When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
John 6:1–21
Do you want to be a king (or queen)? If they use force to make you king, can they use force to “remove” you as that? Would they let you be the king you’d want to be?
So much swirls around in this. Jesus is already a king; but not the kind they’re looking for. Satan has already tempted Him with worldly power, but Jesus has rejected that. And besides, do those who would force Him really have the power, to overthrow Roman rule, set Jesus up, and hold onto a nation? Most rational folks would think it unlikely, if not wild fantasy. No, they’re not being realistic. And Jesus knows the realities.
And could they, would they, stay governed? Internal disputes were not unheard of. In their own trapped frustration, the Jewish sects of the time will turn on each other in violence and death. Really, that’s not any kind of a secure throne. Who wants to rule such an unruly crowd? Won’t they turn, viciously, on those who won’t give them what they want? And do the same to the next one?
No.
Not that kind of kingship, not that king at all. Better to get out of Dodge now, pull back, let them spend their hysteria until they’re calmed down, more able to listen, and perhaps actually hear.
What are you hearing? Who are you listening to? The roar of the crowd, the life around you? Or the quiet of the mountainside in God’s kingdom?
What do you want to listen to? How will you do that? What will you do?
Greg Davis
