As Donald Trump was inaugurated America’s 47th President and begins his term I find comfort in remembering and celebrating the world’s highest (and very different) Commander-in-Chief—Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus was enthroned on the cross, where he defeated the ruler of this World and every one of Satan’s principality and power minions. This I celebrate! Let us choose to worship Jesus.
Jesus understood his destiny as he approached Jerusalem—the Israeli equivalent of Washington DC. He revealed to his disciples then (and to us now) how the leaders of God’s people and secular rulers would respond to him. He highlighted their reaction so that they (and we) would know in advance what we can expect as we follow him.
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify him, and on the third day he will be raised up” (Matthew 20:18-19).
The leaders of God’s people and the majority they influenced did not “elect” Jesus as their King when he came in the flesh—so why would they now? They rejected him, engaging in the then equivalent of organizing, voting, lobbying, and demonstrating before the Roman Empire’s governor, Pilate to have him executed.
“We have no king but Caesar!” stated the chief priests of God’s people, a warning to us all as we watch the equivalent today.
Jesus prophesied his elevation (enthronement) at his execution on the cross, where he would be glorified, as he defeated the ruler of this world.
“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself” (John 12:31-32).
He declared that his enthronement would benefit the whole world that he came to save— with no resemblance to anything close to “make Israel (and certainly not America) great again.”
Jesus, Israel’s Messiah and the world’s King was enthroned at his crucifixion. He took no mountain (of the supposed “seven”)– but was taken to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull.
The soldiers of the world’s most powerful empire draped a scarlet robe on his bleeding shoulders. They placed a crown of thorns on his head, a reed in his right hand and mockingly knelt before him, spitting on him and striking him on the head, saying: “Hail King of the Jews” (Mt 27:27-31). They crucified him between two criminals, and placed a sign over his head, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Mt 27:37).
The king of America will no doubt receive much better treatment.
Jesus was brutally enthroned, without fanfare or endorsements from the equivalents of tech billionaires, media moguls, defense industry and financial sector CEOs, religious leaders, and other powerful opportunists. No former or present heads of state were there.
His only endorsers were his acquaintances and women who followed him who were looking on from a distance, a criminal who said: “Jesus, remember me, when you enter your Kingdom,” and a centurion who on seeing the way he died confessed him to be the Son of God (Mk 15:39).
Today as we commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. and as Donald Trump is being glorified, let us choose to remember and celebrate Jesus, who “sanctified the people through his own blood, suffering outside the gate.”
“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come” (Hebrews 13:12-13).
May we choose to accompany those who are outside the camp now: undocumented immigrants, asylum claimants, the homeless, addicted and incarcerated, those who await execution on death row, the poor and excluded, and anyone who is not represented or attended to.
May we fix our eyes on Jesus, our Commander-in-Chief, victor over the powers and over death itself—and celebrate!