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November 22, 2009
“The King of the Jews?”
John 18: 33-40
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Our Worship Service today varies a little from our normal practice. You may have noticed that ordinarily the Hymns deal with the same theme or subject as the Scripture passages. Today that is not the case. This morning we find ourselves in two different seasons. Our secular season is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving in the United States is a political holiday declared each year by our President. In case you missed the memo, This Thursday will be Thanksgiving and we will of course have our annual Thanksgiving Eve Service this coming Wednesday Evening. This season of Thanksgiving is reflected in our Hymns this morning. It is always appropriate to sing hymns of Thanksgiving to God and there are several good ones in our hymnal. We will sing four more this coming Wednesday.
But the selections of our Scripture readings today are not focused on Thanksgiving but on Kings. That is because on the Presbyterian Ecclesiastical Calendar today is Christ the King Sunday. This holiday is celebrated on the last Sunday before the beginning of Advent. It is a time for Christians to acknowledge the royalty and authority of Jesus before we begin to think of the events leading to his birth and the great expected event of the Second Coming.
Our lectionary gospel reading for today also provides a bit of a reality check for us before we get involved with Messianic prophecies and Angelic visitations and announcements. Today while the stores are decorated with Santa’s and reindeer and elves and festive decorations and as some of us are looking forward to shopping on Black Friday, we are looking at a passage that describes a part of the day we Christians know as Good Friday. This passage describes the dialogue that took place between Jesus and Pontius Pilate on the morning of the day Jesus was killed.
It is an interesting dialogue and not one that is easily understood.
As Pilate summoned Jesus to appear before him, he had been told by Jesus’ accusers that Jesus was proclaiming to be a King and was therefore a threat to the Emperor and the Empire. Pilate probably expected Jesus to be a person with a royal bearing and perhaps a tall frame with some obvious qualities that would attract followers.
My daughter called the other day and told me about her flight to Pittsburgh from Atlanta. She said the that flight attendant was a male who had a voice like the voice that laughed at the end of the Michael Jackson song “Thriller”. She is too young to remember the actor Vincent Price whose voice that was. It was probably that kind of voice that Pilate expected to hear from one whom others thought was a king.
On this occasion, Jesus seemed to have had neither a royal bearing or appearance or a booming voice. Jesus was not hoping for an acquittal, he knew that his time to die had come. He was also concerned about those who were not in the room, His Apostles and Disciples. He wanted to act in ways that would keep them safe and not attract persecution of them.
So when Pilate met Jesus and asked him if it were true that he claimed to be the king of the Jews, he was somewhat incredulous that such a man would make such claims or that any one would believe those claims and follow him. The Greek words that form his question communicate his incredulity. The question is properly read “Are YOU the king of the Jews?”
Now I must tell you that when I was a much younger person who liked to challenge authority, I was proud of Jesus’ answer to Pilate. At first reading it seems to have been a challenging answer. Our NRSV version translates it as “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me? In my rebellious youth I used to think that Jesus was saying “Who wants to Know?” And in a sense that is what He was asking, but not in a way that would challenge Pilate’s authority.
The term “King of the Jews” was Pilate’s way of expressing what the Jewish leaders had told him. They understood that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, the King whom God would send to the Jews. But they also understood that this King was to be a shepherd who would gather in and protect God’s flock. And they understood that he was to be a suffering servant. But when they presented their case to Pilate, they stressed the King part and left out the meek servant shepherd parts so Pilate would see Jesus as a threat and rival king to the Emperor.
So it was important for Jesus to know where the question came from. Pilate responded by asking Jesus the rhetorical question “I am not a Jew, am I”? That answered Jesus question. Pilate was asking the question as a Roman Governor who was not at all concerned about Jewish Messianic ideas and ideals, but he wanted to know if Jesus was planning to lead a rebellion against Rome or was challenging the authority of Rome in any way.
Jesus then answered, “My Kingdom is not from here.” He then assured Pilate that His followers were not fighting and would not fight to keep him from being handed over to the Jewish leaders or to Pilate for judgment. Pilate understood that Jesus was not a threat to the Empire or his position as the Roman Governor of Judea. We know this because he later would declare to the Jewish crowd “I find no case against him”.
But before he spoke those words to the crowd, he continued his conversation with Jesus. He said, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered that he was born and came into this world to be a king and that he came to testify to the truth.
Pilate asked “What is truth?” but unfortunately he did not expect an answer and did not wait for one. By doing so he implied that as far as he was concerned there was no ultimate truth. Just things that were taken to be true because of the worldly power that was behind them.
But Jesus was speaking of an ultimate truth. One truth that was greater than all other truths and would exist after many lesser truth’s ceased to be true. The laws or truths of physics will only be true as long as this physical creation exists. The ultimate truth will last forever because it proceeds from the eternal God. That truth is this: There is a God who loves everyone who has ever been born on this earth and he sent his Son to be the King of all those who love God and love the Son. To those who love and honor Jesus as King He will give eternal life in his Eternal kingdom.
Now I want to back up a little and look at some of the things that Jesus said from a slightly different angle. Jesus told Pilate that his Kingdom was not from this world. Nor is it for this world. Christ’s kingdom is other worldly. In it’s final form it will not be based on or in this world and it will not and does not depend on the powers of the nations of this world. Some Christians have not understood this and have mistakenly believed that they could make certain nations or districts a part of the kingdom of God. We cannot. We and our world are too corrupted by sin. Neither can we use the powers of this world or the military forces of this world to promote or increase the kingdom of God. People have been making that mistake ever since Constantine. We can instill peace by military and national power, and we can make laws for nations that reflect the laws and standards of God, but we cannot make parts of this world “Christian”. Only individual persons can be come Christian. Only individuals can be parts of God’s kingdom, not nations or districts or even families. God’s kingdom is comprised only of individuals who allow Christ to rule over them as King.
And that brings me back to that first question that Jesus asked Pilate. When Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews, Jesus asked if he was asking that on his own or if he was repeating what others had said.
None of us have met Jesus in person physically. All of us first heard about Jesus from others who told us about the Bible or read to us stories about Jesus directly from the Bible. Since that is true, When you proclaim that Jesus is your king, I want you think about Jesus’ question to Pilate. Do you really mean it for yourself, or are you merely repeating what others have said? Do you really accept Jesus as your king from the center of your being, or is it just something you believe mentally in your thought process to be true. Before you answer, remember what Kings do. They Rule. If you are not trying to live your life in obedience to Jesus as your king, then maybe He is not really your King.
Pastor David Horner
Faith Presbyterian Church
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Posted by faithpres at November 22, 2009 06:58 PM