Christ the King: Foolish to Many

Introduction/Scripture

John 18:33–40 NIV

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

Pray.

I think we are all going to be uncomfortable with today’s message. Myself included.

Today we celebrate the end of the church calendar season named Ordinary time. This is the season from Pentecost to the first Sunday of Advent and it culminates in Christ the King Sunday. The liturgical calendar provides the framework and the declaration that God’s gracious provision of full salvation in and through Jesus Christ, that Jesus is Lord over all creation and is our soon coming King. I love that it stands at the doorway of advent because the coming child, is the God of the universe, and is our King.

“The Feast of Christ the King was a relatively late addition to the Western liturgical calendar. Pope Pius XI instituted it in his 1925 encyclical Quas primas; Protestant denominations adopted its observance during the ecumenical reforms of the mid-20th century. Written in the aftermath of World War I, the establishment of this feast day was Pope Pius XI’s response to increasing secularization and global instability; it was to serve as a perpetual reminder of the need for submission to the true King and Lord, Jesus Christ, and our citizenship in his kingdom. This feast day was also to remind the church that peace is ultimately and only found in obedience to Christ within the realm of his reign. From the opening statement of Quas primas: “as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations.” On this feast day, the church sounds a resounding “no!” to any individual, state, or nation that would claim ultimate authority and allegiance and raises a loud “yes!” to the reign of Christ the King.”

A political trial with worldview implications

Familiar with the story of Jesus and you know our text today from John’s gospel is this final interaction in the passion narrative before Jesus crucifixion is in full motion. Leading up to this point Jewish leaders have plotted to do anything to get rid of Jesus. He has become a threat to power, he has presented himself in ways that scandalize the Jewish faith. Claiming to be the son of man, sent from God, messiah, is deeply problematic.

It is such a scandalous twist, that is not out of line from what God promised, but one they were not ready to see. By this point they want him dead. Better to get rid of him for all the issues he has caused.

It is debated that it was mostly unlawful for Jews to execute anyone. So now they needed a way to force the Romans hands in carrying out the execution.

Even in our story, Pontius Pilate is hesitant to find a death sentence as needed or appropriate. But his hand is forced through appeal to power his concern about repercussions of doing otherwise. All the while, Jesus knows this is part of the story.

So the “trial,” this would be customary.

Let’s look at the interaction:

John 18:33–36 NIV

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

Notice that Jesus does not deny nor accept the title of king in this section:

King of Israel: On one level he is not king of the jews because he is so much more than that. even the 4th gospel prefers the title king of Israel. The jewish leaders have rejected him.

The title is too small, denotes a temporal kingdom

So he says, My kingdom is not of this world...

My kingdom is not of this world

I just love when folks tell me, “preacher, keep the politics our of the pulpit.”

In a healthy way, folks know it is wise that we do not conflate the gospel with our American politics. But what is usually meant is either do not talk about my politics, or this belief that politics and the kingdom of God are some how isolated from one another.

If politics is about the governance of humans and society… think about what Jesus is doing right now.

He is accused of blasphemy by “pretending” to be a messiah that would come and wipe out all enemies and grab back power owed to the Israelites and he is being tried by the representative of the emperor who is the most powerful person and government on the planet. And he is telling them.... my kingdom is bigger than these things.

Truth is Jesus is a political threat in his time, and he is today because his kingdom supersedes any kingdom.

Christians today try to reshape Jesus into the image of our own current political landscape:

On one side Jesus is wielded as an instrument for our own political power or national pride.

On the other side Jesus is turned into a concept, a human framework, that will help us reach human made utopia if we will just progress far enough.

I have said it before: Both want the kingdom without the king.

Jesus says, my kingdom is not of this world. It was not established in 1776 but has been since the beginning of time and inaugurated again 2000 years ago with insurrection against death sin and evil in his passion. It will be forever. It is now reality for all who call on his name.

After this interaction, Pilate is pretty much over it, it seems

What is truth?

So Pilate has gotten him to admit to a kingdom. “So you are a king, then?

Jesus answers:

John 18:37–38 NIV

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

What is truth? It is philosophical question or a sarcastic one or one of curiosity. It is hard to deceipher what is meant here. But see that Pilate asks the question of the one who claims to be the truth. I think that this is a questioning of worldview. Likely, tired of all of this Pilate throws out this seemingly cynical dismissal of truth.

Knowing that the sanhedrin’s truth is different than the Roman truth, and is noticeably different than this “King’s” truth.

Jesus’ very claim of truth in the middle of all of this bares weight on our own deterioration of truth.

What is truth?

We are caught up in so many narratives.

Progressivism: Not a political party. But the idea that if we will just progress far enough things will improve. Technology, is the best example. But we do this with education and all kinds of other things. Theology, our seminaries and churches are full of chronological snobbery believing we get it better than anyone else that has come before us.

Secularism: Started as this hyper-individualism and privatization of life. Now it is trying to determine where we are going by creating its own ethic and worldview. Secularism says “You are a hero in your own journey.” Pleasure, consumption, individual autonomy.

Writing in the 1980s, Lesslie Newbigin writes:

In the 25 years since Munby wrote his book [The Idea of a Secular Society, 1963], we have learned something about the secular society. We have learned, I think, that what has come into being is not a secular society but a pagan society, not a society devoid of public images but a society which worships gods which are not God. But the myth of a secular society remains strong. (p 219f)

Here is the thing. I am not here to say, we in here are good and the culture out there is bad. No, I am saying, we live in this culture and this culture is in us.

On Christ the King Sunday, it is an opportunity for us to remember the kingdom and to come back to the king: To come back to the truth

The truth that Jesus is the son of God and will reign forever and ever

The truth that his kingdom is about love, mercy, righteousness

The truth that no kingdom in this world touches him or exists without him

The truth that we were made for him, that our life is found in him and will on rest in him

the truth that we are broken and prone to wonder, to even sit on a throne of our making

The truth, Jesus our truth. Who should supercede our political agenda and worries, who reminds us that stuff, or sexual exploitation, or careers, or money, or our obsession with comfort, or our pursuit of notiriety before man means nothing in eternity and as a matter of fact leads us right out of the kingdom.

Closing:

There is this weird movement to stop using the phrase kingdom, because kingdoms are oppressive. Kings are oppressive. Kin-dom…like a collective of kin. Like-hearted people who enjoy coming together. I have heard this language in the church.

Here is the deal. Jesus did not ascend to the throne like a normal king.

You saw the end of our text and you know what comes after. He went willingly in place of Barrabbas. He died a criminal’s death. The lion became the lamb. This is your king.

And what should be our response?

Allegiance to him and conformity to his way. Michael Gorman puts it this way:

. . . conformity to the cross, to Christ crucified. Cruciformity is the ethical dimension of the theology of the cross found throughout the NT and the Christian tradition. Paradoxically, because the living Christ remains the crucified one, cruciformity is Spirit-enabled conformity to the indwelling crucified and resurrected Christ. It is the ministry of the living Christ, who reshapes all relationships and responsibilities to express the self-giving, life-giving love of God that was displayed on the cross. Although cruciformity often includes suffering, at its heart [it]—like the cross—is about faithfulness and love.

I love how Nijay Gupta describes the same idea, “The cross-way,’cruciformity,’ is about living a new kind of life. The crucial thing to observe, though, is that it is not just suffering ‘for Christ,’ but in imitation of Christ’s suffering for other people.” So in our suffering we are linked to Christ’s suffering and victory over suffering. More so, those who are conformed by the cross will suffer for neighbor.

Ending 1: heartbroken to see Christians celebrate the verdict of Rittenhouse this week. Openly. Without care for those who grieve.

Ending 2: Awake, my soul, and sing  of him who died for thee,  and hail him as thy matchless King through all eternity!