Trump will be president, but Christ remains the servant King.
The historical Jesus didn’t just talk about the Kingdom of God—He embodied it. He tore down the old ways of power, leadership, and authority, shaking the foundations of His time and every generation that would follow. His radical call for change was a challenge to every empire, every institution, and every soul that sought to rule with force, manipulation, or control. The Kingdom He proclaimed was not one where the strong trample the weak, but where the broken are lifted up, and where true power is found in self-giving, sacrificial love.
When His followers asked about their places of power in this coming Kingdom, expecting thrones and titles, Jesus turned their world upside down. He spoke directly to their aspirations, warning them:
"You know that those considered rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you." (Mark 10:43)
In the world of the Gentiles—the empire-driven, power-hungry, control-obsessed world—leaders rise by crushing the ones beneath them. Their strength is in domination, their success in the suffering of others. It was the way of the Empire, and it was the norm of Jesus' time. It still haunts the corridors of power today, whether in politics, business, or the church.
But Jesus isn't here to endorse this. His Kingdom does not work that way, and neither should His followers. He offered a way that seemed absurd to the world: the way of the servant.
"Whoever desires greatness among you must be your servant, and whoever aims to be first among you must be a servant to all." (Mark 10:44)
Greatness is found not in domination but in service. Power is found in laying down power. The first is last. The strong are weak. To follow Jesus is to choose to kneel before others, to serve in love, and to abandon any desire for control. It’s a Kingdom built on surrender, not strength. Power, the Jesus kind, is not found in domination, but in self-giving, sacrificial love.
Jesus was no mere philosopher. He lived these words. He pointed to the ancient prophecy of the Servant Songs of Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12), where the suffering servant becomes the vehicle for God’s healing, light, and redemption. The servant doesn’t resist oppression; they bear it, so that others might be freed. This is the way of God’s Kingdom. It’s not easy, it’s not glamorous—but it is the only way that leads to true restoration.
Jesus didn’t stop with words. He lived the ultimate example of this. He—the Son of Man, the God-Man King—came not to be served but to serve. And He gave His life, not to gain power, but to lose it, for the redemption of all.
"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
This death, this ultimate act of self-giving, flips the script. The cross, once a tool of Gentile oppression, is now a symbol of ultimate love, of sacrificial victory. It becomes the new throne of power—the power that breaks every chain, heals every wound, and restores everything broken.
And to those who dare follow Him, He gives this final call:
'If anyone desires to be my disciple, they must take up their cross and follow me.' (Matthew 16:24)
The path of discipleship is not paved with crowns, but with crosses. The way of Jesus leads to death, but in that death, we find life. The Kingdom He invites us into is one where we follow not in the footsteps of rulers, but of servants.
And in serving, we discover the true power of God’s reign.
In a world of despots, of domination, of toxic leaders, remember, sisters and brothers, Christ remains the servant King who calls leaders to walk the way of the compassionate Kingdom.
In the words of Grahem Kendrick
'So let us learn how to serve
And in our lives enthrone Him
Each other's needs to prefer
For it is Christ we're serving
This is our God, The Servant King
He calls us now to follow Him
To bring our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to The Servant King'
- Swales, 2024
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