We don’t want this man to be our king

Luke 19:14

I don’t know if you heard, but former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died last week. Thatcher has been described as a ‘Marmite’ politician; people seem to either love her or hate her, there seems to be no middle ground. Whatever you think of her, she certainly changed life in Britain. She was one of those leaders who seemed determined to make as much of her job as she possibly could, and exceeded people’s expectations. There have been plenty of other political leaders around the world of whom people have had high hopes and expectations, but who when it came down to it did not achieve a great deal, and left their supporters feeling rather let down.

In today’s full reading we come to a very interesting – and quite difficult – parable told by Jesus. He talks about “a man of noble birth” who “went away to have himself appointed king.” He entrusted his servants with a great fortune whilst he was away. No sooner had he left, however, than his subjects, who hated him, sent a delegation after him to say that they didn’t want the man to become king. The “man of noble birth” of course represents Jesus, and through this parable he is trying to explain to his disciples what will happen to him. Jesus would go away to join his father in heaven, and to sit at his right hand, but would return to judge his servants. Just as the man in the parable was hated by his subjects, Jesus too was hated, so much so that he was sent to the cross. Indeed, he still is hated by those who choose to not to make him the lord of their lives and reject him every day. We find ourselves surrounded by people who declare, consciously or unconsciously, “we don’t want this man to be our king.”

Let’s pray today, as we think of those who have turned their backs on Christ, for all those known to us who have rejected Jesus as their king. And let’s try to be devoted servants of Jesus ourselves as we seek to make the best of all that he has given us.