Read: Mark 1:9-20
King Charles III recently visited America. A military flyover and cannon salute greeted the royal couple. The guest list for the banquet in Charles’ honor included a roster of tech industry giants, business moguls, and government leaders. King Charles’s net worth is estimated at $860 million. Wouldn’t you like to be royalty?
ROYALTY PERKS
Entering Galilee, Jesus proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near.” What perks belong to royalty? Under Roman rule, most Jews looked to the promises of the Book of Daniel.“Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him” (Daniel 7:27).
FOLLOWING JESUS
Jesus called His disciples. “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!” They chose to follow the Messiah. Little did they understand the ramifications of being “fishers of people”. They knew the Most High would turn the world upside down. However, the King they followed daily did not receive the same treatment as King Charles III. The disciples didn’t experience royal accommodations, vast monetary net worth, or any luxuries. Following Jesus and suffering come hand in hand.
GOD’S TREATMENT OF HIS ROYAL FAMILY
Jesus’ version of Kingdom life often puts people on edge. For the past five months, my husband has endured four hospital stays, two trips by ambulance, and endless medical testing. Several times, we thought Bill’s demise was near. A few Christian friends told me they wondered if God heard their prayers regarding Bill’s health. Is this how God treats His royal family? Why do bad things happen to God’s children?
Horrific events happened to the Apostle Paul while he traveled in Asia. He wrote, “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die.” But Paul continues, “As a result (of these sufferings), we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead…We have placed our confidence in him.” (II Corinthians 1:8-11)
THE COST
The disciples gradually learned the cost of being in Jesus’ royal family. It is expensive to obey and totally rely on Jesus Christ, not only to save us but also to sustain us every moment from the darkness of this world. Can Jesus carry us through the seasons that crush us beyond our ability to endure?
COMFORT FROM THE KING
Daily, Bill and I are learning that the answer is “yes”. We join the Apostle Paul’s worship: “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you”(II Cor. 1:3-5).
Those who continue to follow Jesus come to know (along with Bill and I) that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the coming glory that will be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). No matter what troubles overflow, we declare, “Step over King Charles, we belong to Christ’s royal family. It trounces yours!”