A Different Kind of King
December 16, 2020·Kristin Gentry
You know what I find so captivating about Jesus? He hardly ever met anyone’s expectations. There are thousands of prophecies about Him in the Old Testament, and yet, when He made His humble entry into the world, people were not totally convinced that He was the promised Messiah, simply because He didn’t fit their mold of who they thought He should be. Even after He had started His ministry and fulfilled each prophecy, people still expected Him to do things to meet their own expectations. Why is Jesus hanging out with prostitutes and tax collectors? Why didn’t Jesus heal Lazarus before he died? Why isn’t Jesus concerned about getting food to feed these multitudes of people? The list goes on and on! But aren’t those questions and concerns relatable?!? If we can learn anything from these examples, we can understand that it’s because Jesus had a different way of doing things, for a different purpose, that our minds cannot comprehend. It was His intention to raise Lazarus from the dead. It was His intention to be present with and to love those living in the margins of society. It was His intention to miraculously provide more than enough food for the multitudes.
Take a look at this prophecy about Jesus from the book of Zechariah.
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. — Zechariah 9:9-10
When you skim over these verses, one could understand why so many people were looking for a mighty warrior and not necessarily a baby born in a shelter made for cows and goats. This King would take away the weapons of threatening nations! This King would conquer the world from sea to sea! But Jesus was a stark contrast to these expectations, yet He fulfilled the prophecy with 100 percent accuracy. He came in humble circumstances. Unlike the kings of this Earth, bloodshed is not how Jesus would conquer, because His Kingdom is not carnal, it is eternal.
So Church, let’s not be burdened, especially in this season, because God is not meeting our expectations on what we think He should be doing. Instead, let’s trust that “His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways” (Isaiah 55:8)… and “Whatever God does, His thoughts and intentions towards us are good” (Psalm 139:17). Let’s humbly lay our expectations at the feet of our King and trust Him to move in the miraculous ways He has intended. When we do this, I am convinced He is going to blow our minds, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see all that He does!
Mighty King, we love and honor You. We lay our expectations at Your feet and trust that you are going to do exactly as You have promised. Help us to live for You and follow Your example of peace and love for all people. Be glorified.
Pastor Kristin Gentry
