Mini-Series: Jesus in Real Life (2/3)

I was watching SpongeBob Squarepants the other week and SB and Patrick are hanging out doing their silly-ish things one day when a rando fish comes up in a regal-looking carriage, dressed in some swank butler-esque suit. Reading from a scroll and speaking with an English accent, he informs Patrick that he is descended of royalty and gives the starfish a crown, cape and scepter.

Patrick doesn't fully understand what this should mean to him (Patrick isn't very smart/competent/observant/consistent) but SpongeBob handily explains that kings get to do whatever they want. In no time SB is dressed as a page and giving examples of how Patrick could utilize his new-found position and power. Patrick eventually gets the hang of it and starts to enjoy exploiting the authority he seems to be entitled to.

But before the meat of the story got rolling, a bothersome question jumped into my mind when the posh messenger was unfurling his scroll. On telling Patrick he was a king, my immediate response was, "a king of where?" Then when Sbob is telling Patrick he can order any of the seapeople about, I am thinking, "Is he even king of this area?" They shouldn't have to bow to him unless he's king of Bikini Bottom.

Me, I don't submit to the crown in Brunei or the President of Germany or whoever else isn't in power in Canada/Ontario/Guelph (and maybe also the Queen of England?) -- unless I'm on their soil. It's funny to me how in one place Person X commands ultimate allegiance and obedience but in a different place maybe they might hold no authority whatsoever.


The moment after I questioned the plot in the cartoon, with mild annoyance, I registered the phrase "King of Kings" and was hushed in awe.
He's King over every king. His jurisdiction encompasses all of their jurisdictions. He says, "jump," and every ruler on Earth begs, "how high??"
KING OF KINGS. It means much to me now, with this understanding.

In the cartoon, all those fish-people could have said, "You have no power over me," [cf. Labyrinth (1986) haha] - and I wanted them to - because they weren't subjects of his kingdom. But WOW, the King of Kings. His kingdom is.....partout.