Traditionally, Americans are not the sort of people who like kings and queens. Our origin story is a story of resisting and rebelling against a cruel monarch; we declared independence from a king and his hated redcoats.
We may be fascinated by the British monarchy now, but only because we have long forgotten our revolutionary past — and we love our reality-TV soapy drama.
We generally don’t like the idea of a single figurehead who makes decisions for us or tells us what to do. Nor do we enjoy the pomp and circumstance of great shows of ostentatious wealth and power.
Until now apparently.
Trump loves the trappings of kingship, even if he cannot get away with calling himself one. His administration trolled the general public a few weeks ago by tweeting pictures of Trump with a crown, proclaiming him “King.” Though they were not being serious, they were also testing a narrative about Trump that is dangerous and antithetical to the American political project.
Enough has already been written about the way in which Trump seeks to expand executive power while trampling on the powers of Congress and the judiciary. There is a legitimate concern about the way in which Trump and his cronies are threatening the structure of the Constitution.
However, there appears to be a creeping comfort growing around the idea of a single person who could accumulate enough power and control to actually make government work for a majority of people. If this single person were sufficiently intelligent, wise, compassionate, strong and capable, then who wouldn’t want a person like that to be the one making national decisions? Who wouldn’t be willing to cede a few personal liberties for the sake of a stable paycheck, law and order in the streets, and a unified national vision?
Isn’t there something tempting about that? Even to those in the blue party?
Just imagine your own political, social, religious, and cultural opinions being simply imposed on people without their consent. You might even be able to justify it by telling yourself, “It’ll be uncomfortable at first, but eventually people will see that it’s to their benefit!”
But as soon as you start thinking like that, you have already succumbed to the great temptation of the would-be king. Because this kind of political power requires force and violence. Kings must impose their will, because institutions and people don’t always know what’s best for them.
Notably, Jesus resisted this temptation repeatedly throughout his life, beginning with his encounter with the devil. In the wilderness, the devil tried to entice Jesus to grasp political power three times, but Jesus steadily refused. Many times people called Jesus the Messiah, which is a title that referred to the popular Jewish expectation of a coming Warrior-King who would restore the Davidic monarchy, but Jesus kept telling them not to tell anyone this.
After feeding five thousand people on a hillside in Galilee, Jesus’ popularity was at a peak. But the gospel of John tells us, “When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”
Even at his trial, Jesus resisted the idea that he was a king, at least according to the traditional understanding of kingship. When Pilate asked him directly if he were the king of the Jews, he responded, “You’re the one calling me a king. I’m here to testify to the truth about things.”
Why did Jesus repeatedly refuse to claim the kingship which people seemed so willing to grant him? Why didn’t he accept the offer to take up power, end the oppression of the Roman Empire, and impose a benevolent rule on behalf of his compatriots? This is what everyone wanted!
Jesus said NO to being made king.
Why?
Here’s where things get confusing. Christians typically answer by saying something like, “Because that wasn’t the real reason Jesus came to earth. He came to die on the cross as an atonement for our sins, and to be raised up so that we can all believe in him and go to heaven when we die. He didn’t come to make things right on earth; he came to make our hearts right with God.” We have built our entire theology around this sort of answer. We have made Jesus into a heavenly King/Messiah whose real purpose is to save souls.
I say this explanation doesn’t come close to accurately portraying who Jesus was and is.
Jesus refused to become a king because he knew that force, imposition, and violence were incompatible with God’s will for humanity. He rejected the very idea of kingship, its tactics and measures.
Indeed, Jesus had a very real political agenda — he wanted to relieve the suffering of his people, end the occupation of the Romans, and expose the hypocrisy of the religious establishment. But he was not willing to use violence to reach these goals. He never forced or manipulated anyone to do anything they didn’t want to do, because that’s not what God does.
The way of Jesus is a call, not a command; an invitation, not an order; a gentle yoke, not a burden.
The way of Jesus is not force of arms, but compassion of heart; not harsh justice, but mercy; not chains and shackles, but freedom and liberty.
I know that the Apostle’s Creed we say today places Jesus on a throne in heaven “from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” But I don’t picture Jesus as a king, even in heaven.
The Jesus I know is someone who attained greatness by walking alongside the people counted the least in his society, who healed the sick and comforted the mourning, who urged others to do the same.
We don’t need Jesus to be a king — he didn’t take the title. And he would tell us that we don’t need one now either.
Say NO to kings.
MORNING PRAYER
God,
I don’t need a king,
I only need acknowledge your presence
which finds its home deep in my soul.
Jesus,
I don’t need a king,
I only need follow you into the world
to shine light in the darkness.
Spirit,
I don’t need a king,
I only need listen to your voice
which speaks wisdom to the foolish.
Three in One,
May I resist the allure of the attractive king,
the smart king,
the efficient king.
May I put my trust in
the divine Father,
the nonviolent Son,
and the Spirit of peace.
Amen.
“When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”
John 6:15
Absolutely No to Kings. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.