You Won't Find Him Among The Rich

 Jesus is king, Jesus is Lord! That is a pretty bold statement. But is it true? Is this simple man from the countryside truly royal? And even more incredible, could he really be a god? Well, everyone can claim to be XYZ or to be sent by God to perform such and such. This is why we want to take a look at the scriptures to see if something can back these claims. 

"An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matthew 1:1) 

I will spare you the long and very detailed list of his ancestors. For our purpose, the first verse of the Gospel of Matthew is enough to show who Jesus is. Jesus--and this is not just a claim that Matthew makes--is a descendant of the great King David. For the Jews, King David is the archetype of a great leader (despite his questionable behavior with Bathsheba's husband). Early on, the expectation of a great redeemer of Israel had been linked to the Davidic bloodline. The Messiah (or in Greek: the Christ) would have to be a descendant of David, or his claim to be the savior would be nothing else than a void promise. Matthew and Luke alike make it clear early on that Jesus fulfills that promise. And, thereby, we can see that he is indeed royal, so he could be the king that has been promised in the Old Testament. And even the Romans (sort of) believed in these claims. Remember, what was he charged with and crucified for? Yes, correct, for being king of Israel. The sign telling the people what Jesus had been crucified for said: IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAEORUM, in English that means "Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews".

But is he the Lord, the God of this world, though? Short answer: yes. Jesus controlled nature, for example when he walks on water or calms the storm just by the power of his voice. It was that voice with which Jesus brought this world into existence in the first place. The world turned dark during the day when Jesus died on the cross. We can read about this in the Book of Mormon, the New Testament, and in the works of Thallus, a secular Samaritan historian. He controlled death, for example when he brought Lazarus back to life (that is why we call hospitals and sickbays "Lazarett" in Germany sometimes). Yes, he even came back to life himself after being dead for three days. Again, secular writers also report about this claim, like Josephus, a Jewish general of the Roman forces. 

So, that would mean he is not just a king, but God, too. But now comes the fact that sets him apart from all the secular kings and leaders. Jesus did not live in big palaces. Well, he didn't even live in houses of his own during his ministry. He didn't feast with the rich, he had supper with fishermen. Jesus is not like the U.S. President, driving in a limousine called "the Beast" or riding on a white horse, like Gandalf; he came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. 

Media Sources:

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