John 18:33-37 Christ the King 15 B
St. Peter’s
Come Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful people and kindle
in us the fire of your love. And now, may the words of my mouth
and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O
Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have you ever thought how you would handle it if you were taken
captive, say, like, a prisoner of war? I sure have. I was even
trained for such an occurrence. And it was not a pleasant
experience.
Would you be the tough guy, resisting your captors each step of
the way? Would you be the hero, looking for the opportunity to
sneak up behind one of the bad guys and take his weapon?
Well, come and tell me…after you’ve been beaten during
interrogation, or waterboarded because you wouldn’t talk. I was.
Take my word for it…you’ll sing a different tune after that
experience. And that was just training, and it was only for a
couple of weeks! I can’t imagine how people like Col. Tom Moe,
who lives here in Lancaster, endured five years of the most brutal
torture imaginable as a POW in the Hanoi Hilton.
I had the honor of serving with a Marine Colonel named Jerry
Marvel, who was in Hanoi Hilton with Col. Moe and John McCain.
Col. Marvel told me detailed stories about how he was mistreated.
One story he told me was about when his interrogators wanted to
know the name of his squadron commander. Col. Marvel said he
resisted as long as he could, despite having his leg broken five
different times, and his shoulders separated, over and over, as a
result of being suspended from the rafters by his hands, which
were tied behind his back.
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He said he finally gave in and told them that the name of his
squadron commander was Lt. Col. Jack Daniels. AND THEY
BOUGHT IT!
He said they then wanted the name of his executive officer.
Same routine of torture and resistance. Col. Marvel said he
again finally gave in. He told them that the name of his executive
officer was Major Jim Beam. AND THEY BOUGHT THAT, TOO!
…for about a week…when they figured out that Col. Marvel had
made fools of them. He said the beating he took for that was
beyond description, but, he said, it was worth it to have gotten
their goat, even for a few days.
As we hear in our Gospel text for today, Jesus stood before
Pilate, by all accounts, a prisoner-of-war in the battle between
darkness and light…between the forces of evil and the reign of
God.
We can imagine that his hands were bound behind him. His
clothes were probably filthy and blood-stained from the inhuman
conditions of his captivity. And this was only the beginning.
"Are you the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked. If Jesus claimed to
be King of the Jews, he could be tried for treason. If he claimed
to be the Son of God, he could be tried for blasphemy.
Jesus answered Pilate’s question with a question: "Do you ask
this on your own, or did others tell you about me?"
Pilate was defensive. "I am not a Jew, am I?" In other words,
“How should I know what you people talk about?” He goes on:
"Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to
me. What have you done?"
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The truth was that Jesus had done nothing…unless you count
making blind people see, and deaf people hear, and giving
strength to withered limbs, and hope to the hopeless.
But it wasn't so much what Jesus had done. It was WHO HE
WAS that was the threat to the established order.
Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not from this world. (A better
translation is: My Kingdom is not OF this world.) If my kingdom
were of 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 of
here."
Jesus’ kingdom is based on something other than worldly power.
It is based on self-surrender…on his offering of himself for the sin
of the world. He acts in accordance with the Father’s direction.
His kingdom is not from here, or of here. It is from the Father. If
Pilate had had an open heart, he would have picked up this hint
and asked where Jesus’ kingdom is from, but he doesn’t.
That’s when Pilate says, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered,
"You say that I am a king.”
Jesus is clearly claiming kingship, but he does not commit to the
label of “king” in the sense that Pilate would understand.
Jesus goes on to say, “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."
This statement is meant to establish Jesus as the king of Truth,
and he manifests his royal power, not by force of armies, but by
the witness he bears to the Truth.
And the truth he refers to here is the truth of God’s saving action
of coming into the world in Jesus Christ.
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No wonder Pilate wanted nothing to do with Jesus. Here was
someone the likes of whom he had never encountered before.
He WAS a king. But even the word "king" was inadequate for the
role Jesus was to play. And Pilate couldn’t see it.
One of the commentators I read attempted to express the
magnitude of Jesus' kingship in this less theological, and more
practical, way:
"My king was born a king. He is the king of the Jews. He is a
king of the ages. He is the king of heaven. He is the king of
glory. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now that's my
king.
He's enduringly strong. He's entirely sincere. He's eternally
steadfast. He's immortally graceful. He's impartially merciful.
That's my king.
He's the wellspring of wisdom. He's the doorway of deliverance.
He's the pathway of peace. He's the roadway of righteousness.
He's the highway of holiness. He's the gateway of glory. He's the
master of the mighty. He's the captain of the conquerors.
He's the governor of governors. He's the prince of princes. He's
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's my king.
His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is
everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His
grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and
his burden is light. Death couldn't handle him, and the grave
couldn't hold him. That's my king.”
That's the king who stood before Pilate that day. And that's the
king who stands among us and with us this day.
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Too many people these days have only a lukewarm, timid, maybe
even fearful relationship with Christ. They have never let Christ
truly be king of their lives. Why? All kinds of reasons.
In their hearts, some people feel they've made too many
mistakes. Christ could never accept them as they really are.
Some people feel it's too late because they're too old. What could
Christ do with them at this point in their lives?
Others feel they're too young, or too shy, or too limited in their
education or abilities. But Christ can do amazing things through
you and me, if we give him the chance.
Still others…too many others…have made other things the king in
and of their lives…made other things the god of their lives.
There was an interesting article in READER'S DIGEST years ago
about a new ministry to young people in street gangs. Street
gangs are known for having their own customs, slang words,
codes of conduct, and dress. Gang members can also identify
one another through special tattoos.
But what if a young person wants to leave a gang and start his or
her life over again?
In Detroit, there's a program called, appropriately enough,
GRACE (Gang Retirement and Continued Education), that helps
young men and women get out of gangs. They assist these
young people in getting jobs or finishing their education. And one
of the most important services of GRACE's program may be the
removal or covering of gang tattoos.
There are tattoo artists who volunteer their time and services to
redo old gang tattoos, so that they are no longer recognizable as
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such. GRACE's founder says, "It's like they're reborn when they
get that negative stuff off. They're not branded anymore."
Some of us may have a tattoo that needs to be removed, not on
our skin, but on our soul. It is a tattoo that says, "I'm not good
enough…I'm not young enough…I’m not pretty enough…I’m not
smart enough…I'm not old enough… I'm not outgoing
enough…for Christ to use me."
That tattoo is wrong. It is a lie!
Let’s call upon the Holy Spirit to help us break out of the prison
and the shackles that the Devil wants to put on us. Let’s declare
this day, this Christ the King Sunday, and every day, that Christ is
king, not just IN our lives, but OF our lives. Amen?
Today, we conclude the season of Pentecost, as well as the
church year itself. Next week, we enter the season of hopeful
anticipation of the coming Messiah. Next Sunday begins the New
Year with the season of Advent.
My hope and prayer is that we might all use this “New Year’s Eve”
of the church calendar to resolve to grow closer to God in Christ,
and closer to one another, as a family of faith, through regular
worship and fellowship, and to renew our own personal
commitment to serving Christ’s people, through the ministries of
this congregation. May we have a blessed Advent, as we await
the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen
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