The word “king” is very loosely bestowed in our modern culture. Some called Elvis Presley the King of Rock’n’Roll, and Michael Jackson was known as the King of Pop. A popular adult beverage is referred to as “the king of beers.” Televised games of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team are often sponsored by Burger King. King Kong was famous for climbing the Empire State Building, and King of the Hill was on television for more than eleven years. King Crimson pioneered progressive rock in the 1970s and Kings of Leon rocks out today’s generation. Each of these “kings” seems to epitomize the word’s definition: primacy, power, or influence in their field.

Given this proliferation, what exactly does it mean when we honor Jesus under his title, Christ the King?

It is clear that Jesus rejected the earthly trappings of kingship. He was born in a stable, with an animal’s feeding manger as his bed. As an adult he was homeless, with “no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20) while he traveled from village to village to preach the kingdom of God. He wore a crown not made of jewel-encrusted gold but of thorns. His scepter was the crucible of suffering. His throne was made of the wood of the cross.

Jesus preached in parables that compared his kingdom to the weeds in the field, to a mustard seed, to yeast that rises, to buried treasure, and to a search for fine pearls. (Matthew 13) He taught that people need to receive the kingdom “like a little child.” (Mark 10:15) Before he was condemned to die, Jesus told Pontius Pilate, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” (John 18:36)

So, where is Jesus’ kingdom? How does he reign? What kind of king is Jesus?

“You cannot tell by careful watching when the kingdom of God will come. Neither is it a matter of reporting that it is ‘here’ or ‘there.’ The kingdom of God is already in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)

The kingdom of God is where the poor are blessed, where the sorrowful are comforted, where peacemakers are holy, and where the persecuted rejoice. (Matthew 5:3-12)

It’s the most awesome, the most humble, and the most radical kingdom in the history of the world. The kingdom of God lives within us, and Jesus is the king of our hearts.