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The great Kings and Queens of our past rarely got their hands dirty. They commanded obedience and loyalty from their subjects but most of them had no idea what it was like to live outside their castle grounds. Unfortunately, this overwhelming lack of awareness often led to rebellion and the downfall of their monarchies. The truth is, we don’t like submitting to anyone who's never walked a day in our shoes. If you want true Kingship, don’t separate yourself from your subjects, instead submerse yourself in their cares so you can lead them better.

As we see throughout scripture, the Lordship of Jesus is different. He is the King of Kings and I for one am thankful he doesn’t operate the same way as the Kings of this world. So how did a perfect God who could command our submission, win it instead? By becoming like us!

Hebrews 2:14-18 says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Christ didn’t simply sit on a throne and enforce our allegiance through power. He won our hearts by standing in our place. Not only did he face our same temptation but also our same death. Jesus isn’t King for his own pleasure but for the sake of his people whom he serves as High Priest. He is the only King who in mercy, sought to understand our suffering and die for the sake of our atonement.