EDITOR'S NOTE: On Oct. 23, 2021, I was ordained as a minister of word and sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and installed as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. I also served the same church for four years from October 2017 to October 2021 a synodically authorized minister. The journey together these past four years has been an amazing one, full of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on Nov. 21, Christ the King Sunday.
This week's gospel: John 18:33-37
33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
The message:
I’m curious this morning, Faith Family. … If I were to ask you where you are from … how would you answer?
I suspect some of you might say Wolverton. That would be a natural answer. … I know my instinct would be to say Moorhead.
Others might say North Dakota or Minnesota. … And still others might understand the question to mean something else, and tell us the hometown in which they were raised.
Where are you from? … As humans, this is such a loaded question, isn’t it? … From experience, we know that the question means so much more than just where do you physically reside?
Where are you from? … It’s a question that probes to our deepest depths and asks of us … where do you belong, what is your makeup, who are your people?
And so, if these simple four words mean so much … why do you think it is that as Christians our first answer is never … I am from … the Kingdom of God?
Afterall, that answer should provide more context about who we are than any other potential answer -- including Wolverton, or Moorhead … or Minnesota … or even the United States -- possibly could provide.
Well, Faith Family, I think the Kingdom of God is not the first answer that comes to mind because … like Pilate in today’s gospel text … we just simply cannot understand the Kingdom of God.
And we can’t understand the Kingdom of God because it is so absolutely unrecognizable to us humans who can’t fathom another way of living, a place that lifts on high a servant king, not a tyrannical emperor. … A place that values that service more than it does power. … A place that worships a king who loves us so much that he would give his life for us to be saved, and not the other way around … A place where might isn’t right, but in fact love is.
How could we -- as mere humans -- possibly understand all of that?!?! … And sadly it doesn’t seem like much has changed in 2,000 years, does it?
Because in today’s gospel text, Pilate is just as dumbfounded by what Jesus is talking about … the Kingdom of God … as we are today.
A little context about today’s text will be helpful.
There are theologians who divide this scene in John -- the scene where Jesus is handed over to the Roman authorities -- into seven acts, and this particular piece of text is considered to be the second act.
We need to know that at this point in the scene, Jesus has been arrested and handed over to Pilate, the Roman governor of the region, because the Jewish people and its chief priests are threatened by this no name rabbi from the sticks who has been seen performing miracles and spreading the gospel message of love.
So the Jewish leaders don’t want Jesus free, but they also don’t want to do the dirty work of executing him. So they hand Jesus over to Pilate.
And then you have Pilate, the governor, a Roman stooge who doesn’t quite see this as his problem, but just in case there is something to this Jesus being the king of the Jews … well, then ... he doesn’t want to risk an insurgency upsetting his Roman territory, does he? … I mean, how would that look to his superiors?
And so he pushes Jesus to tell him .. just who he is: “Are you the King of the Jews?” … A question, of course, that has all kinds of implications. … Deadly implications.
Are you the king of the Jews? … Because if you are, I need to get rid of you. … Because if you are, that would explain why the Jewish chief priests are so afraid of you.
But Jesus being Jesus … upends the discussion altogether. He’s not going to play Pilate’s game. … “Hey, Pilate, is that really you asking … or did the Jewish leaders just make you their stooge too?” … And Jesus’ retort sails so far over Pilate’s head, that it hasn’t even landed yet.
“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?”
That is how Pilate understands Jesus’ question. … Quite literally, as a matter of fact. … “What do you mean, Jesus, your own people turned you over to me. … So, obviously, you’ve done something wrong. … Fess up, what is it!”
But Jesus isn’t done stringing Pilate along just yet. He’s going to confound this Roman leader just a little more.
Jesus answers, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
And poor ol’ Pilate, all he can muster up is … “Aha, so you are a king! … I got you now. You know it’s against the law to claim that you are a king when there is only one earthly king, and that’s the emperor!” … And I bet there was even a bit of a glimmer in Pilate’s eyes as he relished catching Jesus in a trap.
And that’s when Jesus finally lays the ultimate truth hammer on our outmatched Pilate: “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
In other words, “Yup, Pilate you are right. … I was indeed a king, just as you said. … But you can’t fathom what that actually means. … You’re so caught up in your Roman power structure, in your society that is built on wealth and class … so caught up in your might makes right ... that you can’t fathom what it means to be the king of God’s Kingdom.
But those who know the truth hear it, and they hear my voice. So do with me what you will, because my power as king isn’t vested in your rule and it certainly isn’t vested in your earthly values.”
Faith Family … Looking at this text through the prism of sitting in this church today, it might be easy to see Pilate’s folly. After all, we gather here every Sunday to talk specifically about this other kingdom that Jesus speaks of.
With this beautiful altar over my shoulder here, and as we kneel at this altar for communion later this morning, it’s hard not to be reminded of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. … A sacrifice by a king who sheds earthly power like it was child’s play.
Yes, here in this sanctuary, it’s easy isn’t it … to remember we are of God’s Kingdom. … And if I were to ask you again right now where you are from, you might quickly shout out: “Well, pastor, I get it now. … I am from the Kingdom of God.”
But then, after an hour or two, we will walk out the front doors of this church. … And we will walk back into another kingdom altogether, won’t we?
We will go back to the “busyness” of life. We will go back to our jobs and school and complicated relationships with family, friends, neighbors and our enemies. … We will enter another kingdom that is measured in who has the power, who has the wealth, who has the status, who runs things.
We will go back to that exact earthly kingdom that made it possible for the Jewish chief priests to turn over Jesus to the Roman authorities to be crucified.
Oh sure, we can sit here today and say, “But pastor, not me. I wasn’t there; surely I wasn’t complicit. … That was 2,000 years ago!”
But today, on a Sunday when we celebrate God as the true king, a heavenly king, I think it’s really, really important to ask ourselves if our hands truly are clean of Jesus’ blood as we think they are.
After all, Jesus died to save us and to demonstrate there is a high power, a kingdom of greater importance than the one we spend most of our time in.
And so I think it's absolutely vital that we ask ourselves if we truly are doing everything we can to make that kingdom a reality here on earth every day in our own personal actions, in our own personal relationships, with our own personal resources?
Through Pilate, Jesus is telling us that the values of his kingdom -- his father’s kingdom -- are different from those of the current political, societal and financial systems that exist today … systems that result in oppression, marginalization and precisely the kind of hypocrisy that Pilate exhibited in the interaction between him and Jesus.
Faith Family … Jesus is talking to us today in the gospel as well. We don’t get a pass. … Everytime we fall into the trap of living by earthly values, we are complicit in handing over Jesus to Pilate.
Everytime we buy into this world’s fascination with power and domination at the expense of relationships, at the expense of our health, at the expense of God’s creation, at the expense of our soles … we could just as well be part of the crowd sanding outside Pilate’s governor’s residence, shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
We live in challenging times, Faith Family. All around us, there are those who would tear apart this earthly kingdom for power, for success and even just to win.
But Jesus shows us there is a different way. “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
So how about it, Faith Family, today on Christ the King Sunday, where are you from? … Can you unequivocally answer that you are from the Kingdom of God? … Jesus is waiting for our answers.
And that is the Good News this Christ the King Sunday, 2021. … Amen.
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