The Rightful King
Growing up, my dad had two stations he would play on the radio of his car, 94.5 3WS (Oldies) and 102.5 WDVE (Classic Rock). Over many drives, I listened to the poets of his youth sing songs of love, hope, despair, and missed or fulfilled expectations. Even though they weren’t the voices of my generation, their words spoke to me and to my experiences growing up. It really is as if the author of Ecclesiastes was right when he said, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc. 1:9)
One song that still sticks in my mind is “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones. It is a song that expresses the disillusionment and disappointment that comes from the fractured expectations of a generation. Yet, almost ironically, the melancholy lyrics are set to a hopeful tune that crescendos in a full-blown joyous melody by the end. Simply, the music doesn’t match the lyrics. It is as if when we listen to it, our hearts are somehow be comforted by the hopeful music as Mic Jager sings a powerful lament, “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well, you might find you get what you need.” What a mix of emotions this song brings out in us; somehow, we are to take comfort in knowing that our expectations were too lofty to begin with, and so if we just resign ourselves to that fractured reality, we might… well, might get what we need.
Some 2,000 years before the Rolling Stones came out with that song, I wonder if that is just what the people living in and around Jerusalem felt? Here comes Jesus at Passover, this powerful healer, and teacher who has done unexplainable things riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Born into a poor family on the wrong side of the tracks, no army, no warhorse, and yet he is their best option. So they declare him the rightful King, the one who has come to rescue and restore them. The only problem is, that their music doesn’t match the lyrics. What they wanted was not what they needed.
Yes, he has come to rescue and set them free. Yes, he is the long-promised and sovereign King. But, his kingdom is not of this earth, and he will not overthrow the Romans. They had missed expectations; what they wanted wasn’t what they really needed. So, while they sang the right joyful melody, their hearts were left disappointed and disillusioned, and by the end of the week, they would crucify their King.
Thankfully, the story won’t end there. And even though we are so often like them, the Triumphant King still reigns and offers us a hope that endures. Why? Because he loves us.
What we want isn’t always what we need. But, what Jesus offers is far greater than we could ever imagine… even if it seems upside down to the wisdom of this age.