Getting to Know Jesus by Name #45: King of Kings

I Timothy 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Yesterday, in the opening of this letter, we saw Paul refer to Jesus as The King.  Now that He is winding down and concluding the letter, the name has become King of Kings.  As we saw, a King is a "male sovereign or monarch; a man who holds by life tenure; the chief authority over a country and people."* Paul here notes that not only is Jesus a King or even The King, but the King of Kings, the ultimate authority over all countries and peoples.  When Jesus appeared before Pilate, one of the "charges" was that He proclaimed to be King. Pilate pressed Jesus as to the truth of that statement, but didn't know what to do with The King on his hands.  Our charge, as citizens of His kingdom, is to "keep the commandment unstained" - to live as pure and obedient citizens under Christ as our King. 

*(Diann Cotton: 100 days with Jesus)