Wasson: Is Christ your king?

Did you know that there is a phrase that is trending on social media that does not mean what you and I might think it means? The phrase, "Christ is King", is being used to express antisemitism. You have to consider who the people are who are using the phrase. Many of them are not Christ followers. Christians might repost the phrase without realizing how it is being misused.

The celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead at Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I became a follower of Jesus at the age of 12 during "Holy Week" leading to Easter. While I grew up attending church, it was not until then that I realized my need to be "born again," and to make a personal commitment to follow Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is prophet, priest, and king. At his crucifixion, as sign was placed on the cross stating that Jesus is the "King of the Jews." Both Joseph and Mary have a lineage that connects to king David. Jesus is fully God and fully man, so it is significant that Mary is a descendent of king David.

There are Jewish people who have professed faith in Jesus, so they are Jewish Christians. However, there are Muslims and others who are tweeting and posting the phrase, "Christ is King." Obviously, they do not accept Jesus as anything more than a prophet. This is problematic. Those who misuse this phrase out of hate will face his wrath one day. As Allie Beth Stuckey has said, "One day they will wish that Jesus was not the king."

The Jewish people were looking for the Messiah who would take up the kingdom of David and reign forever. Many struggled to understand the kingdom of God, and Jesus' purpose for the incarnation. The book of Hebrews explains that Jesus is the "Lamb of God," who died once for all to atone for the sin of God's people.

Not all of the Jewish people rejected Jesus. The early church was Jewish. If you study the book of Acts, you will see that the challenge for the early Christians was to determine how much of the Jewish religion and customs the Gentiles needed to practice in order to be accepted into the church. Over time, more Gentiles than Jews became Christians. Nowadays many people do not realize that Christianity was born of Judaism.

It is frustrating that people would make false accusations about Christians. We are called racists and Chistian Nationalists. The implication is that Christians are somehow connected to dangerous radical groups. Enemies of both Jews and Christians are looking for an excuse to persecute them.

As American Christians, we are allowed to exercise our rights as citizens the same as any other American. We have a voice, we have a vote, and we have a right to hold to our beliefs. We should not want anyone to die in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, may God bring peace. Blessed are the peacemakers.

Do you believe that Jesus is king? He loves the Jewish people as much as he loves any other group. Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Jews are not excluded from God's offer of salvation through faith in Jesus; they were the first people to hear the message.

Most people say that Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords are Christians who want everyone to be safe, happy, and to know the love of God. Those who use the phrase, "Christ is King" to insult Jews are no better than those who nailed the phrase to the cross.

Jesus' story does not end with the crucifixion. He has risen from the dead, was seen by over 500 people, and has ascended to heaven. Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. The king is coming back to earth one day to judge the living and the dead. Every knee will bow (Philippians 2:10). It is not too late to accept Jesus as Lord.

Shawn Wasson, D.Min., is the pastor of Bethany Baptist Church.