Candace Owens and other conservatives have made “Christ is King” a trending topic on social media. But like Pontius Pilate who wrote an inscription saying “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:21) on Jesus’ cross, they are not sincere.

They are mocking Jesus and the Jews.

However, for Christians, “Christ is King” is a theological and political statement about Jesus’ divine identity and supreme authority over all creation, especially on Palm Sunday (yesterday), a celebration of the day Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem days before his crucifixion.

So for sincere Christians, “Christ is King” is about our love for Jesus. But for some Christless conservatives, it’s about their hatred for Jews.

“Christ is King” is trending on social media because after The Daily Wire ended their relationship with Candace Owens, Andrew Klavan suggested her use of the phrase is antisemitic.

Though some religious Jews say otherwise, “Christ is King” isn’t antisemitic. It’s the truth. The truth isn’t antisemitic. Since the Bible says “Christ is King”, people who say it’s antisemitic to say “Christ is King” are accusing God of antisemitism.

However, like Pontius Pilate, when some conservatives say “Christ is King”, they are attempting to give him a crown of thorns.

Candace Owens joined Twitter in 2017, but the first time she tweeted “Christ is king” was in November 2023, in response to Ben Shapiro’s criticism of her antisemitic words after Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel in October.

She has since successfully made “Christ is King” a slogan for antisemitic people. Antisemitic social media personalities like Sneako tweeted: “Christ is king.” Sneako is a Muslim. He doesn’t believe Christ is King. He’s just mocking Jesus and the Jews. 

One comment on Candace Owens’ recent tweet said:

“I’m not even Christian but them saying I can’t say it makes me wanna say it. CHRIST IS KING! ✝️✊.” 

Jesus’ words to Jewish leaders in Matthew 15:8-9 describe these people. Jesus said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me.”

Their social media posts are not sincere. They do not believe Christ is King. They honour Jesus with their tweets, but their hearts are far from him. That is why they are using his name and titles and vain. 

If we do not live as though Jesus is Lord, then we do not sincerely believe he’s king. If we do not obey him as Lord, then we do not serve him as king. 

It’s evil to use Jesus’ name and title in vain to mock anyone, but it’s especially evil to use his name in vain to mock his ethnic people.

In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul says Gentile believers shouldn’t be arrogant towards Jews because of their unbelief, especially since their unbelief is part of God’s redemptive plan. Particularly, in Romans 11:18, he said: “do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.”

Meaning, we shouldn’t be antisemitic. If it wasn’t for Jews, we Gentiles wouldn’t be saved. The prophets are Jews, the apostles are Jews, and as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 11:26, “The Deliverer will come from Zion.” That Deliverer is Jesus. 

Therefore it’s shameful for Gentile believers to be arrogant towards Jews, However, it’s especially pathetic for Christless Gentiles to be arrogant towards them. After all, Christless conservatives are just as lost and condemned as Christless Jews.

So when they say “Christ is king” to mock Jews, they are primarily mocking Jesus. However, they haven’t considered the meaning of “Christ is king.” The word “Christ” is the Greek word for the Jewish for “Messiah.” 

So when we say the Messiah is king, what do we mean? What is he the king of? As Revelation 15:3 says, Jesus is the “King of the nations.” He is the king of America, the true king of England, the king of every nation. 

However, whether they acknowledge him or not, he is uniquely the king of one ethnic group. Though he had the wrong motives, Pilate was right when he called Jesus the king of the Jews. 

The prophet Zechariah said: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).” 

Jesus is a Jew. He’s “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David (Revelation 5:5).” He’s the Christ, he’s the Messiah. He’s the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Jew of Jews. He’s the deliverer from Zion. Zion belongs to him, Zion belongs to the king of the Jews. 

In that sense, Jesus is a Zionist. When he returns, he will establish his throne in the New Jerusalem in the new earth. Only the people who sincerely believe “Christ is King” will be part of his kingdom.