Home » Programs » Jesus As... » Jesus as Lord

Jesus as Lord

There are two words very commonly associated with Jesus, those words are “Lord” and “Christ.” On this occasion, we want to think about the concept of Jesus as Lord. There’s no doubt He is, the Bible declares Him to be Lord. Paul wrote to the Philippians that someday every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord and by doing that give glory to God the Father.

What does it mean for Him to be Lord? There might be some negative feelings about this because the title “Lord” suggests aristocracy, privilege and consequently, abusive power. That the very rich have authority and control over the very poor is seen as a very negative situation, indeed, one to be remedied, perhaps, even violently. Humans have abused their power and influence over other humans in a dreadful way so when we think of Jesus as Lord we have to take into account that He was more than just a human lord.

It is remarkable that during His time with His disciples He didn’t look very much like a Lord at all. We see Him touching lepers and having meals with people nobody else in society would eat with. We see Him washing the dirty feet of His own followers. Jesus was Lord, but in a different sense than most people would conceive that to be.

He was Lord because He was the master, all things were made by Him and for Him. So, He is Lord in that sense. When we think about coming to Jesus as Lord the thing we should be keeping in mind first of all is that this is an absolute term. He is absolutely Lord of absolutely everything. We are not in a position to challenge or question, or deny any of those things. During life we make get the impression that we can flout His laws, ignore His commands, consign His teaching to the rubbish heap of philosophical ideas, even mock Him, but that doesn’t change a thing.

It is, perhaps, because He is Lord that He doesn’t need to insist upon it. Those with real authority don’t have to go around jumping up and down and talking about it. It is only the little puppets who like to pretend that they have authority and like to assert it at every turn in the road that let everyone know they are in charge. Jesus is not like that.

Because He is Lord, we must give account to Him This isn’t just in a negative sense of giving account of our sin. Indeed, if we are Christians, He has already dealt with the issue of sin in our lives by taking it upon Himself. On seeing that, we quickly acknowledge that the other way in which He is Lord is that He has bought us for Himself. He has purchased us and we recognize His right to ownership of our lives. So we recognize that it is not so much the sin issue for Christians but what we do with our lives that comes under His scrutiny. He has given us gifts, abilities, and strengths to work with - things that we can use to draw others to Him and benefit others as we love them, as He first loved us. These are the things for which we will give account to Him.

We must also honour Him as Lord. One wouldn’t think of despising one’s Lord. The regard we personally have for the Lord Jesus Christ is an unfailing indicator of how we really feel about Him, who He really is. So when we approach Jesus as Lord, we remember that this is something that is His absolute right. We are not in any way in competition with Him, nor must we allow anything else to be in competition for the place of Lord in our lives. God Himself has ordained Jesus to be both Lord and Christ and we do well to recognize that as we come to Him.

There is one more contrast that sets Jesus apart when we think of Him as Lord. Human lords typically separate themselves from ordinary people. Part of what gives them their psychological power over others is that their life is hidden. No one knows what they are really like; all they see is a carefully guarded perfect exterior. The Lord Jesus couldn’t be more different. He mingled with the humblest of people. He let them see Him in all His of humanity. He did not push people away. On the contrary, He often issued invitations to draw near to Him.

As we consider the Lordship of Jesus, remember to contrast Him as well as comparing Him to the common conceptualizations of what that might mean. He is Lord of all - truly the Master of the Universe. At the same time, He invites us to come close to Him, to follow Him, to learn from Him, and above all to come to the Father through Him.

Ron Hughes
© July 2006