Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, knew that the Roman emperor didn’t appreciate it when people challenged his authority. So, when Pilate asked Jesus “Are you the King of the Jews?” he wanted to know if Jesus was going to cause him problems with the emperor. Jesus answered this question by telling Pilate that yes he was a king but his kingdom wasn’t of this world (John 18:33-37). Since Pilate didn’t know what to make of this answer he decided that executing Jesus was the wisest course of action.
Pilate didn’t quite understand the meaning of Jesus’ reply but he is in good company. Theologians have been trying to make sense of that statement to this day. If Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, then what does that mean for us?
We know from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that Jesus’ primary message had to do with the kingdom of God. This is especially true of his parables. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus even tells a group of religious leaders that the kingdom of God was already among them (Lk 17:21).
Although we don’t hear much about the kingdom in the Gospel of John, it does reveal that Jesus is king even if that kingdom is not of this world. That leads to this question: what does this mean for us living in this world?
Our reading from 2 Samuel reveals to us the “Last Words of David.” In this psalm, David envisions himself as a man whom God exalted and anointed. And, the Spirit of God speaks through him, declaring that “one who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land” (2 Sam. 23:2-4)
While these words are put in the mouth of David, since this is Christ the King Sunday, they provide us with a lens through which we can view the reign of Christ on earth as it is in heaven.
It is said that David was beloved of God, but he also was a very worldly ruler. Although he was a very complicated figure, Israel has always looked upon him as God’s beloved and the model for everyone who rules. In fact, many Jews of Jesus’ day hoped David, or one like him, would return to restore Israel to a place of honor. This hope is rooted in the everlasting covenant that, according to David, God has made with him and his household (2 Sam. 23:5).
If we read Jesus’ answer to Pilate’s question in light of David’s final words, then the key words are that one who reigns over the realm of God will rule justly and in the fear of God. What makes God’s realm different is that it aligns completely with God’s will. Therefore, his reign “is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.”
Christ the King Sunday invites us to envision a different realm, where justice and peace reign so that God’s creation is blessed. This realm is not like the godless realms marked by thorns that must be removed with an iron bar and a spear shaft only to be consumed by fire.
The Book of Daniel can help us understand what Jesus has in mind here. According to Daniel, human empires rise to great heights of power and influence, and then fall only to be replaced by another empire. Daniel spoke to a community wondering if God is present as they endure a horrific period of their history. Daniel’s answer is simply this, worldly empires always fail, but God’s realm endures forever.
Daniel envisioned “one like a human being” coming with the clouds of heaven who will be “given dominion and glory and kingship, and all peoples, nations, and languages shall serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” [Dan. 7:13-14]. This message rooted in the promise of God’s everlasting covenant is embodied for us in Jesus’ reign.
Jesus’ realm might not be of this world, but it is present within the world. It is present like a mustard seed or leaven in a loaf. It is like seed that takes root in receptive soil. When Jesus said that his realm was not of this world, he meant that it doesn’t operate according to the ways of this world. Instead, it reflects the ways of God. If that seed takes root in our lives we can embody God’s realm in this world by living lives that reflect the values of God’s realm. That begins as we embody God’s vision of justice.
Many years ago Reinhold Niebuhr wrote a book titled Moral Man and Immoral Society. In that book, which he wrote at the height of the Great Depression, while fascism emerged across Europe, Niebuhr wrote that “we cannot build our individual ladders to heaven and leave the total human enterprise unredeemed of its excesses and corruptions.” [Moral Man, p. 277].
In making this statement, Niebuhr points us to the message of the prayer we recite weekly. Following Jesus’ lead, we pray that the will of God’s will be done on earth as in heaven. So, how do we embody God’s will on earth as in heaven?
A while back, I was talking with two of my friends about how our friendship transcended our different religious affiliations. Here we were, a Hindu, a Muslim, and a Christian, and we talked about how our friendship didn’t detract from our faith commitments but instead strengthened them. That is good news, but then my friend Amin mentioned the power of hate. Once it gets unleashed in the world, as we’ve seen in recent years, it’s difficult to stop. It’s a lot like the thorns David mentions in his oracle. While the thorns of injustice and hate are present in this world, they do not offer the last word. On this day, of all days, in the church year, we are reminded that God is faithful. In the song that precedes David’s last words, David sings God’s praise for “He is a tower of salvation for his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed to David and his descendants forever” (2 Sam. 22:51). As followers of Jesus, we can take hold of that promise and live accordingly.
Jesus’s kingdom doesn’t operate according to the ways of this world but we can embody that reign in the way we live in this world. This includes the way we engage with the political systems. As Niebuhr reminds us, we have a responsibility to hold our political leaders accountable to God’s vision of justice. If we do this, then God’s blessings will flow like rain upon the grass.
The church year begins by calling on us to prepare ourselves for the coming of Emmanuel, “God with us.” We close the church year by embracing the reign of God in our lives so that the righteousness of God might be revealed in this world as well as the next. While we still await the coming of God’s reign in its fullness, let us take hold of the promise that God is faithful to the covenant. When we do this, we can be a source of blessing in this world.
Preached by:
Dr. Robert D. Cornwall
Acting Supply Pastor
First Presbyterian Church
Troy, Michigan
Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday
November 21, 2021
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