Notice that almost everyone in Matthew 27 who faces up to Jesus’ claim as king decides against him. They decide that he’s not the king. And they don’t just decide this casually, they decide this violently. Why the violence? Why the mocking? Because they know that Jesus is a threat.
Why did the priests and the elders and the religious people plot to kill Jesus? They plotted to kill him because he was a threat. He was a threat to their political and religious system; he was a threat to their control of society. Why did Pilate assent to the death of Jesus even though it says that he was convinced of his innocence? Because Jesus was a threat to his comfort and control.
Why is everyone mocking Jesus? They aren’t mocking him for his teachings; they aren’t mocking him for the Sermon on the Mount; they are mocking him for who he claimed to be. They are mocking him because he is claiming to be a king.
If Jesus merely said, “I’m a teacher pointing the way to God,” then you could say, “O.k., you have some good things to say about God, that’s nice, I’ll integrate some of that into my life.” But if Jesus says, “I’m the king,” then you can’t say, “that’s nice.” If Jesus is really the king who comes to restore and redeem the world, then that forces us into an all-or-nothing decision. You can’t be wishy-washy about Jesus. You either say, “Command me Lord!” or “Who do you think you are telling me what to do?!”
You have not come into contact with the real Jesus, unless you have been confronted with the magnitude of what Jesus is claiming. If you have been confronted with the real Jesus, then it is impossible to merely “like” him.
Lord, I submit my life to you today. You are not my personal assistant. You are my king. Amen.
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