Jesus Our King I appreciate that there are probably not many here that manage their schedule according to the liturgical calendar. In reality, many may not even be aware of this calendar. As a society, we celebrate New Year on January 1 st. We also know that some countries celebrate different days for their New Year. The church New Year is celebrated next Sunday, which means that this Sunday is the last Sunday of the old liturgical year - a day when, traditionally, we remember the kingship of Christ. Now, I say traditionally, but it s actually only a tradition that goes back about 93 years - to 1925, when the feast day was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX. 1925 was a very interesting time for our world. We had only just emerged from the war to end all wars, and the signs were everywhere that it was hurtling towards another. We were in the grip of a worldwide economic depression, and desperately looking for answers. And of course, there were some outspoken leaders who believed that they had answers to those questions. One was the Italian leader, Mussolini, who had just celebrated his third year in office. Another was a young rabble-rouser by the name of Adolf Hitler, who had been out prison for a year by that stage, and whose Nazi party was rapidly growing in popularity across Germany. 1
The world was watching, waiting for answers, and listening to these powerful men competing for the limelight, and so the then Pope felt that it was time to remind Christian people everywhere that our allegiance is to Christ and not to any of these worldly rulers. As we look at the history we just mentioned, it seems appropriate that we refocus once more on who the king really is. We, as Christians, must never become so polarized that we become embroiled in worldly dramas. Satan really would love for us to follow an earthly leader and turn away from Jesus. Our scripture for today is found in John the 18 th chapter. Jesus has been arrested and taken away. The Jewish leaders have conducted their illegal trial and were hurriedly ready to turn him over to the Romans. Only the Romans could exact the punishment they wanted. Only the Romans could execute this trouble-maker Jesus. Let s read in John the 18 th chapter and begin in verse 28. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium (i.e. governor s official residence), and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium (i.e. governor s official residence) so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore, Pilate went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this Man? They answered and said to him, If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have 2
delivered Him to you. 31 So Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law. The Jews said to him, We are not permitted to put anyone to death, (John 18:28-31 NASB) The Jews who took Jesus to Pilate were extremely careful about at least two things. First, there was a celebration of the Passover very near. They themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Second, they knew not to cross the political lines. Pilate recognized that the issue with Jesus was a religious problem and not a matter for Roman courts. However, the Jews knew they could not execute Jesus. That punishment was only allowed to the Roman rulers. We are not permitted to put anyone to death. We now come to a conversation that has significance to us today. It is the conversation between Jesus and the Roman governor Pilate. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus answered, Are you saying this on your own initiative (Lit. from yourself), or did others tell you about Me? Pilate answered, I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world (Or is not derived from this world). If My kingdom 3
were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm (Lit. not from here). Therefore Pilate said to Him, So You are a king? Jesus answered, You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. Pilate said to Him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no guilt in Him. (John 18:33-38 NASB) On this Christ the King Sunday, we have just read a conversation. The highlights of this conversation run along these lines: Pilate: Are you a king? Jesus: Well, I am not that kind of king. Jesus: I came to bear witness to the truth. Pilate: What is truth? This conversation points out the gap between Pilate and Jesus. For each, this point in time has a different meaning. Pilate is in a position where he plays the power game. He must play this game or he will be out played and lose power. He is probing Jesus about His claim to be king. 4
Pilate had an agenda, and you don t need to have a doctorate in Ancient Near Eastern history to work out what Pilate s agenda was. Pilate s agenda (and indeed his whole life) was about getting and maintaining power. Pilate s real question to Jesus was "Are you a threat? The Jews had presented Jesus as someone claiming to be a king. Pilate had to determine if Jesus was out to gain power. When Jesus tells him "I m not that sort of king," and then tells him My Kingdom has to do with truth and not power, Pilate immediately loses interest. He is out the door, saying to Jesus accusers, I ve finished with your king. You can have Him back. The important thing to realize with this dialogue is that Jesus and Pilate really had absolutely nothing to say to each other. Jesus, from Pilate s perspective, had nothing of value for Pilate. Jesus was not a threat so Pilate was no longer concerned. Pilate did offer to release Jesus. It may be tempting to assume that Pilate was touched by Jesus innocence. Given the history of Pilate, this would not be in line with his history or character. It is far more likely is that any attempt Pilate made to free Jesus was more a by-product of either his sincere dislike of the Jewish leaders, such that he would have loved to have annoyed them by leaving Jesus as 5
a thorn in their side, or that it was because of some superstitious fear that he held, such that harming Jesus might have caused him harm - a belief that could well have been based on a dream that we are told Pilate s wife had. We know the chain of events. Pilate offered to release Jesus as part of the Passover custom. The crowd refuses. Pilate returns and talks with Jesus but Jesus is not very responsive. We have the continued conversation recorded in John 19:9-11. and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, Where are You from? But Jesus gave him no answer. So, Pilate said to Him, You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You? Jesus answered, You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; (John 19:9-11 NASB) We see the power-play. I have the power to kill you and the power to set you free. Jesus simply tells him You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above. For Pilate, this may have only been a reminder that his power came from Rome. The more important insight here though, for our purposes today, is that the sort of power that Pilate had was of no interest to Jesus. He wasn t 6
interested in competing with Pilate for power at that level. He just didn t play that game! Many times, Christians often forget the nature of the kingdom of Christ. We quickly engage in power plays with earthly beings to achieve earthly goals. Pilate had questions: How do I hang on to my power? How do I annoy the Jewish leaders? Jesus was not those to answer any of those questions. Many of us have questions that are based on worldly concerns: How do I excel at my work? How do I increase my power in the world? Again, Jesus does not have those answers. Jesus doesn t play those games. He doesn t answer those questions. He is not the one to dialogue with when you re looking for more wealth or power. What Jesus offers is truth, and those who are of the truth recognize it when Jesus speaks it - truths such as that under God all people - Romans and Jews and black and white and in between - are all equally people. 7
That those who live by the sword die by the sword, and that the pursuit of power is a lust that is never satisfied That a person s life does not consist in the abundance of their possessions but that self-sacrifice is the key to self-fulfillment. Pilate needed to hear those truths, but he was never going to hear them, because he wasn t of the truth, and couldn t afford to be, as his whole life s focus was elsewhere. And so here we are on Christ the King Sunday. And the world has changed significantly since 1925 when this day was first proclaimed, and many things have changed, though as we all recognize, a surprising number of things seem to have remained the same. Once again, people are looking to other people to lead them to peace, justice, and prosperity. We are still looking for those who are playing the power games to have the answers. We are still focused on earthly solutions to spiritual problems. Once again there are great political power players strutting the world stage and offering to give those answers. So how does Jesus line up alongside these power-players of the 21st century? Jesus still has nothing to say. He does not take them on their own terms. He does not fight fire with fire. He just doesn t play those games at all. Instead He offers truth, and those who have ears hear. 8
And maybe that sounds a bit defeatist, but on the contrary, the Good News - the really Good News - is that in the end truth wins! We are all to live life that is a near to the life as Jesus lived as humanly possible. Yet, we need not become entangled in power-plays of earthly politics. We need to remember: He who brings down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly, who fills the hungry with good things while sends the rich away empty, will see to it that in the end truth conquers all, and that the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And until that day comes we will proclaim in faith nothing less than Christ is King and that His truth is the future of our world - His is the Kingdom, His the power, His the glory, forever and ever. 9