[Jesus] went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.'” (Luke 19:11–14, NIV 1984).
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. (John 19:14–16, NIV 1984).
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. (Revelation 19:11-13, 19, NIV 1984).
My Musings – When He came the first time, they should have known who He was. There was ample evidence. But He was not what they were looking for. They did not “want this man to be [their] king.”
Two thousand years have come and gone. The Word has been proclaimed. Before His return it will have been preached to the entire world. The message is clear. Yet most still refuse to believe He is who He says He is and do not “want this man to be [their] king.”
In the United States, perhaps the most “Christianized” country in the world, membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup’s eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999. (Gallup, March 29, 2021). Clearly, the number of people who “want this man to be [their] king” is rapidly declining.
When Christ does return, all will know exactly who He is. Will they at last “want this man to be [their] king?” Sadly no. Rather, they will gather together “to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.” And what will be the result? “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words'” (Luke 19:22, NIV 1984), which are — “We don’t want this man to be our king.”
“This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come…and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:49–50, NIV 1984).
My Advice – This may sound harsh to many, especially to those who are perishing, those who don’t “want this man to be [their] king.” But this need not be your destiny. He wants to be your King. But first he must be your Savior.
The Brew Is A Musing 
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