“But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.” (Luke 19:27)
Whoa! That’s kind of terrible, isn’t it? Jesus tells a story in which the main character obviously represents him, the king who will return, expecting to find that his servants have been productive while he was gone. And this is the last line in that story, right before he pushes into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
I sometimes hear people complain that Christians get too caught up in our doctrines and theologies and our preoccupation with sin—and we don’t spend enough time just listening to Jesus. I don’t think this is the passage they mean.
While it’s true that Jesus did not come the first time to judge the world, he is coming back one day to do just exactly that. Our Jesus is the Savior and the sacrifice who told his followers to turn the other cheek, who taught us to love our enemies, who forgave even his killers on the cross. But he is also the king who will put to eternal death all who reject his reign.
Same Jesus. Different time. The opportunity to join him is now.
Think: How often do you think of Jesus as the judge who will demand the blood of those who rejected His rule? How does it change your perception of him?
Pray: Thank God that Jesus is the king and that he only does good. Thank God for his justice, his righteousness, and for his grace and mercy to you because of your faith in Christ.
Do: Read John Piper’s excellent breakdown of 10 things believers can and/or should feel in response to this verse.