One thing that most people don’t think about much is that Jesus was actually a ligitimate king. He is thought of as God, a savior, a healer, a miracle worker and even a prophet, but it seems his kingship took a backseat in his role here on Earth.

For many Jews Jesus wasn’t the king they were expecting

In reality, the Jewish people of his time were awaiting a messiah-king that would lead them all in victory against their oppressors, who were the Romans at the time, as Jewish kings had done in the past. They were expecting a messiah, or an “annointed one”, who was fortold in the prophecies of their scriptures. The Messiah was to be the direct descendant of King David through his son Solomon, which Jesus was. In so many ways Jesus qualified to be the new Jewish king that was so long awaited.  However, for many Jews Jesus did not completely fulfill all the requirements to be “The” Messiah of Jewish prophecy.

According to the Jews, Messiah was to accomplish the following:

1. Rebuild the temple
2. Gather all the Jews back to the land of Israel
3. Usher in an era of world peace
4. Unite all of humanity through the universal knowledge of the God of Israel

The Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah because:

1. He did not fulfill all messianic prophecies (only some)
2. He did not qualify to be the Messiah (since he was born of a virgin)
3. Bible verses about Jesus in the Old Testament are mistranslated

It gets more involved than the above, but those are the basic points of why the Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah. In part this is understandable. But a great deal is the fault of the Christian fathers who corrupted much of the bible in order to win the minds of the pagan world and gain control over the minds and hearts of the people of all nations in an attempt to gain power to manipulate.

An overview of Jesus’ relatives

Jesus was born a Jew and had very dedicated Jewish relatives and was in fact of royal lineage of the tribe of Judah. They lived by the law and Jewish customs. From his Joseph’s side he was recognized as the king of the Jews and he was raised for this very thing. Mary’s father was a priest, Mary herself was raised in the temple and dedicated to the Lord before her birth. Mary’s cousin’s husband was a priest and John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, was also a priest.

We learn later on that James, the brother of Jesus, was not only a priest, but also the head of the church after the departure of Jesus. The early Christians were recognized as legitimate Jews by the President of the Sanhedrine. The only difference was that they followed Jesus’ teachings. But the Jewish Christians kept the law, were circumcised, and followed all the Jewish customs.

All that to say this, the movement that Jesus began was almost completely Jewish, except for that which Jesus disallowed, and stayed that way until pretty much even after Paul finally left for Rome for good. A good part of Jesus’ relatives were priests or of the tribe of Levi. However, on his father’s side, Jesus got his royal kingship from the lineage of David, of the house of Judah. Jesus had two strong heritages: royal kingship of the line of messiahs and the priesthood.

Born King of the Jews

Mat_2:2 Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

Jerusalem city of the Great King

Mat 5:35 …Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

King of the Jews prophesied

Joh 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

King of the Jews fulfilling prophecy

Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers,
I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

King of Jews being accused

Joh 19:12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

King of the Jews being judged

Joh 18:33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Joh 18:39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

King of Jews recognized by Pilate

Mar 15:9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
Joh 19:14 And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
Joh 19:15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
Joh 19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Joh 19:21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

King of the Jews being executed

Mat 27:29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
Mat 27:37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Mat 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

King of Jews reviled in execution

Mar 15:32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Luk 23:37 And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
Joh 19:3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

A favorite verse used to “prove” Jesus was God is where he supposedly tells one of the two thieves crucified with him: “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luk 23:43). However, this is only found in Luke. This is not found in any of the other gospels. In fact, Matthew and Mark say that both of the thieves reviled him.

Mat 27:43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
Mat 27:44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

Mar 15:32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

It is likely that this passage in Luke is a forgery since the thieves did not believe in him and also mocked him in Matthew and Mark. John says nothing of the thieves.

From his birth to his death, Jesus was recognized by the majority that he actually was the King of the Jews.