A King You Can Believe In: John 18:33-37 - Christ the King Sunday

 ³³Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵Pilate 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?” ³⁶Jesus 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.” ³⁷Pilate 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.” (NRSV)

I find it ironic that Jesus was crucified during at the height of the Pax Romana.
 
This was a 200-year period in history when the Roman Empire was at the peak of its power. The economy was booming; and with no major wars being fought, manpower and resources were devoted to building roads, bridges, and water systems which raised people’s standard of living. If you belonged to the elite and ruling classes, life was especially good.
 
To maintain the peace, the emperor placed loyalists all throughout the empire who reported directly to him—men like Pontius Pilate, the infamous governor of Judea. If ever there was even a hint of rebellion against Rome, it was his job to put it down.
 
Passover would’ve been an especially stressful time for Pilate, because if ever there was an ideal occasion for the Jews to rebel against their Roman overlords, this would be it.
 
And it just so happens that the religious authorities hand Jesus over to him, with accusations that he is about to raise up a rebellion. But after a brief interrogation, Pilate quickly realizes that Jesus has done nothing to deserve death. In fact, the Gospels give us the sense that Pilate knew that he was being manipulated by the religious authorities.
 
So why does he give the order for Jesus to be crucified?
 
Back when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the religious authorities knew they had to do something. Rome had put them in charge of all Jewish religious affairs. If the people shifted their loyalties to Jesus, Rome would shut them down, and they’d lose all their wealth and power. But only the Roman government could put someone to death—which is why they come to Pontius Pilate. And they don’t take “no” for an answer.
 
Pilate quickly realizes that if he doesn’t play along, he will have a mess on his hands. That’s why he gives the order for Jesus to be crucified. But Pilate doesn’t lose any sleep over executing an innocent man. Pilate gives Jesus the final insult, posting a sign atop Jesus’s cross that says, “King of the Jews.”
 
Here you see the politics of the Pax Romana—where peace is brought to you by violence; where prosperity is brought to you by oppression and exploitation; where might makes right; where greed is good; where the ends always justify the means, even at the expense of innocent lives. Jesus was crucified because he did not do as Romans do. His way is not the Roman way.
 
Thankfully, there is a happy ending to this tragic story. Pilate may have been acting in his own self-interest, but ultimately, his actions play right into God’s hands. Pontius Pilate unknowingly and unwittingly facilitated the action of God which dismantles all the power structures of the world that build up the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and vulnerable.
 
Think about it: we name Pontius Pilate every time we recite the Apostles or Nicene creeds. We are professing that through this vile act of violence and injustice, Jesus conquered sin and death by taking it upon himself, dying on the cross, and rising from the grave.
 
Jesus does not do as Romans do. He wins victories through love, mercy, and self-sacrifice. He wins through forgiveness. He wins with justice. He wins by raising up the powerless and the peacemakers to inherit the earth.
 
I know it’s quite a leap of faith to believe that Jesus is winning victories, given the way things are right now. You look around, and you don’t see things getting better. You mostly see them getting worse. There’s so much greed, so much waste, so much violence. Never has it been easier time to give up on Jesus; to give up on love; to give up on trying to do good.
 
The Christian’s duty is to love. But some days, you don’t feel like loving. You’ll wonder, what’s the point? Some days, you will be tempted to join the angry mobs in their hatefulness and rage; using your words as weapons against other people; fighting everything and everyone—just to survive and get by. This is not humanity at its best. This is certainly not who you are.
 
When you were baptized, you were baptized into the love that destroys evil and death. There are no nations, no rulers, no mobs, no individuals who can match the power of his Jesus’s love.  
 
Jesus Christ is king. And it’s time we start living like it. Now is not the time to hide away in fear. Now is certainly not the time to draw the battle lines and go on the attack.
 
We believe that things don’t have to be the way they currently are. We believe that there are more than enough food and resources to ensure that no one experiences hunger or homelessness.
 
The world believes in retribution. We believe in forgiveness.
The world believes in competition. We believe in cooperation.
The world believes in greed. We believe in generosity.
The world believes you must conquer your enemies in order to survive and thrive. We believe that we can do far more good together than we would ever do apart.
 
The world believes in power through force. We believe in the power of love. We believe love is the way.
 
Together, we are laying the foundation of God’s glorious future: one prayer at a time; one act of kindness at a time; one selfless deed at a time.
 
What will Jesus’s love accomplish in you? What will Jesus’s love accomplish through you?