Why are aliens so subtle in their interactions with us? No joke - If intelligent life forms existed outside of our world, they are going to such great lengths as to not be discovered. Simply put, there is zero hard evidence. Elon Musk states in a podcast interview: “They [Aliens] sure are subtle… if there are aliens, they’re being pretty shy!”*
The Bible is not shy in telling us who reigns over all creation. The apostle Paul tells us what God the Father did through his Son, Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13-20). Now, Paul had not seen Jesus’ work with his own eyes, but he was guided to an understanding of what took place through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
13 The Father rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, 16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and all things hold together in him.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things he might have the highest rank. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself (whether things on earth or in heaven) by making peace through the blood of his cross.
To summarize: All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus. He created all things for himself, to give honor and praise to himself as God – along with the Father and Spirit, who together are one in essence and in purpose.
To be fair, the same argument could be made as with intelligent life: If Jesus is the King who reigns over the universe, he’s being subtle about it. He doesn’t come down to earth once a year and demand that we all ‘bend the knee’ to him and declare that he is King. He doesn’t show himself in the flesh to our political leaders and remind them where their authority comes from. Sure, from this line of rational reasoning, Jesus is subtle in these matters.
But Jesus has no need to explicitly reveal himself until his time has come. For now, he has made it transparent that he is King and Lord of all by conquering the powers of sin and death. The Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth – has made these things clear to us by faith. So: Why do we grant Jesus the greatest solemnity during this last week of the Christian Church year? Because the Bible has made it certain – he is Lord and Savior of all. And the Church Year ends with the lasting song of triumph for Jesus as our King. The promise is sure: He is the head over us, having reconciled us to himself by making peace through his sacrifice for sin (Colossians 1:20). We know that we will live with him in his kingdom, rejoicing in his goodness and resting in his eternal peace. May WE not be shy to tell others about the supremacy of knowing Jesus as our Savior and King!