The King Is in the Building
Dan Kunz
From time to time, I mention my personal Bible study as I write these blogs. For the past several weeks I’ve been studying the book of Revelation. Many people tend to shy away from it because of the amount of figurative language. It can be overwhelming, especially when so many theologians propose different interpretations of all those images. I find that the People’s Bible commentary, by Pastor Wayne Mueller is incredibly helpful. Remember the importance of “letting Scripture interpret Scripture”? Fortunately, our church body adheres fervently to that principle. It helps tremendously in avoiding interpretations, especially in Revelation, which seem to come from out of nowhere. That all being said, I’m not sure it is of utmost importance to understand every single aspect of John’s visions. Even with all the figurative language, enough is written in very plain English to paint very vivid pictures of heaven, hell, and the battle between good and evil.
A number of times in Revelation, Jesus is pictured not as a king, but The King. This weekend we will be celebrating Palm Sunday. As Jesus entered Jerusalem that day, he was given many of the accolades and deference which a king would have received at that point in history, the palm leaves, the hosanas, etc. Of course, it’s also true that many aspects of his entrance were not very “king-like”, the donkey, the plain clothing, etc.. Through all that, Jesus showed his humility and his focus on the job to be done – suffering and dying for the sins of mankind. To the casual observer, Jesus would probably not be mistaken for a king, much less The King. John’s visions of Jesus in the book of Revelation give us a very different picture.
Revelation 19:11, 13, 16 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. …his name is the Word of God. …On his robe and on his thigh he has written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now that’s a king! Not just a king, but The King. Not just The King, but our King! The humble Jesus entering Jerusalem over two thousand years ago will once again enter Jerusalem, not the old Jerusalem, but the new Jerusalem, the one created for God’s people. He will enter as a conquering hero on the Last Day and we, you and I, will be there, not only to see it, but to be part of it! Because he defeated sin, death, and the Devil for us, we will be part of the victory celebration. Words can’t really describe the wonder and the awe of it.
At one time or another some of you may have had a “brush with greatness” or at least a brush with a celebrity or well-known or important person. My guest is that you were somewhat giddy about it for a time, maybe telling friends and relatives about your experience. It’s happened to me on a few occasions, and to be honest, it was exciting for a while, but the excitement eventually waned. That’s the incredible thing about being in the presence of The King in his heavenly kingdom – it will not be momentary, and it will not end! We will celebrate with him for eternity and every day will be better than the day before. Not only will The King be in the building, but we will be in it with him. Who knows, maybe he’ll even give us a ride on his horse! Have a blessed Palm Sunday!