The Crownless Again Shall Be King

by Christopher Hendrix


All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost;

From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king. 

Listen to Pastor Chris teach on Luke 1:39-56 during Advent.

Tolkien penned these words in the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. The scene involves the hobbits, specifically Frodo, receiving a letter from Gandalf. Gandalf describes a friend named Strider who will help the hobbits get to Rivendell. To prove the real Strider, Gandalf gives his actual name, Aragorn, along with this poetic stanza to paint the picture of this mysterious character. The hobbits read the letter, having already met Strider, and their trust grows in him at Gandalf’s word. They even expressed their fright at his appearance, thus confirming the letter's words.

If we had to summarize what Luke writes in Luke 1, Tolkien’s stanza encapsulates the Lord’s plan. Two humble women are seen. One is advanced in years, while the other is a young lady who is a virgin and betrothed to a carpenter. There’s nothing special about their social-economical status. They don’t live in Jerusalem or rub elbows with the rich and famous. Herod, or even Caesar Augustus, do not know their names. They are just two humble ladies, separated by a generation, living their lives unbeknownst to the world.

But, they are no strangers to the Lord. Both of these women demonstrate an extraordinarily gifted faith in the Lord. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaims her unworthiness to be seen by Mary in Luke 1:43. Elizabeth is older, wiser, and bears someone in her womb who will be great before the Lord. Her husband is a priest who just had the privilege of serving in the temple, one that many priests don’t get to do. Yet, she views herself as unworthy. Her humility is staggering. The Spirit clearly fills her. Her baby, whose life is dedicated to pointing to Christ, worships Christ through leaping for joy in the womb. He is the first worshipper of the Incarnate Christ. Elizabeth and her child, though in the world’s eyes are meaningless, demonstrate a faith that surpasses the religious leaders in the golden temple in Jerusalem. All that is gold does not glitter.

Mary comes wandering into Elizabeth’s house, hears Elizabeth immediately acknowledge God’s choice of her to bear the Messiah (though Mary hadn’t spoken a word to Elizabeth yet), and responds with praise to the Lord. How many times do you greet someone with a song to the Lord? Mary’s humility shines forth through her recognition of who she is in light of what God is doing. She recalls God’s nature and works in the Old Covenant, pointing to what He is doing in the New Covenant. Though young, unmarried, and seemingly lost in a bad spot, she trusts the Lord. Her gifted faith glows brightly. Not all those who wander are lost.

This entire scene points to the One Mary is conceived with. The Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of God. He is the one who sits upon the throne of David, going all the way back to the Davidic Covenant. At this time in Luke, none of David’s descendants in the line of Judah sit on the throne. In fact, none of Jacob's house sits on the throne. The house of Esau was ruling Jacob’s descendants. King Herod, an Idumean, can trace his lineage up through Edom. The Edomites descended from Esau. God chose Jacob and hated Esau (Romans 9:13), but God’s chosen one did not rule the throne of Israel….yet. The birth of Christ brought in the King of Israel. But, not just the king of that one nation, the King of the world.

The God-man sits upon the throne even now. He has fulfilled the Davidic Covenant to rule and reign. God exalted him after He resurrected and ascended. Jesus was the fire from the ashes that rose up. In those dark times, he was the light that sprung forth from the shadows of the Old Testament. The house of David, though crownless, was crowned upon the person of Christ. The promises God made in the Abrahamic Covenant are all fulfilled in Christ. The nation of Israel became a blessing to all nations through Christ. Christ rules and reigns now at the right hand of God the Father. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.