King of Kings and Lord of Lords

“On His robe and on His thigh he has this name written:

king of kings and Lord of lords.”

Revelation 19:16

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” …¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Contrary to what is depicted in most church Christmas pageants, the Wise Men didn’t actually arrive on the day Jesus was born. Verse 10 says that they came to “the house,” not a manger. And it says they saw the “young child,” not a baby. But regardless of when they arrived, the most noteworthy thing is what they did when they did arrive. They worshiped Jesus, the newborn King...and they did it rejoicing and with exceedingly great joy! And they followed up that first Christmas worship experience with a most appropriate response to worship, they gave gifts appropriate for a new King…gifts that pointed the way to who this new King was and would be, and what his fate would be one day, some 33 years later. Gold was a gift well suited for a king, precious and pure and most valuable. Frankincense was a fragrant gift perfectly suited for the priestly role this new King would assume. Jesus would become the Great High Priest. But more than a priest, He would also become the priestly sacrifice on a cross for the sins of the world. And myrrh was a most unusual gift for a new king. In the ancient world, myrrh was used as an embalming substance as a part of the death preparation rituals. But perhaps this wasn’t such an unusual gift after all. Perhaps these Wise Men were truly wise. Perhaps they saw the future destiny of this new king, one destined to one day die on an old rugged cross and be laid in cold, dark, garden tomb.

But the Good News this Christmas season 2021 is that this new and newly crucified king did not stay in a tomb. He arose on the third day. And one day He will come again!

Revelation 19: 11-16

¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

The word King denotes one who reigns and rules. The word Lord means master or authority. And the words perfectly fit who Jesus was…and is…and always will be. Perhaps a good question for all of us this Christmas season 2021 is this: “Is Jesus being allowed to reign and rule as King in our lives? Is the Christ of Christmas being allowed to be the Lord, Master, and Ultimate Authority in our lives?”