Jesus is Not my Chum; He Is King
A short while back, I saw a meme on social media that depicted Jesus frantically pleading with Saul (Paul) saying, “Saul, Saul, ask me into your heart so I can save you.” The meme was a twist on Acts 9:4-5, the scene where Saul is on his way to Damascus to persecute followers of “the Way.” It’s the sort of meme that many would find offensive, believing that it is making light of Jesus. I don’t see it that way at all, but rather as a meme that makes light of a widely-held belief and teaching that has no basis whatsoever in Scripture – that of “praying Jesus into your heart.” What the meme does is force us to ask some important questions regarding the role of Jesus and the power of Jesus.
Buddy Jesus, or King Jesus
Jesus is not my buddy, and Jesus is not my homeboy. Jesus is King, and he is not just another king among kings, Jesus is the King of all kings.1 Jesus is the sovereign and majestic ruler. There is a disturbing trend among current generation believers to depict Jesus as a causal, laid back chum with whom believers have an informal relationship. In this context, Jesus is more of a personal traveling companion than a revered deity. Such a depiction lacks reverence and acknowledgment of Jesus’ reign, rule, and ultimate authority in all matters.
The Objection
“But what about John 15:15,” some will object, and rightly so, for there Jesus says this:
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
– John 15:15, ESV
In their illuminating work, Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes: Patronage, Honor, and Shame in the Biblical World,2 E. Randolph Richards and Richard James document the way the middle-eastern mind perceives friendship much differently than do we westerners. To the middle-eastern mind, friend is understood the way we understand a benefactor. They help us, almost with a sense of obligation. We will never sink, because the benefactor keeps us afloat.
We, in turn, are loyal to the benefactor. Gifts, gratitude, loyalty, and obligation are unquestioned in the patronage societal system. It is such a deeply ingrained mentality that it just goes without saying. While we, in the west, may find this puzzling, those in the patronage system are surprised that we don’t understand it. It is similar to the befuddlement middle-easterners express toward the western system of tipping. To us, it goes without saying that you go out to eat and you tip your server.
Think of the movie The Godfather and you’ll have a good idea what’s being described by “friend.” The Godfather is the benefactor, and the other folks are his patrons. The benefactor solves their problems, helps them start a business, or keeps their struggling business alive. The benefactor looks out for them and handles their enemies on their behalf. When Jesus described our relationship to him in John 15, he was describing a context in which he is our benefactor, and we are his patrons. That’s why, in the verse immediately preceding the one above, Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.”3 In our culture would never say such a thing to a friend.
King Jesus
Speaking specifically of the United States, we don’t understand kings, and historically don’t care much for kings. We fought a war to get the thumb of a king off our backs. But we have a king, whether we acknowledge him or not. Jesus is King, and this is why it makes me cringe to hear people say, “I made Jesus Lord of my life.” No, you didn’t. He was, is, and always will be Lord of all lives, just as he is King of all kings. What you did is submit to what Jesus already is.
Before Jesus was even born, the angel Gabriel told his mother, Mary, that he would be King
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
– Luke 1:32-33, ESV
Jesus is boldly acknowledged as King of the Jews,4 King of Israel (mockingly),5 the blessed and only Sovereign,6 and King of kings and Lord of lords.1 The apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly places,7 and emphasizes that Jesus is positioned far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. Let that sink in. The name of Jesus is the name that is above every name! The prophet Isaiah says, “he brings princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.8
Oh, yes, my friends. We have a King. He is King and will be King whether we submit to his reign and rule or rise up against it.
In the end, Jesus will be acknowledged for exactly who and what he is.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
– Philippians 2:9-11, ESV
Every knee… I will bow the knee and confess the name. You will bow the knee and confess the name. Donald Trump will bow the knee and confess the name. Taylor Swift will bow the knee and confess the name. Vladimir Putin will bow the knee and confess the name. Andrew Tate will bow the knee and confess the name.
Every knee. Every tongue.
I will bow and confess willingly and joyfully. I suspect you will as well. Others…not so much, but they will bow and confess.
1. 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16
2. Richards, E. R. & James, R. (2020). Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes: Patronage, Honor, and Shame in the Biblical World. (pp. 77-79). Westmont,IL: Intervarsity Press Academic.
3. John 15:14
4. Matthew 2:2
5. Mark 15:32
6. 1 Timothy 6:15
7. Ephesians 1:20-22
8. Isaiah 8:23
