The King Who Refused the Throne

I just love the way John reveals the laid-down kingship of Jesus. In chapter six, he writes:

“So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.” —John 6:15

And what makes this even more interesting is the context: Jesus had just fed the 5,000. The people witnessed his power and provision, and apparently thought, “This guy needs political power.” But Jesus wanted no part of it.

It wasn’t that Jesus wasn’t a King. He absolutely was. The problem was that their definition of kingship looked nothing like his. They wanted to make him king by force. They wanted to fit Jesus into the framework of worldly power, domination, and control. That was theirexpectation of how a king should rule. But, as John tells us: Jesus withdrew.

Later, standing before Pilate, he would say: “My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). In other words, his Kingdom doesn’t derive its power or operate according to the systems of this world. Jesus didn’t come to seize a throne through force and control. He came revealing a Kingdom that looks like love, service, humility, and laying down one’s life for another.

Which leaves me with an uncomfortable question for the church: If Jesus withdrew when people tried to give him worldly political power, why are we sometimes so desperate to obtain it in his name?

—RA