement that sealed their fate. In rejecting Christ, they ended up endorsing their captors…the ones who were enslaving them, and who would later destroy the city of Jerusalem. Keep in mind they did not know who Jesus was, but Jesus knew who He was…the King over every king.

Will we reject Him if we are faced with the choice of allegiance to a national or world leader or Jesus Christ?

Rejecting Jesus Christ as King holds dire consequences. In Luke 9:26, Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” No earthly king can make such a statement.

Revelations 19:11-20 shows the complete victory King Jesus will have when He returns. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords will triumph over the kings of the earth. There is no king on earth, neither will there ever be, who is worthy of the honor and the glory and the praise and the acknowledgment that Jesus Christ deserves.

So, the question is, who is your king? Is it Caesar or is it Jesus Christ?