All hail the King
King Charles III was officially and regally crowned king in all his glory and power this past Saturday. In the light of all things balance, I will tread a fine line between the loyal royalists on the one hand versus the detractors and anti-monarchists on the other to give you my middling take on this. Who cares and why you may ask? Well, I found myself pondering on the life and reign of another great king …
Regally crowned
A few days ago, the world witnessed the spectacle of a once-in-a-generation investiture ceremony of pomp and pageantry that capped what has arguably been a rather tumultuous year for the royals. Bespoke couture outfits befitting royalty were on full display, while intricate headpieces and crowns, though not quite dime a dozen, donned royal heads in an extraordinary exhibition of tradition. Her Royal Highness, Catherine, Princess of Wales’ arresting headpiece of silver bullion crystal and intricate silver thread work was as unexpected as it was uniquely dazzling.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, and other members of the royal family, all bedecked in formal regalia with robes and mantels, were a reflection of the spiffy, rather rarefied splendour and grandeur of the occasion. One understood that it was a coronation: an event of immense importance. King Charles, of course, pledged to continue serving the country, a refrain echoed by Prince William at the Coronation Concert – that King Charles’ would continue to be a life of public service.
Whether this is your cup of tea or not, it never fails to remind me of just how exceptional the Brits are on delivering on the global stage. It is a national source of pride and their real-time execution is truly second to none. I marvel at it all - the outstanding effort, the meticulous planning and the time spent poring over the minutiae in order to ensure success marked by the highest of standards. It appeals to me no end.
Marvellous
My heart revels in that kind of precision, perhaps because it could be described as a disproportionate love of order since I seem to fall so far short. However, it was modelled so beautifully by a nation I admire precisely for being such sticklers for tradition and I, for one, sincerely appreciate their culture no end with its inordinate, surfeit even, attention to detail.
The English language, after all, has held me spellbound for as long as I can remember and customs learnt along the way have shaped me as a person. In the minds of some, this was an archaic tradition, and would regard it as being out of touch with modern life. Yes, the curtains of history were certainly drawn back somewhat, the annuls of time vividly rewound as London came quixotically alive, awash with remnants of the past, beckoning us back to a different era. I mean gilded carriages, where else would we see it in its splendour today – a museum.
This rare glimpse into yesteryear revealed some of the traditions that people have long held dear and helped to lend expression to British pride and what it was that defined them as quintessentially English; what inspired and stirred the hearts of men and women in years past who had so skillfully penned the poems, books and dramas that still inspire today.
I was astounded to discover the intricate detailing of the three-dimensional embroidery of the Princess of Wales’ headpiece featured rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock motifs symbolising the four nations that make up the United Kingdom. What incredible foresight it was as well as an indefatigable expression of inclusivity and more than a nod to attention to detail and a shared history and destiny; a visual embodiment of a nation’s past woven into the very fabric of modernity, perhaps signifying that the heartbeat of the nation had not changed.
Swearing allegiance
In the run-up to the coronation, a call for a public allegiance to the king became a sore point of contention. Some felt that King Charles III was most definitely not their king and anti-monarchists made their voices heard, while royalists and pro-monarchy supporters expressed their devotion.
Being South African, I most certainly need not enter the fray, but it got me thinking about swearing allegiance to a king and I started reflecting on the King of kings. I had always wondered about the mechanics of a public declaration, its necessity especially in relation to the passage in Romans 10:9-10, I quote as follows:
9 ‘If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.’
Somehow, a public declaration of allegiance clicked in my mind like never before, perhaps strengthening my conviction that having traditions that may appear archaic at first have a place in modern society if it helps us to understand aspects of our faith and history better.
I clearly remember the day I added my voice to those of saints past who had also made their good confession over the millennia and confessed that Jesus is Lord. It was at my baptism, after scouring my heart clean of sin that hindered as revealed by rigorous Bible study, only then was I finally able to make the public declaration of faith and confess allegiance to my God.
Saturday’s coronation further awakened thoughts about a king who had earlier walked our planet very much unnoticed and uncelebrated. The differences between the two kings are stark. One, the newly venerated king, lives in palatial places, the other is described in Luke 9:58 as follows:
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
A life of service
Jesus, too, pledged to live a life dedicated to service. I must admit that it looked a whole lot different to that of the new monarch. Jesus, Immanuel – God with us, came to serve mankind in a way that was literally out of this world. A man described as a man of sorrows in Isaiah 53:3 – The English Standard Version records it as follows:
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
While the New International Version puts it like this:
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
King Charles III, is largely fêted wherever he goes, despite the few instances when he had been pelted with eggs recently and the faux assassination attempt in Australia in the 90s, but by comparison, the King of kings endured being brutally murdered by crucifixion. Just in case there are any misunderstandings, I wish King Charles III no ill will. At 74, the monarch has surely enjoyed uncounted pleasures and blessings. The Lord of Lords, though in comparison, had his life cut tragically short.
One king still feels he has something to give to his people this side of eternity, the other said, “It is finished,” as he breathed out his last on the cross that ill-fated Friday. That same event and resurrection in swift succession changed my life and trajectory for eternity. Saturday’s coronation though majestic, I admit, has left me in awe and inspired me to write, not unlike others who lived in and once traversed the beautiful shores of England. But in all probability, I will never get to meet the man, King Charles III. But Jesus, him I have had the eternal privilege of meeting in the Word of God, which Revelation 19:13 describes Jesus as being.
The Word of God
Reading the Word has helped me to encounter this God-man in a unique manner; a life-saving encounter if ever there was one. Yes, I don’t have a picture or sparkly memento to mark the occasion of us meeting but his Word is written on my heart and every day, I consider the way I live and model it after the life of Jesus. After all, he said, “Follow me”.
Philippians 1:27-28 further implores me to live appropriately, I quote:
27 “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.”
Meeting Jesus had certainly turned my life right-side up, because Jesus, you see, is simply divine. King Charles, on the other hand, is but mere mortal and though I would undoubtedly be star-struck and as gauche as any teenager with a crush, I would probably not model my life after his. I know he is a man, who like the rest of us has made some mistakes, and notwithstanding his foibles, it was heartening to see his expression of emotions underscoring his humanity and endearing him to many this past weekend.
Wayward children
King Charles III has a wayward son, perhaps Prince Harry feeling misunderstood for years has battled to adequately express himself and it has all become rather messy, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt at this point. Don’t we all need that sometimes? Strikingly, there is a similarity to God the Father here, He, too, has a few wayward children. Long-suffering is how God is described.
However, in Jesus, we see a beloved Son who does everything and says only what the Father has told him too. God, the Father, can relate to all of mankind, in that he had his heart broken when his Son was pierced for our transgressions. Jesus willingly put his life on the line for you and for me. King Charles III holds the title of ‘Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England’ but even his heart has been pierced by developments with his sons in recent times.
And lest I forget diamonds, how can I, it is a coronation after all. Controversy also reared its ugly head. As a South African, there were the expected rumblings about the Cullinan diamonds that stole the show. Yes, stealing came up in more ways than one. The magnificent and aptly named “Great Star of Africa” featured in the sceptre while the splendid Imperial State Crown was exactly that: splendid. That these were indeed splendidly beautiful and precious, nobody would deny. The crown that adorned the head of our Lord Jesus, not so much, zero splendour to be found on his head. His was woven from indigenous thorns with the intent of inflicting pain and his blood was shed by this punitive, mockery of a coronation. Pomp and splendour – nowhere in sight.
Royal robes and regalia
As for royal garb, regalia and finery in the case of King Charles, compared to the man eventually dubbed King of the Jews by Pontius Pilate, had a robe, scarlet or purple in colour depending on the narrator, mockingly alluding to his royal attribution and accusation. It was a mockery like none other. Royal vestments could not have been more different in the earthly realm, but the Jesus who will make his way back will also wear a blood-dipped robe, lest we forget, but this time nobody is going to mock him.
The territory that comprises King Charles III’s reign is clearly demarcated and I referred to these earlier. Jesus, on the other hand has a spiritual kingdom quite out of this world. John 18:36 reiterates that Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this world:
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
Revelation 19:13-16 describes his kingship as follows, also notice the robe:
13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron sceptre.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
Revelation 19:13-16
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Oh what gallant, regal imagery is depicted here. My heart cannot fully comprehend, but my hope is that someday I will. Jesus, like King Charles, has a sceptre … and he is destined to rule. I was intrigued to see how King Charles III’s coronation proved to be such a catalyst for discovery about this, and that concepts that may have seemed abstract became so evident to me. A definite plus I would hardly have anticipated had the coronation not rolled around.
Months of planning in the works, King Charles III had dignitaries, clergy and honoured members of society present to witness his coronation. Yes, outside the abbey, some made their disfavour known but the invited guests inside witnessed a prestigious coronation. That day when the plaque with the words, “THE KING OF THE JEWS,” was placed above Jesus’ head, he found himself surrounded by two criminals, Roman soldiers, few supporters and a mob, some even of the religious order of the day, who hurled insults at him. Hours before, Pontius Pilate had the following done as per John 19:19:
19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
During the preceding cross examination that Jesus had to undergo at the hands of Pilate, Jesus made the good confession. That he was Lord. It is a confession that Christians through the ages continue to make as they accept him as their Lord and Saviour. The notion of the good confession is recorded for us in 1 Timothy 6:13-15 as follows:
13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Transfixed and transformed
There was evidence that Jesus was special as he walked in our world. Men and women were transfixed in his presence and transformed as a result of meeting him. He asked those who knew his true identity not to reveal it. Yet, miracles of epic proportions and people healed were the order of the day. Only once did he allow the fact that he was the Messiah to be proclaimed.
Yes, a marvellous day preceded that excruciatingly sombre Friday; a vibrant, pulsating Palm Sunday. It was a day when the situation had appeared vastly different. The prophecy of Israel’s Messiah coming was widely acknowledged. It was the one time that Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey and was acknowledged as a king and did not refrain from being so known. And yes, that day he said if man did not proclaim him as king, the stones would. In my mind, there is a newfound place for publicly declaring one’s allegiance out loud; it makes sense to me now. It is recorded for us in Luke 19:35-40 as follows:
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
I cannot resist comparing Jesus’ ride for his most auspicious, regally acknowledged day on the planet, the lowly donkey, to King Charles III’s gilded carriage drawn by the finest of horses. The colt, by modern human standards, cannot hold a candle to the carriage in all its opulent extravagance.
Yet, I am so glad that the God who humbled himself to make his abode among humans, among those who lived in the backwaters of Nazareth and beyond, would also come for lowly old me. And in a way that would not leave me intimidated. No, in every way, he was as relatable as they come. Am I bashing King Charles III? No. Someday, Jesus will come from his heavenly abode and all its grand splendour, where he has prepared a place for us. King Charles III’s earthly display of wealth helps me to see in part a place where gold will be on the pavement.
In addition, Saturday’s newly crowned king reigns over a country whose royal crest is represented by three lions. I acknowledge that on that Friday two millennia ago, there was a bogus proclamation of a King and a mock coronation, but the day is coming when our Lord will come back roaring as the Great King that he is, the Lion of Judah. Revelation 22:12-14 promises us this:
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
I put it to you, that there is a king who came to live among us, a powerful king, mighty in power, who knows the highs and lows of all that it means to be human, yet had no sin. Bless his heart, King Charles III was miffed by a leaky pen at the start of his kingly reign, his humanity clearly on display. He, too, even though king has a need for this Saviour who is able to reward us for what we have done and has a place prepared for each one of us for eternity. That is what the Bible says in John 14:1-4:
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Isn’t that just the best news ever? Whatever our earthly circumstances, in Jesus, we will have a new home living next to other privileged neighbours. And the person who created it all, well, he made the world, the universe and everything in it. Diamonds, pearls, gold, the most precious of stones, all those are liberally sprinkled all over that kingdom. I am compelled to sing praise and say, “All hail the King”.
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