Anticipating a King

“So do you want to watch me pull a rabbit out of this hat?”

I’ve always been fascinated by the magician. The tricks of a good illusionist sometimes befuddle my mind. I know that what I saw isn’t what really happened; if I knew the secret then I would see what really happens. Yes, the hand really is quicker than the eye.

Jesus was not a magician; He was a miracle worker. Jesus did not create an illusion. Jesus changed reality. The blind could suddenly see, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk. Jesus even raised the dead! But Jesus’ wonders were not limited to just curing the sick. Jesus defied the laws of nature. He walked on water, calmed the sea, and even fed thousands from a little boy’s lunch. Was there anything Jesus could not do?

Jesus was going to Jerusalem and stopped in Jericho at the home of Zacchaeus. The anticipation of the crowd was intense. What would Jesus do when He got to Jerusalem? Surely now was the time for Jesus to establish the Kingdom.

• [11] While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. [12] He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.”
  Luke 19:11-12 (NIV)

Now stop and read what Jesus said again with the anticipation that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem where He will cause the Kingdom to be miraculously established. The last thing you would expect Jesus to say is that a nobleman had to travel to a distant country to be made king. Jesus doesn’t need to go to Rome or any other distant place to become Israel’s king. This will all happen in Jerusalem right?

Things certainly did not turn out like the people, and even the disciples expected them to in Jerusalem. Instead of the miraculous appearance of the Kingdom Jesus was betrayed, falsely convicted and crucified.

But we know the story doesn’t end there. Jesus was raised from the dead and after 40 days of being with His disciples Jesus ascended into heaven. I think heaven would qualify as “a distant country.” Peter would later tell the crowd gathered in Jerusalem that “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:26).

Jesus has been exalted as King of kings and Lord of lords. He is seated upon His throne in heaven. But one day, just as Jesus said, He will return. What do you think?