Introduction

— The Most Uncomfortable Question Christmas Asks Us

Christmas is easily consumed as a warm and sentimental story.
But the Christmas proclaimed by the Gospel of Luke is anything but gentle.

As Luke records the birth of a child,
he simultaneously raises a question that shakes the very seat of power.

“Who truly reigns over this world?”

The answer to that question becomes increasingly clear
through three names given to Jesus.

Main Body

1. “Jesus”

— The Historical Reality of the King Who Entered History

Luke does not begin the Christmas story like a myth.
There is no “once upon a time,” no symbolic era, no timeless abstraction.

Instead, Luke tells us:

• in a particular year

• in a particular region

• under specific political authorities

• among real, historical persons

a child was born, and His name was Jesus.

This name was not extraordinary.
It was common in first-century Palestine.
It was not a royal title, nor a mystical religious name.

And here is where Luke’s message begins.

God deliberately chose
the most ordinary name
to begin the most extraordinary work.

Luke wants us to understand this:

The true King is not one who looks down upon history from a distance,
but One who steps directly into human time and space.

Thus, the name Jesus declares
that salvation is not an idea, but a reality—
not a theory, but a person.

As Luke records:

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son,
and shalt call his name JESUS.”
(Luke 1:31, KJV)

2. “The Son of the Most High”

— The Universal Sovereignty of the King

Luke does not stop there.
He gives the child a second name:

“The Son of the Most High.”

This title sounds very different depending on who hears it.

To the Jews

It immediately recalls the Davidic covenant.
The one who establishes kings is not human power, but God Himself.
Kingship flows not from politics, but from divine promise.

“The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.”
(Luke 1:32, KJV)

This is the declaration:
The promised King has come.

To the Gentiles

“The Most High” refers to the supreme authority above all gods,
the absolute ruler over all order and existence.

This King is not confined to Israel.
His reign extends over all peoples and nations.

To the Roman world

This title is quietly explosive.

Roman emperors were called
son of god, lord, savior.
Yet Luke assigns these claims not to Caesar,
but to a child lying in a manger.

The true “Most High” is not Caesar.
The true King is not in Rome.

3. “The Son of God”

— The Source of the King’s Authority

Finally, Luke makes unmistakably clear
where Jesus’ authority comes from.

“The Son of God.”

This is not a mere honorific title.
In Luke’s Gospel, it identifies the origin of His rule.

His authority does not arise from:

• popular support

• political consensus

• changing circumstances

Rather, it flows directly
from the being and will of God Himself.

Luke writes:

“Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God.”
(Luke 1:35, KJV)

For this reason, Christ’s kingship is:

• not negotiated

• not conditional

• not provisional

It is absolute, declared from heaven.

4. Luke’s Question

Through these three names,
Luke presses one unavoidable question upon the reader:

“Who, then, is truly reigning over the world right now?”

Is it visible power?
Imperial force?
Or this child lying in a manger?

Luke intentionally creates tension.

Before the child has done anything,
he is already given royal titles.

Because for Luke,
kingship is not earned by proof—
it is declared from heaven.

Application

This question does not remain in the first century.
It confronts us today with the same force.

“Who actually rules your life?”

Jesus may be welcomed as a comforter,
but He is far more difficult to receive as King.

To accept Him as King means:

• not part of your life, but all of it

• not merely help, but direction

• not convenience, but submission

Therefore, Christmas is not sentimentality.
Christmas is a moment of decision.

Conclusion

Christmas proclaims this truth:

The true King is
Jesus, who entered history;
the Son of the Most High, who reigns universally;
the Son of God, who rules with divine authority.

And before this King,
we are all forced to choose:

• Will we worship?

• Will we keep our distance?

• Or will we follow another king?

Christmas asks the question
and demands an answer—today.

“Who is the true King?”

And it declares at the same time:

“The King has already come.”