Understanding the Kingdom of GodSample

The King’s Enthronement

All of us strive to achieve success. We want to reach great heights in our careers and personal life. We want to live a life of victory. But what does true victory look like? For that, we need to look at the story of the Cross of Jesus.

Crucifixion was an extremely cruel method of execution. The Romans reserved crucifixion for the worst of criminals and insurrectionists. It functioned as propaganda whereby the emperor would assert his dominance and control over vast amounts of people groups. Crucifixions were done in public for everyone to see. It communicated to everyone that this would happen to them if they tried to revolt against Caesar and his empire. It was a place of ultimate shame and defeat—no one associated crucifixion with victory or success.

At the Cross, the Gospel authors cry “Victory!” the loudest. Quite shockingly, the crucifixion is where Jesus is enthroned as the victorious King. From the perspective of Jesus’ opponents, He was utterly defeated. They clothed Him with a king’s robe, gave Him a crown of thorns and a reed for a scepter, and bowed down before Him, saying: “Hail, King of the Jews!” This was all just sadistic mockery, but the Gospel authors tell us that it is precisely in Jesus’ public humiliation that He is crowned as the true King. He is lifted from the earth and receives the royal epithet, “King of the Jews,” above His head.

To be truly victorious, a king must conquer his enemies. A king is only truly enthroned once his enemies are subjugated under his feet. But who were Jesus’ enemies? Was it the Jewish leaders? No. Was it the Romans? Also no.

Behind the Jewish leaders and the oppressive Romans stood the powers of evil that had ruled over humanity since the Fall. NT Wright, a prominent New Testament scholar, would often say that it is as if all the powers of sin and evil were lured onto the Cross for Jesus to defeat all of them. The great “sea monster” was crushed. We are redeemed! Our sins are forgiven! God has returned to Zion to reign over all nations. His reign, however, is not by violence or tyranny but by an undying love for humanity. That is why, out of all people, a Roman centurion who helped crucify Jesus could exclaim: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54, ESV).

Take a few minutes to worship Jesus as the victorious King who conquered sin, evil, and death on our behalf.