The Cinderella theme in movies and romance novels seems all the rage right now. An American marrying a prince is instant clickbait on social media. American actress Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry of England are popular, but I’m of an age to remember magazines, newspapers, and television reports about glamorous actress Grace Kelly, who became a princess after marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Why does the idea of becoming a royal seem to draw us so much?
Could it be because God destined us to wear crowns?
Anyone who has ever run a committee knows you need someone in charge or little to nothing can be decided. Ancient civilizations had tribal elders and military leaders, but soon began to appoint one person or one family overall. Nations even ascribed god-like qualities to some of their rulers or directly worshipped them, as happened with Babylon, the Pharaohs of Egypt, and Roman emperors. But they all got some type of a crown.
A diadem sets royalty apart from all other leaders.
Because of peer-pressure from surrounding countries, ancient Israel demanded that God give them a king to replace their prophets and judges. The prophet Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel. Many may be more familiar with Israel’s second king, David, who authored songs and prayers we call psalms.
Kings and queens still walk our earth. Not all have been replaced by other forms of governance. From the beginning of time though, kingship has always pointed to Jesus Christ, who came to earth as a king from the ancestral line of King David.
King Herod tried to kill Jesus as a child because of a perceived threat to Herod’s crown. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode a humble donkey into Jerusalem to proclaim his right as King of Israel. The crowd went wild, paving his way with palm branches and their robes since they thought He would establish a physical kingdom and throw out Roman rule. But in his trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus made a rather groundbreaking declaration, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36 NIV).
Perfect, sinless Jesus, the Son of God, came as our King. He promised to put His crown, a crown of righteousness, on the heads of all who followed and believed in him. Since all mankind was offered a promise of this crown, perhaps that’s why we love stories about becoming royal. After all, if we believe in Jesus—it’s our destiny.
Is it yours as well?
And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8 NLT