"For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world ..." (v.37)

Who is this Jesus? Shakespeare said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."1 In Revelation we are told Jesus is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (19:16). Still we ask, "Who is he?"

One of the essential, significant elements of our Christian faith is the concept of the Kingdom of God. We pray daily, "Thy kingdom come." As disciples we live in light of that kingdom as a reality. Indeed, Jesus himself told us, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 10:7). It is warp and woof of the fabric of our faith. But whose kingdom is it? Herein we encounter a glorious paradox. We celebrate a kingdom established by the most unusual monarch who ever lived. How strange he appear…