The Kind of King We Really Need?

Jesus Didn’t Want to Be King!

When we think of Jesus, we often imagine him as a powerful leader, a king who would take charge and set things right. However, in John 6:15, we see a different picture: "So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself alone." Jesus didn't want to be a king in the conventional sense.

Why Not a King?

You may wonder, "Why is it so bad to want a God that will do what I want? All I want is good things..." The problem with this mindset is that it treats God like a genie rather than a loving father. If Jesus had assumed the role of their king, he would have been a ruler rather than a nurturing figure. He wouldn’t have been able to address the emotional wounds in their hearts, particularly their sense of father hunger.

A king can never satisfy the father-hunger in each of us. Jesus was demonstrating his Father’s love—first, its often neglected and unpopular aspect a father who is also a king, not a king who happens to be a father.

The Father’s Love

In understanding God's love, we must focus on the often neglected and unpopular aspect of it: God's discipline. Discipline from God is not punishment but a means of spiritual growth and character development.

Paul outlines the top 10 characteristics of Father God's love:

1. Gentle

2. Faithful

3. Merciful

4. Compassionate

5. Forgiving

6. Full of Grace

7. Ever-Present

8. Eternal

9. Protective

10. Sacrificial

Discipline: A Form of Love

The subject of God's discipline is vital for spiritual life and growth. Proverbs 3:11-12 reminds us, "My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights."

Hebrews 12:5-11 further explains that God's discipline is a sign of his love and our legitimacy as his children. It’s not about inflicting pain but about guiding us to share in his holiness. "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

What Discipline is Not

It's crucial to understand what discipline is not:

• It is not punishment.

• The goal is not to inflict pain.

• It doesn’t come with anger.

• It is not a bunch of rules.

• It is not manipulation.

• It is not non-relational or without love.

When someone corrects you or points out an area where you might need to grow, what’s your first reaction? Often, it’s difficult to embrace correction or discipline because it challenges our comfort zones. Yet, as Proverbs 15:31 states, “Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise.”

Embracing the Fatherly King

We must learn to embrace God’s fatherly love, which includes his discipline. It’s through this process that we grow, mature, and become more like Christ. Jesus didn’t want to be king in the conventional sense because he aimed to be a fatherly king, nurturing and guiding us in love and discipline.

In the end, what we truly need is not a king to rule over us but a Father to love us and guide us through life’s challenges. May we open our hearts to experience the full spectrum of Father God's love, including his gentle and purposeful discipline.