Being righteous in God’s sight doesn’t just mean doing the right thing – it means doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason in the right way. This is not as complicated or difficult as it may sound.
To make Jesus king – as the crowd sought to do in John 6:15 – was surely the right thing for them to do to Jesus, correct? Yes, but they were not seeking to do it at the right time or for the right reason. Neither were they seeking to do it in the right way. Let’s address their errors one by one.
- It was not yet the right time – Jesus had not yet been crucified and raised from the dead. Messiah had to suffer first and only then be glorified (Luke 24:26). Jesus was not going to reign as a man, but rather as God.
- The people were not seeking to make Him king for the right reason – They were not seeking deliverance from their sins; rather, they were only seeking deliverance from the Romans (John 6:26-27). They just wanted a change in their circumstances, not in themselves.
- The people were not going about it in the right way – They were seeking to make Him king “by force.” The kingdom of God cannot be advanced by coercion (Matt 11:12). Might doesn’t make right.
Remember: It’s not a good deed to help a little old lady across the street 1) if she doesn’t want to cross the street at that time, or 2) if you’re doing it so that other people will think you’re a good person, or 3) if you’re jostling the old gal and making her unsteady on her feet.
Therefore, let us always seek to do…
- the right thing (James 4:1)
- at the right time (Proverbs 3:27-28)
- for the right reason (John 12:4-6)
- in the right way (Galatians 6:1)
With regard to making Jesus king, all four of these conditions were fulfilled on the day of Pentecost by about 3,000 Jews in response to the preaching of Peter. See Acts 2:36-40.
Related essays:
- Do You Love What Is Right? (3 min)
- How Can One Person Change the World? (5 min)
- The Kingdom of God Saves the Soul…Not Circumstances (3 min)
- All Essays
11/29/25
The Duty of a Man 