John 18: 33-37

CHRIST THE KING—LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST | Nov. 21, 2021 | A Sermon based on John 18: 33-37 (RCL) |  by David Zersen |

³Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, „Are you the king of the Jews?“ ³⁴„Is that your own idea,“ Jesus asked, „or did others talk to you about me?“ ³⁵„Am I a Jew?“ Pilate replied. „Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?“ ³⁶Jesus 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.“ ³⁷„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.“

DOES YOUR LIFE FOLLOW A PATTERN?

Today is the last day of the church year—a day given differing significance in various church bodies. Lutherans and Protestants in general in Germany know this as Totensonntag, the Day of the Dead, a final time to remember the saints who have preceded us in life as a new church year begins in Advent. In the United States, most denominations new celebrate Christ the King on this day, a recognition that just as the church year comes to an end, so all things will finally end. In a world in which Christians believe that justice not chaos will triumph, endings have to do with righteous judgement. Christ the King Sunday, therefore, celebrates the conviction that our ultimate judgement will be meted out with the love God has shared in Christ.

When these thoughts were first explored in the early Christian world, the available terms to explain judgement and justice came from understandings rooted in kings and kingdoms, authorities and powers. Monarchies with kings and queens still exist in our world, but for the most part they are parliamentary democracies and the authority of a potentate is limited by constitutions and legislatures. However, we know enough about the meaning of a monarchy to understand Pilate’s question when in our text, he asks, “Are you a king?” And we can also grasp how fascinating and profound John’s version of Jesus’ answer is when he has him say, “You say that I am a king!” Pilate knew what kings were and like Herod before him, he had reason to be afraid if an alternative ruler might set himself up in his own domain.

Jesus’ answer is profound because he establishes his authority as a promulgator of truth. There was a lot of falsehood, devious manipulation and fake news in Pilate’s day and in our own time as well. People learn how to manipulate others, twist facts to their advantage and control people so as to achieve superiority. Jesus represents a different approach to reality. He is interested in serving people, not manipulating them. He uses facts to build-up society, not to suppress people. At the heart of his relationship with people is a love that would “pass” Pilate’s understanding, because from his standpoint, in the process of employing it, Jesus would become a loser. Using terms familiar to people in the first century, Jesus was presenting an alternative society, a new kind of kingdom. Immersed in a world that knew such governments, one might have called Jesus a kind of king. And there were those in the Palm Sunday procession or those who carried weapons waiting for the “takeover” who were sure they had the inside track on that kind of language. We need to be clear among ourselves, therefore, what kind of lordship we are celebrating on Christ the King Sunday.

By the end of the first century, those who followed Jesus had made the concept of a new lifestyle, or a new kingdom if you will, the center of their Christian understanding. At the end of a year, at the end of their days, what kind of lifestyle did they want to be known as presenting to the lord of all, the king of kings?—so majestically had their faith-speech elevated their loyalties. Reading certain major historical reviews one becomes aware of the power of the truth that Jesus’ teaching represented in the ancient world. Tom Holland’s Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom and Larry Hurtado’s Why On Earth Did Anyone Become A Christian In The First Three Centuries make it powerfully clear that the pattern of living exhibited by the early Christians ultimately lifted up a vision that a depraved Roman society bought into. Pilate could not have known what Jesus had been teaching and what his followers had been living. Jesus, however, challenged him—and us—to consider that there are alternatives to lifestyles that condescend to others and instead build others up.

In our democratic society, we may feel awkward about using terms like king and lord. It’s interesting how important a term like “lord” was in the New Testament. It is used 700 times in the Gospels and Epistles. It had become so important that it was the testimony that a new Christian was asked to make at baptism: “Jesus is Lord”. “Given anything that I have been, given my misunderstanding of life’s purpose, I am beginning anew with a focus and pattern that will shape me forever.” This is what new Christians avowed. This is the perspective that led them to serve one another, love even their enemies, forgive those who had wronged them and long for a life that would last forever.

Quite fascinating is the way in which this belief shaped the architecture of the church in the Byzantine world. In the dome of the church, high above the worshippers, was the image of the Pantocrator, the Lord of all. It was a confession for Christians who would stand before earthly judges and be asked to acknowledge an earthly ruler, a Caesar, as Lord, even a spiritual authority. At times in the Roman world, Christians were expected to acknowledge the divinity of Caesar. In response, Christians made it clear, in their art and in their lifestyle, that only one was their spiritual leader. Only Jesus is Lord!

In the complicated world in which we live today, there are many ways in which we can testify that our lives follow a pattern established by the caring, loving lifestyle of Jesus. His life for others represents a truth that many feel challenged to accept. Many are those who claim to be Christian, but who strongly believe that revenge is necessary when you have been wronged. Many are those who are even encouraged by statements from the government to believe that if we have “official” enemies, we must hate them. Many are those who may claim to be Christian but refuse to forgive those who have wronged them.

When we find ourselves among the “many”, we need to remember our baptisms, the moment when God claimed us as his own and the loving leadership of Jesus that has laid claim to our lives.

Today is a day to remember that Jesus came to testify to the truth—and that his truth has claimed us forever.

Today is a day to ask ourselves how that truth can more fully embrace us each day we live in Christ.

David Zersen, D.Min., Ed.D.

President Emeritus, Concordia University Wisconsin