Seeing the Real King by Dudley Hall

They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!"  Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?"  The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." John 19:15
     

In this great judgment scene, the deceived pretenders are being judged though they believe themselves to be the judges. Two worlds are colliding, and what looks like defeat for one is actually the demise of the other.
 

What people do with Jesus reveals what is in their hearts. Those who cannot recognize him to be the legitimate King expose their blindness. Those who do recognize him realize they can only do so because of the mercy of the One who gives sight to the blind.
 

Circumstances align themselves in our lives to reveal our own answer to the question, "Who is your king?" The chief priests are not the only ones to face this question, and they aren't the last to get it wrong.  When we are cut off from the reality of the spirit realm and predisposed to believe only what we see in the natural, there is just not enough evidence to correctly identify Jesus as King.  When we feel alone and desperate it is difficult to believe the promise of the "Father of spirits" to never leave us and always guide us into his peace.  When jobs are scarce and payment is due on the house, believing that "he will prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies" proves challenging.
 

Caesar appears to rule in the natural, political, and economic world.  His power seems unstoppable. The Savior doesn't look powerful. He appears to be a prisoner at the mercy of the system. Placing bets on his coming out on top would not be wise, unless you could see beyond the apparent.
 

Could it be that the circumstances surrounding you right now are designed to focus your eyes on the invisible rather than the overwhelming issues of the apparent? Like the Israelites going through the wilderness, we are learning to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:1-11).
 

We have a King beyond Caesar. We must not crucify him by doubt and neglect. If we do, Caesar will continue to parade himself as the real ruler.