Jesus Enthroned as King of kings

When Jesus returns, it will not be as an elected official.

Sir Winston Churchill famously stated:

No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.[1]

Despite Churchill’s assessment, there is a much better government, and it will only be ‘tried’ once and forever. 

Jesus has not been, nor will he be, elected to political office democratically or otherwise. He has been enthroned as the King of kings.

Let’s look at what that means and its impact on our lives.

Most quoted

What is the Old Testament (OT) text most quoted in the New Testament (NT)?

No other passage in the OT is quoted more by the NT authors than Psalm 110:1. It is quoted or alluded to at least 24 times.

Here is Psalm 110:1:

Of David. A psalm. The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

Here are four simple observations:

• The superscription of Psalm 110 is “Of David. A psalm.” The Lord Jesus, Peter, and others confirm David’s authorship.
• This psalm is a royal or enthronement psalm, meaning it would be sung to royalty at an enthronement.
• When all the letters of “LORD” are capitalized, it signals the translation of the Hebrew name of God, YHWH (or Yahweh).
• Yahweh is speaking to “my Lord,” that is, David’s Lord.

Throughout Israel’s OT history, no king fulfilled this psalm. Bruce Waltke puts it well when he writes:

Israel draped the magnificent royal psalms as robes on each successive king, but generation after generation the shoulders of the reigning monarch proved too narrow and the robe slipped off to be draped on his successor.[2]

So, who is this Lord?

The Pharisees got it wrong

After a series of confrontations by Jewish officials, Jesus asks the Pharisees a question about Psalm 110:1 (Matthew 22:41-46):

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”

“The son of David,” they replied.

He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”

No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Jesus points out that the Christ or Messiah was superior to King David. He could not merely be a human descendant of David. How can this be?

The Sanhedrin got it wrong

Not too long after, Jesus was arrested and put on trial before the Sanhedrin—the ruling council of Israel, including the high priest, teachers of the law, and elders.

Jesus stood in silence as witness after witness gave testimony against him, but the testimony was so flawed and inconsistent as to be patently false.

Finally, as recorded in Mark 14:61-62 (also Matthew 26:63-64),

… the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

In his response, Jesus is clearly stating that he is the Lord who “will sit at the right hand of the Mighty One” or Yahweh. In addition to his quotation of Psalm 110:1, Jesus conflates or combines it with Daniel 7:13, which says,

“In my [Daniel’s] vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.”  

The claim made by Jesus is unmistakable. Either the high priest could acknowledge it, bow down and worship, or make the fatal mistake of rejecting Jesus. Here is his decision (Mark 14:63-64):

The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death.

Even now, so many cling to their religion, philosophy, and ideas about God, and reject the One True God who was “made flesh and dwelt among us.” 

For us, Jesus declares that he is the Lord who sits at the right hand of Yahweh. What does that mean?

Peter gets it right

In the previous post, “What on Earth Happened at Pentecost,” Peter proclaimed the good news of Jesus to thousands of Jewish people in Jerusalem.

At the climax of his message, he says (Acts 2:32-36),

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Peter identifies David’s Lord as Jesus Christ. What does that mean for you?

Some conclusions

There is far more to Psalm 110 than you might realize. We will revisit this rich text for a closer examination. At this point, here are a few conclusions and a couple of questions:

1. Incarnation:

We know that the One David calls “my Lord” is greater than David and more than his human descendant (Matthew 22:41-46). This Lord is fully and truly human, but also fully and truly God.

2. Crucifixion:

Jesus Christ is the Lord who was condemned, abused, and crucified for claiming to be the One who shares the throne with Yahweh (Mark 14:61-62).

3. Exaltation:

Jesus Christ was resurrected and exalted to sit on the throne at the right hand of Yahweh (Acts 2:32-36).

In the Bible, as well as in other contexts, a throne is an image of power and splendor. There is no throne greater than the LORD’s; therefore, no power or splendor greater than his. Jesus is actively exercising ultimate power and authority and has given the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower his people to carry out his purposes.

What does this mean for you? How should this impact how you live?

We will explore some of these questions in future posts. In the meantime, please let me know what you have to add by writing me using this link.

BACK TO What on Earth Happened at Pentecost?

Notes:

[1] “Parliament Bill”. api.parliament.uk. November 11, 1947. Accessed June 11, 2025

[2] Bruce K. Waltke, An Old Testament Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 889.

Image credit: David Miles (davidmiles.net)