A King from Another Realm Part II

A King from Another Realm

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

NOTES:

Carson: “It is important to see ‘that Jesus’ statement should not be misconstrued as meaning that his kingdom is not active in this world, or has nothing to do with this world’ (Beasley-Murray, p. 331). John certainly expects the power of the inbreaking kingdom to affect this world; elsewhere he insists that the world is conquered by those who believe in Jesus (1 Jn. 5:4). But theirs is the sort of struggle, and victory, that cannot effectively be opposed by armed might.”

Who was Pilate?

Gary Burge: “Pontius Pilate was the fifth Roman governor of the province of Judea, ruling from a.d. 26 to 36. As governor he had numerous troops stationed at Caesarea (his chief maritime link with Rome), where he spent most of his time. Jerusalem was the Jewish heart of the country; when there he likely used the old palace of Herod the Great on the city’s western hill. Pilate also kept troops in a refurbished Jewish fortress on the temple’s northwest corner called the Antonia (named after Pilate’s patron, Mark Antony). Jewish and Hellenistic sources tell us a great deal about Pilate, most of which is extremely critical. He was a brutal ruler whose atrocities against the Jews were legendary. As a member of Rome’s lower nobility he was always aware of his vulnerabilities and so controlled Judea harshly, with an eye on the pleasure of his masters in Rome (see below, 19:12).”

Question Pilate asks: Burge, “Rome had authorized no king since the coming of the governors (like Pilate).”

Why does Pilate call Jesus the King of the Jews?

Hmmm… Not sure. Perhaps as an insult?

v.40: Lestes=Violent robber “guerilla fighter or, as the Romans would view him, a ‘terrorist.’”

Bruce Milne: “It is to be noted, however, that the claim to be a king was not the issue which enraged and united the Sanhedrin. Their concern had been religious, a charge of blasphemy.”

Colin Kruse: “In 3:3, 5 Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God to Nicodemus but refused to be made a king by the crowds, following the feeding of the five thousand (6:15).”

“We prove our poets right when they say, “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.”3 How true. We cannot bear much reality; life is too hard. We fear being entangled in the messy lives of others; love is too hard. So we flee, and in fleeing we run from him who calls us to care for souls, to love the unlovely as he has loved us.” Poirier, Alfred. The Peacemaking Pastor (p. 20). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Introduction: Kingdom in John:

John uses kingdom 3 times, whereas Matthew uses it 55x!

First Time it’s used: Jesus and Nicodemus

John 3:3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Can’t see this Kingdom unless, you have been born again.

Becoming a Christian enables your ability to see the Kingdom?

How is this possible? What are we looking for? What does the Kingdom look like?

But Jesus didn’t want anything to do with being made a King:

After Jesus feeds the five thousand (5 loaves and 2 fish)

John 6:15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Jesus talked about a kingdom, but one that is obviously not from this realm!

BUT, in this fascinating conversation with Pilate, Jesus provides us two ways to see the Kingdom of God.

POINTS:

What the Kingdom is NOT: Violent

What the Kingdom is: Truth

What the Kingdom is NOt: Violent

Proof of this Otherworldly Kingdom: v.36: Negative

v.36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Carson: “The fact that he was arrested so easily—indeed, that he stifled the inclination of one of his followers to rely on the sword (18:10, 11)—proves that his kingship is of a different order.”

Carson: “The kingships of this world preserve themselves by force and violence; if Jesus’ kingship finds its origin elsewhere, it will not be defended by the world’s means. And if it resorts to no force and no fighting, it is hard to see how Rome’s interests are in jeopardy.”

This is how kingdoms of this world operate, isn’t it?

My favorite character in Hamilton was King George:

Wars are fought and allegiances are forced through threats!

George’s song to colonists:

Oceans rise, empires fall We have seen each other through it all And when push comes to shove I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!

You'll be back like before I will fight the fight and win the war For your love, for your praise And I'll love you 'til my dying days When you're gone, I'll go mad So don't throw away this thing we had 'Cause when push comes to shove I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love

Forced LOVE! Coerced LOVE is, of course, not love, but such is the case of the Kingdoms of this world:

I will love you, just don’t mess with me! And if you do, we will promptly put you in your place.

Jesus says to Pilate, my Kingdom doesn’t operate this way. Jesus uses the fact that his disciples aren’t fighting for him as proof that his Kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. The rules of engagement in this world is that whoever has the biggest swords or the biggest guns are the ones who rule. Not so for Jesus’ Kingdom! For Jesus, he’s saying, “You can spot my kingdom because people aren’t putting up a physical fight!”

Gary Burge says it this way: “The true test of his kingdom can be seen in the behavior of his disciples. They will not engage in combat or struggle against Rome’s rule. He is not threat to Rome.” Burge

Contradicting Passage? (CLICK)

What do we do with Luke 22:35-38:

Same Chapter Jesus will be arrested! Jesus wants to prepare his disciples for this moment:

35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

Jesus: “Time is now to sell his cloak and buy a sword!” Almost like a call to arms!? How do we make sense of this?

v. 38: Disciples, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” Jesus: “It is enough.”

Some commentators suggest that Jesus is actually hushing them up, like, “Enough already!” rather than “Okay, two swords are good enough.”

How to interpret this? Is Jesus saying that all they need is two swords to protect themselves from Rome? Is it okay to have weapon to sort of protect themselves??

I think the best way to interpret this is by reading v. 51:

Luke 22:49-51: And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him.

Same chapter!

Jesus: Sure, bring your swords. Peter, you’re older, you carry one!

But then when Peter uses it, Jesus shows us why he asked them to bring these 2 swords: To show that the his Kingdom brings healing, and peace, and wholeness and that it WON’T be achieved for any other purpose than this.

Bring your swords so I can show you how completely unnecessary they are!

John 18:10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

I believe Jesus’ invitation for the disciples to bring a sword is to illustrate how unnecessary they were for that moment! Jesus actually rebukes the disciples! Don’t stop my way to the cross using the sword!

When Jesus was on the cross, and a sword pierced his side, that was the moment that proved Jesus’ death. It was the sword that showed us what the KING needed to do to come and save us.

The purpose of the SWORD was meant to show us the total humiliation of the CROSS!

Jesus could have sent a league of angels to stop that soldier from piercing his side, but he didn’t, because he was once again showing us the power of the KINGDOM!

The Kingdom isn’t fought by us. The Kingdom was fought for us.

Church history, including the REFORMATION ITSELF! was filled with Christians picking up arms.

The Crusades haven’t aged well… The Spanish Inquisition… hasn’t aged well.

WHY? Because Christ followers are known to be a people of peace!

Let’s bring this home:

If we were to look at this positively then, Christians are known as Peacemakers!

Talk about nations, and big movements… BUT, the Kingdom is really in the normal, every day things.

How is peacemaking a part of your reality, thereby being known as a a follower of God.

Blesssed are the Peacemakers: For they shall be called sons of God.

How do you spot the Kingdom? People of Peace!

Alfred Poirier. The Peacemaking Pastor

Overlooking an Offense. “This response comes out of a magnanimous heart. Unlike the person in denial (which can be mistaken for overlooking), the person who overlooks an offense is not oblivious to the offense, nor does his or her choice to overlook arise out of unbelief and despair, as it does in denial. Rather, he or she deliberately decides to forgive the offender and not to pursue any form of correction or admonition.” p.42

Don’t need to fight every battle!

Don’t need to make a mountain out of molehill.

Tell everyone each time they use bad grammar

Putting down the toilet seat.

Many arguments would be saved if people overlooked an offense:

When someone acts out of character.

Costco Example: “I can’t help you right now...”

Tell everyone they offended you each time they swear.

Interfering with other people’s conflicts.

Have to be careful picking apart people’s morality when you should be really concerned for people’s spirituality!

ITEMS THAT SHOULD NEVER BE OVERLOOKED:

Any form of abuse.

Overlooking abuse is not God’s desire for you!

Remember: God’s justice will be made.

Discussion-Reconciliation.

“When an offense cannot be overlooked, we are called to go and show our brother his fault or our sister her fault (see 2 Sam. 12:1-14; Prov. 28:13; Matt. 5:23–24; 18:15; Luke 17:3; Gal. 6:1).Thus the second kind of personal response to conflict is discussion leading to reconciliation. Discussion-reconciliation deals with those personal offenses best addressed and resolved by confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation. In our usage, discussion involves more than simply improving communication. It is dealing with the matters of the heart (see chapter 3 for more about this).”

“Notice that I have not used the term confrontation. Discussion better captures the scriptural directives of this second response in three ways. First, Scripture tells us to do more than just confront. We are to instruct, advise, warn, and train as well as rebuke (see Rom. 15:14; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 6:4; 1 Thess. 5:14, 21; 1 Tim. 4:6; 2 Tim. 3:16).”

“Discussion reminds us that we are to go to our brother or sister with much more than the hammer of confrontation. Our conflict resolution “toolbox” ought to have a variety of tools for the hard work of reconciliation.”

“Second, discussion better encompasses the reality that in our teaching, warning, advising, and even rebuking, there must exist a two-way conversation. We go not only to speak but to listen. In fact, we listen first, then we speak (James 1:19). Discussion reminds us that the way of the wise is to listen before we speak (Prov. 18:13). Finally, in the command to “go and be reconciled” (Matt. 5:23– 24), we go aware of our own frailty and vulnerability to sin, our own self-deceptions, and our own slowness to heed the warnings and embrace the promises of Scripture.“

“Moreover, we go as brothers and sisters—members of the family of God. Hence, when we go, we go gently and with the intent to restore the relationship of a brother or sister (see Gal. 6:1).”

Negotiation. Whereas discussion-reconciliation deals with the personal offenses that lead to conflict (bitterness, gossip, guilt, shame, and so on), negotiation concerns the substantive issues that need to be addressed in conflict. Typically, the substantive matter in a dispute is the concrete, measurable, and objective issue over which the parties are in disagreement. This may be the time or place of a meeting, the terms of a contract, a written policy or practice of a church, the selection of hymns, the curriculum for Sunday school, and so on. pp.43-45

Defining ‘Kingdom’ by what it Is: Truth

37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Proof of this Otherworldly Kingdom: v.37: Positive

Christ’s Kingdom=Truth

Gary Burge: “[Jesus] has come to unveil the truth to the world... to unveil himself, his voice (which is God’s voice), and his words (which are God’s words). Therefore ‘truth’… is a theological term. ‘Truth’ is what we see when we see God. Jesus is thus ‘the truth’ (14:6…). It is reality lived out in divine light...”

It is reality lived out in divine light!

I love that line! The Kingdom is what is real and not fake. It is living in faith with under the umbrella of Christ’s reign and recognizing that reign in all of life!

In other words, Christians live in reality. That is, our understanding of the world is what is actually true. Like, how we perceive the world is grounded in what is real! The Kingdom opens our eyes to see how God’s rule plays itself out each and every day!

It connects who God is with how we live.

That brings me to the next important point of application: Christians need to be catechizers!

Reformation Day! To resort to violence may been wrong. But the content of the truth is certainly worth dying over!

People literally died over points of theology that we would typically yawn over!

Catechesis of the World vs. Catechesis of Christ

The Atlantic

James Ernest: President of Eerdmans, a major publisher of Christian books

“What we’re seeing is massive discipleship failure caused by massive catechesis failure.”

The evangelical church in the U.S. over the last five decades has failed to form its adherents into disciples. SO there is a great hollowness.”

Alan Jacobs: Professor at Baylor University

“Culture catechizes.”

Summarization: “Culture teaches us what matters and what views we should take about what matters.... Catechizing= TV, radio, Facebook, Twitter, podcasts...

Through these mediums, people “subject themselves to [culture’s] catechesis all day long.”

ON THE FLIP SIDE:

Many churches aren’t interested in catechesis at all. They focus instead on entertainment...

Church can’t compete against all the other means of culture’s catechisis: Alan Jacobs: “So if people are getting one kind of catechesis for half an hour per week, and another for dozens of hours per week, which on e do you think will win out?”

We are captivated by the King, so our mission is to make disciples who discover the joy of belonging to Jesus!

ResLife Kids

Sunday’s Message

Youth Group: Entertainment? Infotainment?

Small Groups

BSF, Bible studies: These are awesome!

Reformation: TRUTH!

Conclusion: How this Kingdom Conquers: Faith!

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

Second Instance: John 3:5: Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Being born of what and Spirit is a reference to Ezekiel 36:25-27: 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Kingdom=See Jesus through Faith!

How to ‘win’ in this Kingdom? How the Kingdom operates in this world

"You PLAY to WIN the GAME!!!"

Yahoo Sports: Doug Farrar: “On October 30, 2002, New York Jets head coach Herman Edwards took the podium for his usual mid-week press conference with the media, perhaps unaware that he was about to unleash the soundbite that would forever define him. Edwards' team was in a bad way, a season was going down the drain, and it was up to the coach to deliver a message.