Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:9-10)
How does one honour Jesus of Nazareth as King or, Lord?
Living in the individualistic, consummerist, capitalist culture of North America, such titles sound foreign. The stuff of books and movies.
And yet, what better title is there? Jesus has done for us, in our place, and on our behalf what we could never do for ourselves. By his sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus has assured us of reconciliation with our heavenly Father and eternal life in his company.
So then, how do we honour him as king?
By testifying to the presence of his kingdom, of his way of doing life in our present reality.
When the king confronted his earthly and spiritual enemies in his last pre-resurrection week, he did so without violence on his part. He did so by accepting his role in God’s plan of redemption and trusting the Father to uphold him through his coming trials and bring him to new life at the other end.
Jesus, the King, commands peace by first cutting off the war-horses and chariots and battle bows.
What are the weapons of war with which you arm yourself? What are your embedded defenses? Hostility? Ridicule? Annoyance? Withdrawl? Sarcasm? Will you trust the King to protect your life, your ego, your mental health without raising arms against others?
Will you proclaim Jesus as King and honour him in gratitude by throwing away your battle bows, your war-horses, your chariots?