Our King Stayed and Our King Comes
Read: Luke 22:63-23:16
63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him. 66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.” 23 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” 6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. 13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 I will therefore punish and release him.”
I was reading this week and came across these words, “ Kings receive people…King Jesus comes…This King leaves the palace” to find you. This King. Our King.
Imagine this contrast between kings. An earthly king on his earthly throne allows you to come into their presence for maybe a few minutes in order to appease you or be rid of you. Our King descends from His heavenly throne, walking out of His courts and stepping into our streets, searching for, looking for, and seeking out the lost souls He desires to heal, save, love, and comfort. This King, our King, is so full of love and compassion that He can’t help but come to seek those whom He loves as well as those who need His love.
In our passage this week, this same King of ours was being led from court to court, humiliated, dehumanized, and unjustly accused. He was beaten, manhandled, and restrained by the hands of men He came to save. It should sit wrong in our minds. It should feel discombobulating. Head shaking. In our minds, this isn’t how our King should be treated.
None of us, if we had the ability to free ourselves from this situation, would be willing to stay put. But He did. Our King stayed.
The King who calmed the sea let the men around Him roar.
The King who healed the blind is now being blindfolded and mocked by men.
The King who healed numerous ailments allowed His own body to be broken.
The King who answered the questions of the Pharisees and let them walk away in defeat now stays quiet and lets His accusers speak.
He stays put. He stays quiet. This King of ours has such a love for us that it goes against all self preservation that we would hold on to.
Our King is being bounced from court to court. Being passed from government and temple authority again and again. His disciples and followers were afraid to speak up. His accusers were afraid to stay quiet.
And our King stayed. He stayed for you and me. He stayed for the souls of so many. He stayed to bring the church to life. He stayed to show the world that His Father is good and kind and will go to great lengths in bidding His children to come.
At any moment He could have called it done, walked away, and changed the course of what was happening. But He stayed.
Why does His staying resonate so loudly in me today? Because He had the power to walk away, and He didn’t. He could have said, “ I don’t want to do this.” He could have also said that these people aren’t worth it, but that isn’t our King. Our King comes. He seeks us out. He finds us broken in the streets and binds us back together. He seeks the eyes of Peter who betrays Him. He enters the room of His disciples to show them He lives—the very disciples who abandoned Him at His time of need. He comes to friends who are walking on the road to teach and encourage them. He is Our King who comes, and that is a praiseworthy thought today and everyday.
